WORSHIP LEADERS
THE FIRST BATTLE IN THE “ WORSHIP WARS ”: CAIN & ABEL | Grant Norsworthy
The story of Cain and Abel in the Bible confused and even frustrated me for much of my life . So much so that I kind of shoved it aside . Didn ’ t think about it . Rather than feel confused and frustrated - maybe even a bit angry - I chose to ignore it .
But more recently I have found myself rereading and prayerfully pondering . More than that , I believe God has brought a fresh meaning . Deeper understanding . Heck ! It ’ s like a holy lightbulb has turned on in my brain and in my heart .
The two characters in this story are worshippers . It ’ s a story about the worship of Almighty God ! I consider myself a worshipper of God . If you ’ re reading this , you probably do too . Therefore , Cain and Abel are very relevant to me - and to you - today .
But it ’ s this part of the rather short account that used to frustrate me the most : In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground , and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions . And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering , but for Cain and his offering he had no regard . Genesis 4 : 3-5a ( ESV )
Cain and Abel both offer a sacrifice as an expression of worship to God . Abel ’ s is acceptable . Cain ’ s is not . Now , I have heard sermons that suggest that Cain offered just any old “ fruit of the ground ” while Abel gave the absolute best “ firstborn of his flock ” in an attempt to explain why God accepted the latter and rejects the former . But to me , that difference isn ’ t obvious in the text . There ’ s no clear explanation as to why God finds one acceptable and the other not .
This made no sense to me . Why did God reject Cain but not Abel ? Why is God offended by
Cain and his fruit and veg and not Abel and the offering of lamb cutlets ? Is God anti-vegetarian ? Does He prefer meat ? Surely God does not need a meal from the brothers anyway !
By the Biblical account , up until then Cain had done nothing wrong . But this rejection from God made Cain angry which soon led to Cain murdering Abel . The very first murder in recorded human history !
In a perverse way - so my thinking went - if God had just accepted both offerings - and both brothers - the murder would not have happened . In my darker , cynical , un-worshipful moments , it seemed to me that maybe God Himself had contributed to Cain killing Abel . At least , that was my surface-only comprehension of the story .
But I ’ m assuming you know the story . If you don ’ t - or simply need a reminder of the Biblical account , take this link to read the English Standard Version of Genesis 4:1-16 . It ’ s a short read , but not an easy one .
The story of Cain and Abel is found right near the beginning of The Bible . They ’ re brothers . The first two sons born to Adam and Eve . It certainly didn ’ t take long for anger , hatred and violence to step into the human story . For our hearts to turn bitter and idolatrous .
While it ’ s true that we have to wait until Genesis
22 verse 5 for the first use of the word “ worship ” in The Bible ( in the story of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac ), the story of Cain and Abel is the very first account in The Bible of people actively doing something to worship God . It ’ s the first “ worship service ” if you will !
I don ’ t know for certain if Genesis 4:1-16 is a literal , actual account or historical events or whether this text is an early example of allegory - storytelling with a message . After all , there are plenty of influential , highly-qualified Bible scholars who are more intelligent and betterread than me who disagree on this point . But , in either case , I accept the story of Cain and Abel that we find in Genesis 4 as being God ’ s written Word . Holy Scripture . God speaks through this text . I ought not ignore Him .
So , here ’ s the holy lightbulb moment for me :
Cain and Abel are just these two guys . Cain grows food from the ground . Abel herds sheep to provide food . Both offer a portion of what they produce as a sacrifice to God in order to worship Him . Both , I ’ m sure , would be thinking of themselves as worshippers at that point .
This seems like a good thing to do , right ? “ Surely God will be happy with this ,” they both might be thinking .
For the Lord sees not as man sees : man looks on the outward appearance , but the
36 March 2025 Subscribe for Free ...