And Abel also presented an offering — some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent. – Genesis 4:4-5
Have you ever felt like your "offerings" were "disregarded" by God?
In the account above, we see that "the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering," but not for Cain and his. The words "had regard for" carry the meaning of "looking at something with a keen earnest glance (JFB Commentary)" and in this instance could even point to the act of God consuming Abel's offering with divine fire. The point being that God considered Abel's offering, and Abel himself, to be acceptable in His sight. Cain, on the other hand, just by the simple fact that God did not look favorably on his offering, knew that He was also not acceptable.
Again I wonder, have you ever felt disregarded? God is rarely concerned with what we bring to Him. Perhaps in this case He expected Cain to understand that a blood sacrifice was necessary, but it seems to me that He was more concerned with the attitude behind his gift. In truth, the Almighty always considers the why of our offerings as more important than the what. Unless our gifts (time, resources, talents) come from a heartfelt desire to worship Him, we can expect those gifts to be unacceptable in God's sight.
When an offering is made (as I believe Cain's was) for some expected gain rather than God's simple pleasure and glory, then we should not be surprised if it appears to be “disregarded.”
Never be afraid of giving up your best, and God will give you His better. – James Hinton
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