January 4, 2024
Read Genesis 4, Psalm 4, John 4
I forget who said it, but someone once told me a great definition of a sacrifice; “Sacrifice is giving up something you love for something you love more.” In Genesis 4 is the first recorded sacrifices given to God. Cain who worked the soil brought “some of the fruits of the soil” v. 3. Abel “brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock” v. 4. The passage tells us that God looked with favor on Abel’s but not with Cain’s. What’s the difference? Was it the type of sacrifice brought, crops vs. animal sacrifice? From the wording and some help from the New Testament we can see it was not the type it was the quality of the sacrifice that caused the Lord to not look in favor of Cain’s sacrifice. The words “fat portions” and “firstborn” lead us to think that these were the choice animals of Abel. Hebrews 11:4 tells us that Abel “offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did.”
Then we have Cain’s reaction. He kills his brother in anger, not for anything his brother did to him but for what he failed to do himself. Do we ever lash out at others for something that we did or did not do? Is our reaction based on jealousy or covetousness when we were the ones who did not offer our best? It was not a competition between Cain and Abel, God’s response tells us this, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?” v. 7. Then God says “sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Sin is personified as a wild beast ready to attack us. God tells us we must “master it.” This phrase relates to discipline. We can master certain talents, skills, or wisdom. Here we are encouraged to master the choice to give in to sin and fight off the temptation to do something that is not right.
Cain is driven from the area in which he killed Abel. He contests that those who find him will kill him. You might ask, “who is going kill Cain, his parents?” Genesis 5:4 tells us that Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters. What many do not understand about the Scriptures is that many times they only highlight certain people or stories. They do not tell the whole story especially related to the genealogies.
Psalm 4 has some words of advice that Cain as well as we could learn from. Verse 4 tells us a similar thing that James does, “In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” Our first responsibility is to master our response to our anger. It’s okay to be angry, especially when we are wronged. Even Jesus got angry when people treated him or his father’s house wrong. David encourages us to “search your heart and be silent.” The next verse he tells us, “offer right sacrifices and trust the Lord” v. 5. My previous pastor used to tell me, “You can’t stop the birds from flying around in the air, but you can stop them from building a nest in your hair.” Simply put, we cannot control what other people do but we can control what is related to ourselves.
John 4 is the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Jesus asks for a drink from the well and a conversation begins. Jesus tells the woman that she could have “living water” from him if she only knew “gift of God” v. 10 and who he was. Then Jesus tells her “I who speak to you am he” v. 26. The woman wants to divide with Jesus about the proper place to worship. The Samaritans claimed it was in Samaria while the Jews said it was in Jerusalem. Jesus reminds her that the right place is Jerusalem but that one day it won’t matter where the Father will not be worshiped in either place. Worship is closely related to sacrifice. Who or what do you worship? Is it a job? Family? A Celebrity? A Musician? Hopefully the Lord comes first on that list.
What words and phrases and themes do you see in these verses? What speaks to you in the time and circumstances that you are in now? What things get you angry enough to tempt you to do something you should not? Is the Lord what you worship and what you love more than anything else?
DId God Really Say... 