Humor me.

I know why, and it's actually quite awesome. It's the SIMPLE things we look past in the bible. The bible is so simple to understand that we don't understand it. How odd, huh? Just, WOW! I really get excited when I get revelation.

God asked for the best of Abel's heard and the best of Cain's crops.

Abel gave his best.

Cain didn't.

quote:Originally posted by Elephantitis Man:

God asked for the best of Abel's heard and the best of Cain's crops.

Abel gave his best.

Cain didn't.

God didn't ask for his crops.

Look what happened to the land after The fall of Man. I want you to get this revelation on your own too, brother, because I can tell your heart is with God.

quote:Originally posted by HellzShellz:

God didn't ask for his crops.

Look what happened to the land after The fall of Man. I want you to get this revelation on your own too, brother, because I can tell your heart is with God.



Hmmm...yeah, God didn't ask for the crops.

And all it says about the land was that Adam would have to work hard to get food from it.

"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life."

The ground was cursed? Is this what you mean?

One interpretation is that Abel's offering represents the spiritual (blood, animals, a life) and Cain's offering represents the physical (dirt, plants, work). God didn't like Cain's offering because no amount of physical works will get you in favor with God but spiritual sacrifice will.

Fitting with this, Abel's name means "breath" (spirit) while Cain's means "Possession".

That interpretation also makes God look like a dickhead who will make you do something, only to tell you that its too bad, you're still going to get fucked in the ass.

Wow, what a great guy.

Why did God want Cain alive?

Gen 3:15

If his offering was insufficient then he was surely damned; or did God believe that Cain would 'wake'?

I dont like that story...

Because god is a psycho.

He can only get off when

people kill things.

quote:Originally posted by HellzShellz:

God didn't ask for his crops.

Look what happened to the land after The fall of Man. I want you to get this revelation on your own too, brother, because I can tell your heart is with God.



And your penis is with his ass.

quote: Hmmm...yeah, God didn't ask for the crops.

And all it says about the land was that Adam would have to work hard to get food from it.

"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life."

The ground was cursed? Is this what you mean?

Exactly! Cain gave God an offering admiring the hard work that his own hands brought forth, but Abel gave God an offering admiring the creation of God himself, not the work of man.

[This message has been edited by HellzShellz (edited 10-16-2005).]

You know, i'm scared shitless of the absence of God (which i presume is wot happened to poor old Cain), but, how can anybody let alone Abel, "make an offering admiring the creation of God himself?"

admiring the creation of God himself

admiring the creation of God himself

admiring the creation of God himself

think about it: http://www.gemini.edu/index.php?option=com_gallery

[This message has been edited by Lou Reed (edited 10-16-2005).]

quote:Originally posted by HellzShellz:

Exactly! Cain gave God an offering admiring the hard work that his own hands brought forth, but Abel gave God an offering admiring the creation of God himself, not the work of man.



So what you're saying is, god is self absorbed and isn't interested in the work of his children, right?

quote:Originally posted by HellzShellz:

Exactly! Cain gave God an offering admiring the hard work that his own hands brought forth, but Abel gave God an offering admiring the creation of God himself, not the work of man.



If the ground was cursed then those animals that depended upon the land for life-giving nourishment would be an extension of such a curse, would they not?

If the land was cursed then the land would not sustain life...

God made man to have to toil to get his sustenance from the earth where before it was simply given. But the animals do not have to toil for their own sustenance do they?

It was not the land that was cursed...but man...

There's a lot of mystery and questions surrounding the story of Cain and Abel. I spent nearly all of 2003 studying different scripture trying to decipher it, but the truth is is that it says that all offerings are received equally. Therefore Abels offering was no better than Cains. There is suspicion that Cain did not bring the finest of his flock where Abel had, but that's open to debate since it says that God recieves all offerings equally.

There's no real clear cut answer to the question you're asking. It could be that Cains offering wasn't as good as Abels and the bible just doesn't explain it properly or it could've been something else that Cain had done or hadn't done that caused God to refuse the offering. No one knows for sure.

Cheers,

Lost

quote:Originally posted by outcast:

If the ground was cursed then those animals that depended upon the land for life-giving nourishment would be an extension of such a curse, would they not?

If the land was cursed then the land would not sustain life...

God made man to have to toil to get his sustenance from the earth where before it was simply given. But the animals do not have to toil for their own sustenance do they?

It was not the land that was cursed...but man...

The land was cursed because of MAN, so that MAN would have to WORK to get anything from it. Cain apparenlty took PRIDE, in what his own HANDS had done, and gave it to God.

Well, it's just like this, if you do something 'good', and it doesn't line up with God's will, or if you don't have the right Motive behind what you're doing, and it does line up with God's will, then your purpose is off, and you're doing it for the wrong reason, meaning no blessing, no increase. Plans, purposes, and pursuits, By Kenneth E. Hagin. You should read it.

God wasn't mean to Cain, but he didn't like the offering because of what it said, and Obviously Cain's motive was off, because he ended up killing his brother out of jealousy. God said to Cain, sin lies at the door, be careful or you're going to give into it, and he did. God didn't say it in those words, but the point came across. If Cain's heart was right in his offering, he would have walked away smiling, and not have planned a plot to kill his brother.

An interesting idea.

Although taking care of plants or animals are about equal so I'm not sure how giving offerings from the ground instead of animals means you are being prideful. It also doesn't line up with later requests from God for burnt animal offerings.

No...Cain did not offer his best as did Able who brought the 'choicest of the firstlings'. This is a precursor to the way that sacrifices were to be performed. Read further into the OT and find that eveyone was bring their best to the temple. The finest of all they had to offer. All things were created by God and offering the best of [all] of his creations is an outward sign of what one feels about God. It is beyond offering just anything that one can gather together.

It is also a part of having no idols...nothing that you hold dearer than God.

well, maybe God was sick of the free-loaders shacking up in his garden.

Fuck the rent bitch...get off my property!!!!!!!

(I am so sorry to all everyone who is seriously contributing to this thread)

I read this somewhere...

The ancient Hebrews were nomads. Agriculture requires settling down in one place. God's rejection of Cain's crops and his acceptance of Abel's dead animals showed them that God wanted them to be nomads.



Another thought...

I'm reading "Food of the Gods" by Terrence McKenna, and I thought that perhaps it shows God's preference towards the hunter-gatherer society and dislike of the agrarian one. Cain represents the dominator culture, and violently destroys Abel (the Goddess-worshipping, partnership culture).

Just a thought...

Am I talking out of my ass with this?