Men in the Bible: The Man God Did Not Respect (2)

Men in the Bible: The Man God Did Not Respect (2)

by | Dec 15, 2025 | Archives, Men

Cain – The Man God Did Not Respect And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to…

Cain – The Man God Did Not Respect

And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord… And the Lord…did not respect Cain and his offering. – Genesis 4:3-5

But then, what could be the reasons God accepted Abel’s offering, whereas Cain had both his person and his sacrifice rejected? While there have been many submissions on what might be responsible, the Bible does not expressly provide a detailed background on what led to what. However, there is a reason to draw a strong inference from the events leading to that point to help us know why Abel was accepted and Cain was rejected.

Let’s consider the passage below:

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… – Genesis 4:3-5 [Emphasis ours]

This passage helps to see that it was the extra effort that Abel put in that got him accepted by God, whereas indifference might have cost Cain so dearly as to have him rejected by God. This is because the Bible provides additional information about the kind of offering that Abel brought, the firstling and the fattest, there was no such descriptor to qualify Cain’s own sacrifice.

That suggests he probably just picked whatever came to hand for the sacrifice and was not deliberate in choosing the best and the premium of his harvest as his present to God. And because God is very choosy and rather discriminating (yes, you read that right, God is very picky) as to the kind of offering that is presented to Him, He refused to acknowledge both Cain and his offering.

Therefore, Cain went down on record as the first man to be rejected by God because he was rather random and carefree in the choice of sacrifice he offered to God, unlike his younger brother who went out of his way to pick the very best among his flock as presents to God. That is a mark of honor.

It is possible that many of us today may be falling guilty of the same mistake that Cain made by not being deliberate in the service we render to God. This is even more tricky in our days where we do not really offer tangibles such as animals and farm produce to God. Our time, our attention, our efforts, our money, and our priorities are the sacrifice that we mostly offer to God today. The big question is, what is the quality of these resources that you devote to God? Is the quality premium or questionable?

As far as God is concerned, there is no middle way. You are either pleasing or displeasing Him. The same applies to your service to Him, whether quality or poor. The offering that is acceptable to God is the one without blemish, that means it must be of the highest standard. Please take some time to read in detail the kind of offering God accepts here.

God has described Himself as a jealous God, which means He has sensibilities which can be gratified when pleased, or offended when His preferences are not met, ignored, or disregarded. May you not be reckoned as someone who displeases God.

Selah!

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Men in the Bible: A Man that God Respected

Men in the Bible: A Man that God Respected

by | Dec 11, 2025 | Archives, Men

Men in the Bible: Abel – A Man that God Respected Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and…

Men in the Bible: Abel – A Man that God Respected

Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering. – Genesis 4:4

The second man in the Bible we will explore in this series is Abel. Although shortlived, as the Bible passage above tells us, Abel was respected by God.

Now, it is not often that one reads that God respects mortals. In fact, Abel was the only person in the Bible to be so conferred with the honor of commanding God’s respect. The question is, why was this so, and what did he do to impress God and command His respect?

A leaf through previous verses before our reference passage shows that both Abel and Cain, his senior brother, offered sacrifices to God from the produce of their labor. However, Abel did something very unusual, which would later become a divine requirement thousands of years later for anyone who wishes to offer things to God.

Abel offered the firstborn of his flock and the best (the fat) among the lot to God as a sacrifice. By this token, he showed his honor and respect for God. Little wonder that God repaid the gesture by showing him respect in return.

Thousands of years after Abel’s offering, God would later command Moses and also establish in the holy scripts that the firstborn of every creature, both man and beast, were His and must be offered as a sacrifice to Him or redeemed with money or animals in the case of human firstborn. God also stipulated that anyone who wanted to bring a sacrifice to Him should bring the fattest (the best) of whatever items they are offering to Him. If they were meant for God, whatever is being offered must be the best of the pack, not the worst of the lot.

Abel, on his own part, was not privy to these preferences of God as he lived several years before God communicated them to His servants, and they were codified in the books of the law. However, of his own volition, Abel willingly and cheerfully offered the best of his breeds to God as a sacrifice, and with this gesture, he provoked the admiration of God and, by so doing, became a man that God respected.

Selah!

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