Motive

Motive

Genesis 4: Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” ² Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. ⁴ Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, ⁵ but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

 

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With the garden still there in plain sight, Adam and Eve finally stopped crying. Adam was now proficient in tilling the soil to grow vegetables, but the animals that used to be friendly, may have become a nuisance. The animal that was slain for their clothes was probably cooked and eaten. Death of animals had become a norm.

 

Adam “knew” Eve, meaning they had procreation sex. Eve, feeling dejected, praised GOD and said Cain was from the LORD. Despite the pain of childbirth, Eve had another child named Abel. Cain may have been close to his parents and shared in their regrets. “Why can’t we go in the garden?” may have been on his mind.

 

My Observations:

• Cain was a blessing from GOD to Eve.
• Abel was also a blessing, but he may have understood that the family deserved to be banished, so he mimicked JESUS by killing his best, friendliest animal and giving it to HIM.
• Cain may have seen the hurt from his parents and decided to build his own garden, and his attempt to show JESUS what he had done was rejected.

 

Motive is the fuel for some very good things or some very bad things to happen. It wasn’t the fact that GOD didn’t like vegetables, or that HE needed an offering. It was the motive behind the offering that became a problem.

 

GOD is GOD. HE is just, and sovereign. But sometimes when things are not going “My” way, makes me see GOD as a problem. Or maybe it’s the people who are the problem. Instead of blame, GOD wants the motive to be checked.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD go into detail about Cain’s efforts and offering to Moses?
• Have you ever done something for GOD with the wrong motive?
• Are you willing to examine your motives to determine if they point to GOD or yourself?