Offering is a word and action that many of us would be familiar with. But what is offering and what does it do? It is a word that is often linked with giving. Yes, offering is giving, but not all giving is actually offering. The bible has much to say about offering. If you do a search of the New King James Bible (NKJ), the term offering occurs over 500 times! Offering is the way the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) live. Offering produces life. In fact, it is how all life is produced. Offering is love expressed. Offering is the economy of God. Offering is the act of a heart that is ‘seeking first the kingdom of God’. In all this, there has been a word that has really been speaking to me recently. Offering is how we obtain testimony before God. This means it is how we actually find out who we truly are and who we are not. It is how God ‘remembers’ us. God has put this desire in all mankind – the desire to know who we are and be remembered. We find this through offering.
The first time the word ‘offering’ appears is in Genesis 4:3 where we read of 2 offerings; one brought by Cain and one by his brother Abel. These men were the first 2 sons of Adam and Eve.
Gen 4:3-5 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.
In this interaction we see that both Cain and Abel brought offering to God but for some reason God respected Abel’s offering and not Cain’s.
In Hebrews we read this:
Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice th...
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...rd was trying to tell me this. It was during this time I heard the word ‘seek first the kingdom’. As I heard this word, I cried out to God for the first time in my life to remember me. It was here I made a vow to the Lord in the faith that I would find remembrance. As I made this vow and fulfilled it, the Lord opened doors that I can truly say would not have been opened if I didn’t respond to the word to ‘seek first the kingdom’. Out of this time, the Lord blessed me financially, led me to buy a home and healed my anxious heart. It was here that I began to find testimony before God through offering. This is something I am still finding to this day.
Be encouraged that as you seek first the kingdom and offer with a heart to know Him and His plan for your life you actually engage with God and He remembers you. You find your testimony and your name through offering.
When the Lord asked Cain where his brother was, Cain lied and replied, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”, arguing the point that he had responsibility over his brother’s whereabouts.
Holy Bible: King James Version. Nashville: World Publishing. : published in 1611. (Genesis 4:2-5) http://www.biblestudy.org/question/why-did-god-reject-cain.html
John Steinbeck includes more of the tale of Genesis: 4 than is actually told in the bible. The basis of this is a Jewish story involving twin sisters of both Cain and Abel. The two disputed over Abel’s twin whom Abel was to marry. Cain murdered Abel and wed the twin sister of his brother (Fonterose, Joseph. p.3380). The story differs also in that it is Abel who leaves his home instead of Cain. Abel found his Eden, represented by Salinas Valley, but lost it after fathering a second generation very similar to the first, Caleb representing Cain and Aron representing Abel (Fonterose, Joseph. p.3379). The story is changed by Steinbeck to illustrate the idea that men naturally have both good and evil tendencies within them, and that this mixture compels men to choose between the two. The story told is similar to an alternate interpretation of Genesis: 4 called timshel. This alternate reading introduces the idea that Cain feels evil and kills Abel because of the jealousy he feels towards his brother and God’s love for Abel (Levant, Howard. p.243).
The Cain and Abel story, possibly the most enigmatic story of good and evil in the Bible, is the basis for East of Eden. Although allegorical elements are scattered throughout the whole novel, the most evident theme struck me as three of the main characters discussed the ramifications of God's words to Cain after Abel's death. Lee, a Chinese servant to one of the novel's main families, explained to his two companions a little-known conflict between the translations of Genesis 4:7 in two versions of the Bible. In one translation, God tells Cain that "thou shalt" rule over sin. In another, God says to Cain, "Do thou" rule over sin. The first is a promise, and the second is an order. Lee concluded that the ambiguity presented by the two translations is at the heart of the universal human story.
Engagement with others is the most fertile ground for spiritual growth. Yet, salvation cannot come through individual questing nor good works in the community of the world alone. Salvation can only come when the journey and the work become
Immediately after the fall of mankind and the expulsion from the garden, the human race begins populating God's creation. Cain is the first-born son of Adam and Eve. His actions in life from beginning to end exhibit one thing: a lack of reverence for God. In contrast to Cain's irreverence, Abel comes along and displays a greater sense of concern in pleasing God. Abel, who was righteous and zealous in pleasing God, became a "keeper of sheep" (cf. Gen 4:2). Cain, however, was a "tiller of the ground" (cf. Gen. 4:2).
