Have you ever wondered why Cain’s sacrifice wasn’t acceptable to God, but Abel’s was?
I have. Every time I’ve read that story, I’ve wondered what exactly was wrong with Cain’s offering. Cain brought produce from the ground. Abel brought the firstborn of his flock.
And apparently my very carnivorous brain has always thought, “Well… maybe God just prefers meat.” 😂🥩
I mean, I can relate. Give me a steak over a salad any day. 😂
But this morning I was reading Isaiah 66, and suddenly I saw something I hadn’t connected before.
God says:
“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.” Isaiah 66:2 NLT
And then He says something incredibly strong in the very next verse. He describes people bringing sacrifices and offerings to Him, even lambs and grain offerings, but says they are unacceptable because:
“They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their detestable sins.”
But maybe I should have been paying more attention to the men bringing them.
God wasn’t simply looking at what was placed on the altar. He was looking at the heart of the person who placed it there.
And we see that heart revealed almost immediately afterward. When God corrected Cain, Cain became angry. God even warned him:
“You will be accepted if you do what is right… But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door…” Genesis 4:7 NLT
And Cain chose his own way.
That sounds an awful lot like Isaiah 66.
“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.”
Maybe the question isn’t just, “What am I offering God?”
Maybe the better question is, “What condition is my heart in when I bring it?”
Because we can worship, serve, give, pray, go to church, read our Bibles and do all the outward things while still refusing to listen when God speaks.
God doesn’t need our performance.
He wants our hearts.