|
圣 经 探 险 者 第 五 课 该隐与亚伯 5 CAIN AND ABEL - A LESSON IN ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP | ||
|
After Adam and Eve
were driven from the garden of Eden, Eve gave birth to two sons, first
Cain and then Abel. We are given specific details of the occupations that
these two men pursued. Abel was a shepherd, whereas Cain was involved in
horticulture (v1-2). Verse 3 第3节 "In
process of time" The marginal note is "Heb. at the end of
days". What is being indicated is that there was a set time for them to
approach God in worship. "Cain
brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the
Lord" Possibly Cain selected the best of the fruits of the
ground which he had cultivated for this offering. He was sure that God
would accept what he wanted to offer Him. Verse 4 第4节
"The Lord
had respect unto Abel and to his offering" We should note
the order that is set out here. The Lord first had respect to Abel, that
is to the spirit that motivated him in his worship; then He had respect to
the offering because it represented Abel’s
understanding and obedience to his God. We must realise that God did not
require the sacrifice of animals as an end in itself (Psalm 50:8-14). What God required was a
heart that understood the significance of sacrifice. Verse
5 第5节 "But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect" Again we note that God "had not respect" first to Cain, that is to the frame of mind with which he brought his offering, and then to the offering itself which was unacceptable.“只是看不中该隐和他的供物”。我们再次注意到神首先看不中该隐，即看不中他选这些供物的思想，其次才是他的供物。 What are the Lessons for Us? 对我们的教训是什么？ We have already seen
these same principles set out in Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve sinned they
invented their own covering for their nakedness. (We saw there that
nakedness was typical of sin.) God showed that the covering of fig leaves
for sin was unacceptable to Him. God had been wronged and it was He alone
who could establish the basis for forgiveness. The word "religion"
means "to rebind" and therefore to restore a person into fellowship with
God. This basis for restoration is not for man to formulate but for God to
set forth. The many forms of religion that we see about us today are the
result of man’s reasoning on how God might want us to be
restored to fellowship with Him. Sadly the majority are as unacceptable to
God for a covering for sin as was the fig leaf clothing of Adam and
Eve. God set forth the
basis for covering of sin when in Genesis 3:21 He provided "coats of
skins and clothed them". God determined that "the shedding of
blood" would be the basis for forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). The Lord Jesus Christ was
foreshadowed in the lamb slain to provide their covering (1 Peter 1:19-20; Revelation 13:8). When Cain and Abel
approached God in worship they needed to acknowledge this principle, and
see that they were sinners in need of the covering God would provide.
Such an offering was
offered in faith by Abel and his faith was acceptable in God’s sight: "By faith Abel
offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4; Matthew 23:35). Paul points out that
"without faith it is impossible to please God"
(Hebrews 11:6 ). Cain however had determined
that he would offer what he thought God should accept. Possibly it was the
very best of his fruits, but it was not what God required.
Cain’s offering was motivated by his pride, and
not by faith and obedience. His offering was therefore not accepted.
Verse 7 第7节 "if thou
doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?" God pleaded with
Cain to humble himself and obey Him by offering what was required. However
Cain was eaten out with hatred for his brother and he murdered him
(v8). "And wherefore slew he
him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous" (1 John 3:10-12; Jude 11). The Family
of Cain Contrasted with that of Seth (Genesis 4 and
5) After the death of
Abel, Adam and Eve had another son named Seth (Genesis 4:25-26). The genealogies of these two
sons are set out in detail for us. Cain’s
genealogy is recorded in Genesis 4:17-23; Seth’s is found in Genesis 5. See Picture of
Genealogy There is one point
that is noteworthy. The seventh from Adam in Cain’s line was Lamech. Of him it is recorded that he was the first
polygamist (having more than one wife) in the Bible (v19). Also he was a vengeful man,
threatening to physically punish anyone who withstood him (v23). However in the line of Seth
the seventh from Adam was Enoch (Genesis 5:21-24). It is recorded of him that
he "walked with God". We are also told that he was a prophet of
God and spoke against the ungodliness that was so widespread in the earth
(Jude 14-15). In contrast to the prevalent
wickedness in the line of Cain, there were those who, like Enoch,
endeavoured to walk in God’s ways (Hebrews 11:5). The Seed of
the Serpent and the Seed of the Woman Develop Thus we see that the
principle of Genesis 3:15, where there would be two
seeds spring forth in the world, has now well developed. There were those
who lived to gratify their lusts (the seed of the serpent), and those like
Enoch who endeavoured to walk in the ways of God. Between these two
classes there was that enmity that God had foretold. That enmity will
always exist between those who follow the ways of sin and those who strive
to obey God and keep His ways. To see larger picture click here
You may now go to the
questions form. Once again fill in the questions and your e-mail address
and "submit" the form. Again you will receive the password to lesson
three. 1．“宗教”一词是什么意思？ 2．神决定宽恕罪的基础是什么？ 3．如要喜悦神，什么是我们必须做的？ 4．信如何在亚伯献祭中扮演重要角色？ 5．亚伯与该隐都献了祭，为何亚伯的被接收了，该隐的却没有？ 6．该隐是“女人的后裔”还是“蛇的后裔”？ |
"Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the
fat thereof" These details indicate that not only did Abel
understand that he was to offer an animal, but he knew that God had
decreed the way for acceptable worship. He understood that the fat must be
offered, which became a special feature later of the sacrificial code
under the Law of Moses (
