Cain's Motive

"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” (Genesis 4:3 -5).

      What was the problem with Cain AND his offering?  Why did God not “respect” (look upon, regard or have respect for [Strong’s]) Cain and his offering?

      The above scripture is an example of how God comes to His perspective on each of us and is confirmed further in 1 Samuel 16:7:  “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."  “Heart” in this scripture is the mind, will and emotions, what’s behind the actions and words of the man (Strong’s); the motives of the heart.

      Because God looks at the motives of a man, He stated He had no regard not only for Cain’s offering, but for Cain himself, in this circumstance.  This is not saying that God did not love Cain, but that Cain’s motive and actions were wrong.  Notice that Abel brought of the “firstborn” of his flock whereas Cain brought “an offering of the fruit of the ground”.  The firstborn of the flock is that which opens the womb and the first fruit of the crop is the very first fruit harvested.  These portions were considered sacred to God, even before the Levitical system of sacrifices and offerings were established-if this were not so, God would have had no basis for which to hold Cain accountable for both his offering and the attitude of his heart.

      God was not indicating that an animal sacrifice was better than a grain offering.  The problem with Cain’s offering was his lack of concern for honoring God with the first fruits.  Cain’s offering indicated disrespect for God’s blessing on Cain in that Cain refused to give back to God the first portion as a symbol of his worship and gratitude to God.  In holding back the first fruits Cain revealed a deeper issue with his heart:  greed!    Claiming greed may seem a far stretch, but with the few scripture references to this scenario it fits perfectly:  Jude 1: 11 “Woe to them! For they have run riotously in the way of Cain, and have abandoned themselves for the sake of gain...”   Cain, and others listed in the Jude 1, had given themselves over to the lust of the flesh, in the form of greed, as opposed to the purity of a heart which seeks to know and please God.  This is the reason God did not accept Cain or his offering - the motive behind the offering was what prompted the imperfect offering. 

This is a cautionary example to the Body today, not only to bring to God the first fruits of what He has given to us as a blessing, but to know that God looks into the heart of man, examining motives as the plumb-line for actions.  There is a doctrine afoot today which elaborates on the precious Word of God, encouraging people to give so that God will give back to them.  Taken out of context, scripture is made to fit the desires of man for the advancement of man’s purposes.  Surely there are scriptures to support God’s generosity to us as we sew into His purposes, however, the idea of giving for the purpose of getting is far outside of the intentions of God’s heart and falls into the deep pit of greed.  One may respond with “Cain’s greed was holding back the best part,” but I say that Cain’s heart manifested greed in this way. The greed motive can be manifested just as easily through giving with the purpose of getting back.

      Can we deny that God gives to us as we give to others?  Absolutely not!  He provides for us in every possible way.  The widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17) is but one example.  In the New Testament we are told:  “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  So let each one give as he purposes in his heart [intentions and motives of the heart, Strong’s], not grudgingly [grievously releasing the gift, Strong’s] or of necessity [because he has a need, Strong’s]; for God loves a cheerful giver [one that gladly takes the prompting of God, Vine’s]” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

      Here is what God is putting forth to us:  the heart is either given over to God and derives its motives from God or the heart is withheld from God and strives between serving God and self.  In serving self, God becomes a currency for our earthly needs, in serving God, the heart becomes the currency for fulfilling God’s purposes.  In this last scenario we see revealed a great mystery of relationship with God:  as the heart serves God, God blesses the life of the server both in this world and the world to come.