Dinner Date; The Story of Cain and Abel

Oct. 27

Read: Genesis 4:3-7a, 1 John 3:11,12

The Story of Cain and Abel;

Dinner Date

“And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.” (Gen. 4:4)

“We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one…” (1 John 3:12)

Why did God “have regard” for one persons offering and “no regard” for the others? What was the deciding factor between how these two food offerings were received by the Lord? When we realize that God is sharing a meal with Cain and Abel, it starts to make more sense. We begin to realize that the food matters somewhat… but it also doesn’t really matter at all. Imagine having a meal with your family or going on a date. The food is somewhat important, but what really matters is who you are sharing it with. Good feed with bad company is a bust. Mediocre food with good company is a win! The point is this: It was not the composition of Cains food… what food he brought to the meal… it was a matter of how Cain was living. Cains offering was brought to the Lord in the context of his relationship with the Lord… against the backdrop of how he was living in the world. Imagine that someone who rejected you, scorned you, ignored you, and actively did the opposite of what you asked them to do… imagine that person asking you to dinner!? How much “regard” would you have for that invitation? How enjoyable would that dinner date be… even if the food itself was good? See what I mean?

God shows us this is the case by what he says to Cain afterwards. Cain is sad… he is angry. His “face fell” before the Lord. God sees this and in a loving, patient, and kind way approaches Cain and says:

“Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted?”

Do you see how the Lord himself outlines that this is a matter if how Cain is acting… what he is doing; it is not a matter of fruits and veggies vs. meat and fat. This is not about God arbitrarily liking one persons dinner dish and not liking the other… it is about RELATIONSHIP. You see, Cain thinks his actions in this world and relationships don’t effect his communion with God. This is not the case. The Apostle John gives us even more information; he tells us that Cain was of the evil one. John goes on to say that: “Because his (Cain’s) own deeds were evil and his brother’s (Abel) righteous.” (1 John 3:12) How quickly we forget the Devil (The Dragon / Serpent from Gen.3) and his influence on humanity. He does not appear to have “let up”, but rather is influencing Cain and pitting him against God Most High. Cain was not just being a “bad boy”, he was “of the evil one” and carrying out “wicked acts”. What is wild is that he still “came to dinner” with God. Maybe even crazier, is that God still sat down and shared a meal with him! Think about God’s words and actions now, knowing that Cain was carrying out evil deeds and running with the Devil. How patient, gracious, kind, and willing to forgive the Lord is towards Cain. God approached him when he was sad to try to correct him and lead him into happiness. God did not immediately strike Cain down when he showed up with his plate of food. God accepted the dinner invitation and came to the meal even though Cain was there. God is a kind and loving God who desires that we repent and turn to him, not a capricious and fickle God who will randomly reject you if the food you brought is not good!

Tomorrow, we will look at how Cain responds. Today, I want you to see this: God is yet again patient, kind, loving, and calling to repentance those who are far from him. Also note that, even the best “offering” to the Lord will always be given against the backdrop of our relationship with him… our demeanor towards him… and our actions in the world. This is why it is SUCH GOOD NEWS that for us in Christ, His righteousness is given to us as our own. We have been made righteous. God sits down and shares a meal with us and is pleased with what we offer to him. He “has regard” for us as his children. The wild thing is that even though Cain had been acting with evil deeds, God had not given up on him, but rather he called him to “do right”… He called him to confession, repentance, and transformation. All of the perfect offerings… the best food brought with an invitation to dine … are worthless when brought against the backdrop of rebellion and disobedience. Look at what God goes on to say to the rebellious Israelites:

“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the LORD;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of well-fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of goats.” (Is. 1:11)

“I hate, I despise your feasts,

and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them;

and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,

I will not look upon them.

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

to the melody of your harps I will not listen.” (Amos 5:21)

BUT JESUS COMES TO US AND INVITES US TO DINE. Think about the beautiful picture of sharing a meal with the Lord and the restored relationship and friendship that it represents the next time you have supper with the Lord. God is a patient, kind, loving, and compassionate God. He longs to dine with his people. He loves to dine with his people. He gives us every opportunity to repent and turn to him. He doesn’t turn down the invitation… even if it is coming from someone who is an enemy… and he meets them with love and a call to repent and turn to him. (cf. Zaccheaus, Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, etc.) More to come. Love you guys. - JDP