If “firstborn” is understood here in the sense of “preeminent,” the conjunction “also” seems to imply that Cain had brought the first (presumably the best) of his harvest. If this inference is correct, then Cain gave the same quality of offering as Abel, but it was of a different kind.
Abel offered a blood sacrifice; Cain did not. Since Abel’s offering was “by faith” (Heb. 11:4), and faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17), it follows that God must have given instructions about the type of offering he wanted, namely a blood sacrifice (cf. Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22). Apparently Cain’s offering was unacceptable because it was not a blood sacrifice, not authorized by God, and therefore could not be offered “by faith.”
Acceptable worship to God has always required one’s very best, internally with the right attitude and mental focus, and externally according to the pattern of God’s revealed word.2
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.
2 1 Kings 8:61; Matt. 15:1-9; John 4:23-24.
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