What Pleases God?

“Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” (Gen. 4:8)

We have been reading Genesis 4 all wrong. For years and years and years, the story is often retold like this, “God favored Abel because Abel offered the better sacrifice.” Before you read on, ask yourself – what is wrong with that statement? The answer may reveal more of our heart than we care to admit.  Let me substitute some words to see if this gets closer to the mark. “God favored Abel because of Abel’s works.” Now, do we see the problem? Surely, none of us believe that our works can save us. In fact, Paul says works are antithetical to the gospel (Rom. 4:4-8). What should we believe about this account?

First, let us discuss the issue of Cain. I don’t believe that Abel offered something exquisite while Cain offered crumbs. Grain offerings are a part of the sacrificial system, so the difference isn’t between meat and greens. Both brought an offering from their respective labors. In fact, I would go further to argue that Cain’s sacrifice was equal to Abel’s from every visible, earthly metric. Why? Do not hypocrites labor harder than most to hide their hard heart? The Pharisees were known for their long prayers, their tithing, and all the showmanship that comes with a desire for outward approval. And even in this teeny-tiny church, there lies a hypocrite. (Guess what we should still expect to find today?) Therefore, we shouldn’t measure the difference in sacrifices in earthly terms.

Secondly, Scripture confirms this very fact. Why was Abel’s sacrifice accepted? Was it because Abel worked harder? No, far from it! Hebrews 11:4 says that “by faith Abel offered up an acceptable sacrifice.” The difference did not lie in the value of the sacrifice, but in the presence of faith! Cain was a man of evil, but Abel was a man of faith (1 John 3:19). Do we not see this in our passage? “The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.” (Gen. 4:4) Notice the order in which the Spirit writes – Abel, then his offering. God didn’t see a great offering, then love Abel; no, Abel offered the fat portions because He was already loved by God. This is the life of faith-filled, grace-driven obedience!

Could it be that we regard Abel’s works because our hearts regard our own works? That we have the desire that our works would be an acceptable sacrifice? Yet as Abel knew, we cannot receive gold from God with a hand full of rocks. No, faith is the empty hand that receives everything from God (Gen. 15:6). We would do well to heed Jesus’ words: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (John 6:29) God regards this empty hand far more than anything else we could bring. What about us?“Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” (Gen. 4:8)