“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.” (Gen 4:3-5)
Why was Cain’s sacrifice rejected? The following might prove helpful.
“Cain offered of the "fruit of the ground" -- the fruit of a sin-cursed earth, "and that, moreover, without any blood to remove the curse." Had he possessed the principle of humble faith, he would have surmised as did Abel, even at that early period, something of the requirement of justice, that "without the shedding of blood there is no remission."
Cain was estranged from God by sin. Death stood between him and Jehovah. But in, his offering there was no recognition of this fact. There was no presentation of a sacrificed life to meet the claims of Divine holiness or to answer to his own true condition as a sinner. He treated Jehovah as though He were altogether such a one as himself, who could accept the sin-stained fruit of a cursed earth."
“Cain offered fruit, the result of his labors, which would seem to be proper, but God had respect unto Abel’s sacrifice. Cain’s sacrifice was commendable, but Abel’s was more commendable. It would have shown great humility for Cain to go to his brother and ask for a sheep to offer in sacrifice. Or Cain could have traded for a sheep.
Cain’s offering was “man-made” in that it was man-raised. (The principle is illustrated by the requirements for an altar; that is, God preferred an altar made of natural, unhewn stone.)
Cain’s offering was the fruit of his labors, whereas an animal grows of itself. On the surface it would seem that the effort and labor involved in growing produce would be esteemed more highly as a resultant sacrifice, but to obey is better than sacrifice. The priority must be discerned, and obedience is the priority—doing what God would most appreciate. Sacrifice is not bad, but obedience is better.
Cain’s highest desire should have been to obtain the Lord’s blessing no matter what was required, and humility was needed in order for Cain to recognize the proper way.”
“God refused to accept Cain's sacrifice of vegetables which HE himself had raised in his garden (representing man's effort to justify himself by offering God his own good works without recognizing the necessity of the ransom and the shedding of blood), but God accepted Abel's sacrifice be-cause it illustrated the necessity of the taking of a life and the shedding of blood in order to effect harmony and fellow-ship between man and God.”
Man’s justification to life is entirely dependent on God's grace operating through the death (the ransom sacrifice) of His beloved Son or Lord Jesus Christ.
