Why did Cain and Abel bring a sacrifice/offering to God?
Genesis 4: 2b-4a
"....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 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock....."
Genesis 4: 2b-4a
"....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 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock....."
- Scripture reveals that "in the course of time" Cain and able broght a sacrifice/offerings to God.
- No other details regarding this prompting is provided; so we can only draw our own conclusions relying on Scripture to provide a glimps into "the why".
- They could have been instructed by God. We know that God was communicating with them as Genesis 4: 9-16 records a conversation God had with Cain. Also, "in the course of time" Cain and Abel could have been convicted of their sin and desired to provide an offering to restore and maintain their relationship as one does out of gratitude. OR pehaps they were compelled out of worship....it doesn't say that they made an offering to cover their sins; however, vs 6 does indicate that God told Cain that he could still make "corrections" if he did was was right and then he (not his offering) would be accepted. This seems to indicate that God must have told Cain "what was right".
Genesis 4;6-7
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 rule over it.”
- "In the course of time" seems to denote that they were compelled rather than instructed. So if He did instruct them, why "in the course of time" did they wait to obey. This doesn't communicate obedience....it denotes coming to a conclusion based on experience.
- So what would have compelled them if they were not instructed? Perhaps it was the promise made in Genesis 3:15
"And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring[a] and hers;
he will crush[b] your head,
and you will strike his heel.
If we utilize faith in the promise God made in Genesis 3:15 as the basis for determining why Cain and Abel presented a sacrifice to God in the first place, the suggestion this was something passed down to them from Adam and Eve makes perfect sense. After all, God was speaking with Adam and Eve when the promise of Genesis 3:15 was provided and something that important, namely the solution to the problem of sin and the restoration of relationship would certainly have been passed down to succeeding generations.
Ref: https://servantsofgrace.org/lessons-from-the-garden-why-did-cain-and-abel-offer-a-sacrifice-to-god/
It reasons that Cain and Abel were compelled based on a belief in a promise. - Hebrews 11:4 offers additional insight:
By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
"By faith, Abel was commended as righteous". This must have been faith in God's promise of a Savior. We see this paralled in what what said of Abraham as well.
Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness
Romans 4:3
What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a]
Abraham was credited as righteous based on his belief in the promise and before he was given the covenant of circumcision.
Romans 4:10-11
10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.