Genesis 4:3 The Wrong Kind of Spiritual

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Genesis 4:3 “And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.”

Nearly everything in life requires both time and some sort of process. God allows time for us to develop and reveal the results of the principles we adopt in the formation of character.

Cain was not some atheist or unbeliever. He was a spiritual fellow, and he brought an offering to the Lord. The Hebrew word for fruit in the original text is H6529, Per-ee, which can also mean first fruit. Cain likely brought the best of the fruits of his labor. The text, however, calls them the fruits of the ground. The truth is that Cain’s offering depended as much on God and God’s power as did Abel’s: after all, who makes the seed to sprout, grow and reproduce? The problem was that Cain himself rejected dependence on God and God’s power, otherwise he would have set aside his own wisdom and ambition and by faith obeyed the Word of God which stipulated the exact type of offering to present for the remission of sin: a lamb. Like many people today, Cain was ready to acknowledge the Creator and thank Him for life and blessings, and even give back generously, but he was not willing to admit his own need of forgiveness and cleansing. He was, he thought, a pretty good guy. But his spirituality was deeply flawed. He left the Lamb of God out of the question, and thus by default his spirituality was sourced by wicked spirits. What about you? Do you pride yourself on being a spiritual person while rejecting the Perfect Lamb and His perfect law? Are you ignoring or setting side the specifics of God’s mandates because they go crossgrain to your inclinations and desires? 

The last phrase in the verse, “unto the Lord” along with the verb “brought” seems to indicate there was a specific place established to present the offering. Where was this place? Where did the presence of the Lord manifest itself at this time? The most likely option appears in the last verse of the previous chapter (3:24): on the east side of Eden, before the Cherubims. Cain had the audacity to present himself in his spiritual wickedness before God. This depth of self-deception is “the way of Cain,” and the Scriptures pronounce a woe upon all those who follow that counterfeit way (Jude 1:11). Don’t follow the way of Cain. Follow the Lamb.  

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Ezra James
The Word of God is bread from heaven. God sent it, but we must gather it, appreciate it, digest it, and live by it. These days it is increasingly scarce. Many are starving for it and don't know it because they keep feasting on bad bread that doesn't satisfy. But if we would learn to carefully gather up the fragments of the True, Heavenly Bread of Life, we would always enjoy a feast of crumbs, because even God's crumbs are miracles mighty to save (Mark 7:24-30). ESPAÑOL: La Palabra de Dios es pan del cielo. Dios lo envió, pero debemos recogerlo, apreciarlo, digerirlo y vivir por él. Hoy en día es cada vez más escaso. Muchos están muriendo de hambre por falta de él sin saberlo porque se alimentan de pan falso que no satisface. Pero si aprendiéramos a recoger cuidadosamente los fragmentos del Verdadero Pan Celestial, Pan de Vida, siempre disfrutaríamos de un banquete de migajas, porque hasta las migajas de Dios son milagros poderosos para salvar (Marcos 7:24-30).