We read that God looked with favour on Abel. God looked first on Abel and his heart, and then on the gift he had brought.
Before God will accept the gift offered on the altar, we go through testing of our heart, we get „ECG” result that we’re healthy. Accepting the gift, is always connected with the person who brings it. We need to be recognised as able and ready to worship God with our gift. Offering the gift with ill heart exposes the worshipper to „accident at work”. Offering the gift with untested heart is a wrong way of acting.
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? Gen. 4.7
Jesus teaches: Go and be reconciled to your brother before you offer your gift on the altar.
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Mat. 5.23 – 24
Before God will accept your gift of beautiful singing or beautiful playing on instrument, dance, prayer; he’ll test your heart. Smell of your heart attracts His attention. If your heart is inappropriate, your acting is also inappropriate.
God pulled out „rod of favour” towards Abel. He accepted his gift. Gift offered by Cain he only registered as a fact. Inappropriate acting starts with inappropriate heart, inappropriate attitude and development of bad thoughts. Prepared heart is a passport to God’s Throne.
Cain nursed and developed in himself something inappropriate. Anger – root of murder. In Cain’s heart, there was growing thought of hostility towards his brother. It was present and was taking more and more place in his heart. To the door of his heart crawled tendency, willingness to bad action. His tendency to sin could be fed by his inappropriate heart. Cain killed Abel. It wasn’t spontaneous. Time, way and place we planned and thought over.
Lucifer was one of two cherubs, who were defending the access to Holy Mountain, God’s Throne, so that nothing unclean entered through the gate, in order not to contaminate the holy place. (Ez. 28.13-15). Lucifer knew the rule, which was in force when we came to the holy place to offer gifts. He knew, that the first thing was bringing the gift in an appropriate way. He was guarding with another cherub so that the holy place was in no way contaminated. I’m sure, that today Lucifer is doing everything so that we don’t pay attention to that rule. Inappropriate action and need to offer gifts can’t live together in heart. From the same spring can’t flow fresh and bitter water at the same time.
It’s not about doing right things, but to do right things in a right way
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh wate James 3.10-12
What God says to Cain? – Rule over!
Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you mustr ule over it. Gen.4:7b
Story of worship, especially Cain’s, speaks about offering gifts and dramas of human heart. It’s the story of neglecting God’s holiness, ignorance, arrogance, „sweeping under the carpet”, about love of sin, surrendering to our desires.
King David experienced the same feelings. Yet, he found way to correct his life. It fills me with hope, that our fates and failures, misstep, can be straightened up by God.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51.10-12
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