The First Worship

Genesis 4-5

Our reading today brings us the first family, and I am not talking about the Obama’s. Adam and Eve have their first two children, Cain and Abel. We are not given lots of detail about their lives, but we are told that Cain "worked the soil" and that Abel "kept flocks". So, the first two sons are a rancher and a farmer. Life carries on and sometime and for some reason, these two sons bring an offering to God. Worship of God has officially begun. We don't know how or when or by what direction, only that these two young men each bring an offering to God.

Sounds very nice, but what happens next is anything but nice. We have "worship wars" today, but thankfully they don't usually end like this story does. Evidently, God has given some instruction or He sees the attitudes and hearts of Cain and Abel. Abel brings an animal sacrifice and Cain brings a vegetable sacrifice. Next we are told that "The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor." (Gen 4:4, 5) We are not told the circumstances of God's favor, only that one pleased Him and the other did not. We are left to understand that possibly one of two things has occurred: 1. God had given instruction on the type of offering to bring and Cain had ignored it or 2. God saw the hearts of the two and distinguished between the intent of the heart. Either way, Cain's offering did not please God.

From this point on in the Bible, worship is in play and God either accepts the offering of an individual or He rejects it. If He rejects it, the consequences are severe. Whether it was Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-3) or the Pharisees in Matthew 15 (Matthew 15: 8, 9), God demands worship that complies with His commands and comes from the heart. Any worship that doesn’t meet this standard, God calls vain, worthless. John puts it this way, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4: 23,24)

Whatever Cain did in his worship; whatever Nadab and Abihu did in their worship, we must not do. God desires worship from the heart, but heartfelt worship alone will not do. God desires worship that is based on His truth, but truth based worship is not enough. Only worship that engages the heart and demonstrates our respect for His word will do. Our entire being is what God is after, our emotion and our intellect. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus tells us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind". (Luke 10:27) Paul tells Timothy to "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (! Timothy 4:16)

Truth matters, but so does the heart! Heart matters, but so does the truth. We can take either to an extreme and not please God and we can diminish either and find ourselves worshipping in vain. It is a matter of love and respect. The heart demonstrates our love and our obedience to truth demonstrates respect. I don’t know many parents that would find it acceptable for their children to show love but not respect. “I love you dad, but I am not going to obey you" or "I don't really like you dad, but I will do what you say." Niether works for a parent! What parents want are children to love and respect them; obey them out of love and God desires the same. Jesus put it simply, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15)

As we read through the Bible again this year, may we with honest hearts examine our worship. Are we offering God our hearts in worship? Are we seeking to offer true worship or are we more focused on what we like, what entertains us. God preserved the story of Cain and Abel for our benefit, for our learning, may we determine to offer heartfelt, truth based worship (like Abel) that will find favor with our God.