Looks with Favor

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

LOOKS WITH FAVOR 

Gen 4:2-7

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

NIV

The first question is why were the fruits of the soil not looked with favor by God? We know that Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock, but it seems Cain simply brought some of the fruits of the soil. Perhaps the problem was that Cain did not bring the first fruits of the soil. If he was harvesting the crop of the field he should have sent aside the first crop he cut and said, “This is for God”. Then maybe his offering would have been looked upon with favor. But the other problem is that now Cain became downcast and angry. We think the LORD is making the point if Cain did what was right, bringing the first fruits of the field, it would have been accepted. We wonder about the offering we bring to the LORD. Are our offerings different than what we bring to the church in the form of a tithe? Is our tithe the first fruit of our income, or are we just bringing some amount of money each week so we can be seen putting an envelope on the offering plate? Of course, the tithe is only a tenth of our income, and maybe that is fine. Yet are we not supposed to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God which is our spiritual act of worship? This is a true offering that the LORD looks on with favor. Our tithe is more for the support of the church, as it is an offering to the LORD, although the church is the Lord’s, at least it should be. Still, the tithes are used to maintain a building, pay staff, and give some to missions or a few other ministries. But how are we to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice? What does that mean? Is living for the Lord enough? What does it mean to live for the Lord? Is the Lord the first and foremost purpose of our lives? Of course, we must work, we must make enough to support our lives in this world. But are we divided in our inner being, looking to the world for our income and needs while including our ideas of the Christian life? It comes back to the question of what constitutes being a living sacrifice. It cannot be just the do’s and don’ts that we have developed over the years because they keep changing with the times. It cannot be any list whatsoever, because lists are fluid as well, subject to adjustments. However, a living sacrifice should always be constant, as it deals with our inner being. But then, is our inner being, our spirit always constant, or are we vacillating between the desires for the Lord and those of the world? Let us focus our attention not on the Christian life, although it is a good form of living, but let us focus on the desires the Lord has for our lives, and thus be that living sacrifice, offering ourselves to the Lord for His plan, His purpose in and for our lives. Then what we bring will be favorable.