Man's charmed life lasted until the Fall, by which sin and sin nature entered the world. Pain in childbirth, difficulty in agriculture, and, most importantly, death are all results of Man's disobedience (Genesis 3:16-19). Death, despite its negative connotations was given to Man as a gift, for only in death could the separation between God and Man be bridged. The practice of offering firstborn livestock to God began with Abel's first sacrifice. This offering pointed to God's ultimate resolution for sin's breach, first promis...
The God of Genesis is portrayed very differently. God is a forgiving God. One sees this when God states, "of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die" (Genesis 2:17). However, when Adam and Eve do eat the apple-though he does make them mortal-God allows them to live. God also does not strike down Cain. The God of Genesis is also a personable God. God talks directly to the h...
There came a day when Cain and Abel both went to make an offering unto Jehovah; Abel made an offering from his flocks while Cain made an offering from the first fruits of his harvest. Cain’s offering was rejected by Jehovah, Cain became jealous of Abel and his favor with Jehovah. In a jealous rage Cain slew Abel.
I grew up in a home with a family that attend church weekly and was active in the church family. I knew about God and about His son but I never remember the story of salvation and the personal need for a savoir. As a teenager I walked away from the religion that I thought did not offer my anything. In my thirties, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and I immediately started my negotiations with God. Little did I know that He was not a negotiator but it was during this time in my life that I needed God more than He needed me. Since accepting the gift of God’s love, the salvation of a Savoir, and the renovation of my heart, I look to God for the path of my life. I share Gods truth through my career change to a Christian nob-profit that’s vision is to share God’s love to the community through the platform of pregnancy care and family services. Personally I have fulfilled God’s call to help the less fortunate by adopting a sibling group and participating and supporting mission trips to third world countries to support his children and missions there. My final piece of God’s plan I feel lead to complete is to volunteer my professional expertise and finances to work with a mission group that provides laboratory services to third world mission hospitals. I have done one trip for them and am currently planning a trip to Honduras in the new year. My day to
The story of Cain and Abel can be paralleled to the movie Fargo. Jerry Lundenguard sacrifices his family for his own gain in much of the movie. The kidnapping of his wife depicts his total lack of clarity towards the safety of his wife. Even his own son seems unimportant to him, he is asked how his son is holding up and he has a moment of realization that he has not even thought about his son’s well being. Even the betrayal of the two killers at the end of the movie can be paralleled towards Jerry betraying his wife. Backstabbing is an essential part of this movie when compared to the Bible whether the betrayal involves evil vs. evil, or evil vs. good.
1: Throughout the Bible, many sibling relations draw the reader’s attention, primarily brotherships. In both the story of Jacob and Esau and Cain and Abel, the birthright of the eldest son induces conflict. The theme of jealousy-induced actions appear in both of these stories. In the case of Jacob and Esau, Esau, the first born, needs to follow the tradition of the eldest brother gets the birthright. However when “his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob” Genesis 25:26. Conflict arose, the fact that Jacob’s birth included the part of trying to pull Esau back in to the womb portrays Yahweh’s opinion on the firstborn child’s set in stone blessing. Jacob ends up with the blessing after Rebekah tricks her husband into blessing Jacob. In the story of Cain and Abel, Abel becomes upset that Yahweh accepts Cain’s offering and not his and kills his brother. Cain, like Esau being the first-born causes conflict between the siblings.
For the eternal Lord avenged the killing of Abel. He took no delight in that feud, but banished Cain from humanity because of his crime. From Cain were hatched all evil progenies: ogres, hobgoblins, and monsters, not to mention the giants who fought so long against God - for which they suffered due retribution. (Beowulf, 29)
While in the Garden the serpent says to Eve, “… but God knows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be open and you will be like divine beings who know of good and bad” (Genesis 3.13 Line 5). The serpent makes an appealing temptation to Eve, saying that they can have what God has, and can be like God. This temptation caused Eve to eat the fruit and also gives it to Adam. The serpent was not lying when explaining this to the woman but put the thought into her head. Being God like, and having the knowledge of good and bad could be an appealing thing to have, so Eve ate the fruit disobeying
At one point or another in one’s life you are faced with God, eye to eye and you know it. You can feel the Holy Spirit’s presence, like a humming sound that’s too low to hear, but it’s there and you can feel it, a feeling that you are not alone. For some, this feeling lasts for eternity, and for others God works within them again and again because the Lord’s love is persistent. The feeling I had came and went, for it was not strong enough as a child. But now, I am the strongest I have ever been.