IDEA: The fault in Cain is tokenism.
Text: "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4).
PURPOSE: to help listeners realize that in what we give Him, God sees what is in our hearts.
Have you ever wondered how biblical writers got their insight?
God revealed it to them, of course, but do you think the insight just flashed into their heads?
I. In Hebrews 11:4, the writer declares, "By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings" (NIV).
What incident from the Old Testament does the writer have in mind?
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD." Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" And [God] said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground" Genesis 4:1-10).
It's interesting to compare and contrast the texts in Hebrews 11:4 and Genesis 4:1-10.
Every story has a focal point, e.g., a central character around which the story is told.
Who is the focal point of the story in Genesis 4?
Who is the focal point of the story in Hebrews 11?
What particulars in Hebrews come from reading the Genesis account (that is, they are clearly stated in Genesis 4)?
What is stated in the Hebrews account that is not directly stated in Genesis 4?
How did the author of the letter to the Hebrews come to the major assertion that what Abel did was "by faith"? Did God reveal that directly, or did the author see it by studying the account in Genesis 4?
II. What is in the Genesis account that leads us to believe that it was Abel's faith that made the difference in why God accepted his offering?
There is a clue in the birth order and how the two brothers were named.
Cain means "to acquire, get, possess", which foreshadows something in his character. By her comment, Eve indicates that Cain is her first and favorite son. What do you suspect this could have done to Cain?
Eve called her second son Abel meaning "vapor, breath", and the word is used as a metaphor for what is fleeting and without substance.
There is another clue in the careful description of the offerings that the two men brought to God.
Abel brings the best fat from the firstborn of his flock (Genesis 4:4).
Cain, on the other hand, brought "some of the fruits." There is no indication that the produce he offered was the first or choicest that he possessed.
Cain's sin is tokenism. He looks religious, but in his heart he is not grateful, childlike, or dependent on God.
There is an additional clue to Abel's faith by contrasting him to Cain's reaction to God's warning.
Cain became angry. With whom was he angry? Do you think this tells you anything about Cain before his offering was rejected? Why does he sulk?
God begins with a question that allows Cain to confess his failure. (God took the same approach of asking questions in Genesis 3:8-13).
Cain refuses to answer. It takes faith to believe that God always does what is right. His refusal to answer shows that he lacks the kind of faith that pleases God.
Cain's answer to God's questioning doesn't come in a response to God, but in his words and actions to his brother. It is unjustified rage against God that caused him to murder his brother. (Note that brother occurs six times in Genesis 4:6-11.)
III. What do we learn about Abel's faith when we compare Cain's and his reactions to God? We learn something from contrasting the two brothers.