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What is it that we worship with? Yes, I realize that we worship with flags, our dance; we worship with our singing and our clapping, with our words and reading. I see us worshipping with tambourines and drums, with instruments and tithes, our hands raised high, I see that man has something to say. But who is it that we are saying it to?
When Cain and Abel brought there respective offerings, did they do so unto the Lord? Our portion this week speaks at the right time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord, and that Abel, on his part, brought his. Already, one could deduce that Cain was doing something out of obligation, and Abel was making a heart felt plea.
When Cain's offering was rejected and Abel's offering was accepted, we see an aspect of a Holy God that requires much more than mere obligatory offerings. As a matter of fact, we see throughout the Tanach that the blood of rams, goats and bulls and all meal offerings are nothing if we do not have the Creator's effect in our lives. Namely, to love mercy, to do justly and to walk humbly before our God.
If we break this down, one should see that to love mercy is the very reason we are alive today. Yes, I know that we should love to have mercy on others, either less fortunate that we or those that we have wronged and are trying to make peace with. But, what about the fact that you breathe in and out every few seconds, the fact that you see a sunset, let alone are able to see and read scripture? What about the fact that you see spiritually, with eyes to understand the covenant of a Holy God? These latter ideas are God's gifts of mercy to give to us. His mercy poured down from heaven and rained sacrificial giving to us that we may live. This was an acceptable offering and done out of loving mercy for His children. This is a love of mercy that I am enamored with. An act of mercy so grand that I will never know the full scope of what it means for me, my family and those that I love and care for. Could I, would I ever be so capable of that kind of love for others?
Mercy being poured down out of heaven upon Cain and Abel, calling them to make themselves ready for their Creator. He desired communion, even after expulsion, a Holy God desired to have a relationship with those that chose other than Him. Even though He knew what lurked inside the heart of a murderer, He willingly longed for us to come and to know Him more and do draw near to a Jealous God. This is mercy that man should long for, to be longed for by the Father and that He beckons us to bring our offerings to Him in repentance. While we forget to even remember our God, he gently reminds us to come. How much more does it bless His heart when creation comes and brings freewill offerings to Him?
Going to do justly today? What would that mean for us in a fallen world? Outside of Yeshua's blood, I can think of nothing that can re-calibrate the broken scales of humanity. We have nothing and are nothing before a Just God, who has created us from dust and commanded us to return to the dust. The same dust of a cursed ground that a cursed serpent would slither upon. What justice can we offer to a God who has begotten Himself into all temptations of humanity and did not sin, all so that His scales would be perfect. The perfection of the Savior's scales is just, or is it? It appears to me that the God of the universe has scales tipped in our favor. That the scales of mercy, grace and forgiveness are so offset that we can see a God of everlasting covenant. Yes, I realize that we are chastised and that we are proved, that we are corrected and humbled, but we are alive, spiritually. We are not pagans, we are not with out a God, we are no longer gentiles and we are no longer homeless. God has given us home eternal, life forever, peace that reigns and joy everlasting. Is this fair? Do we deserve any of this? Really, the answer is emphatically no! We deserve the death sentence and are doomed to die without a God, if it weren't for His measure of goodness that is portioned out for us first. We are incapable of even having a scale, placing measures on the scale or having anything to measure without the providence of a God who first loved us, had and has mercy upon us and finds His justice better than that of our own.
The justice of giving back to God what already belongs to Him anyway is the way He shows us how to draw near to Him. How He weeps when He must continuously remind us or Cain to remember and bring an offering. That He must call out and make us have fear instead of us already being Abel's and laying prostrate before the throne of God. This justice that created all things and has even given the Sabbath day to keep separate so that we may rest and enjoy and abide in Him, is out of balance to what man thinks he owes anyone, and for most of mankind, what they owe God. Abel saw the justice he was receiving and brought unto a Holy God what was the fruit of his heart in thanks to God for his life. Cain was bringing what was required, even demanded of him, so that he could just continue living.
Walking should be an act of humility itself. Have you ever thought about how we have the ability to walk? Little lone the ability to reason and to live out lives working righteous acts of humility. To serve one another and to offer ourselves to the service of our brother. The very act of what a suffering Messiah has done for us, serve us so that we may live in Him and walk in His humility and be raised up in His Glory. We have that Messiah! If we are but mirrors reflecting dimly, shouldn't the very thing that we reflect be the humility of God giving Himself, as the Torah and as a Savior? The act of following the instructions that He gives us is the act of walking out humility. That we submit ourselves to His rule in our lives so that His blessing rain down upon us. Do you want His favor? Than humility is where He raises you up. Our gifts are nothing to Him, unless they are given out of humility and sacrifice.
The humility of having to bring what I have sweat for and sacrificed for and just lay it down at an alter (that I had to sweat to build) and then watch all that work go up in smoke. I will only do it if I absolutely have to and only that which is required of me. Cain's offering was a picture of humbled pride and offset scales. He did not have the eyes to see the humility of God calling him to Himself. The eyes to see what humility Abel was walking in. I question if Cain even spoke to Abel before the meeting and demise of Abel. That Cain was an island unto himself and that the Creator of all that he had was a thought only brought about by God and not reasoned on his own accord.
Cain worshipped at the alter of command and statute vs. Abel who was worshipping at the very Heart of God. The commands have been revealed to us so that we have a standard to gauge our lives to and to know for what we are responsible to serve with and how to serve. But the command is just the shadow of the living word. The command is that which invokes a response from a stiff necked people who are too busy to recognize their calling, their purpose and their needs. Cain is busy panting and sweating to make sure that the law is fulfilled, while Abel is bringing it and laying it down, humbly repenting and seeking the face of the Lawgiver.
Are we Cain, working up the good works for repentance and for the ongoing chance to come back when we are ready to? We are so glad to have the commandments, to see Torah, to know that He did really talk to His people once, that we forget that He still has a voice, He still desires relationship, and He still has that which is required of us. Are we willing to give more? How much more? Are we willing to give our lives, our being so that we can have moments of His presence in our lives. He is enthroned on the praises of Israel! It does not say that He is enthroned on the obedience of a command...that is expected of us. The praise, the worship, the adoration is that which is the heart of the offering. Cain was devoted to the curse of the ground an while the smoke rose from his alter, his eyes still saw the ground and the provision that it would and had provided. Abel saw beyond this curse. He saw the One of whom all things are derived. Abel could see his provision were the smoke met the heavens. He could see the desire for relationship being kindled and more being asked for.
Ultimately, Cain slew Abel and Abel was allowed to be in this relationship since that time even unto now. The Cains of today will be jealous once again. When they see that there is a bride adorned and without spot or wrinkle, jealousy will rise up and cause destruction. The marring of the offering on the outside will make no difference, though. The true offering is on the inside of the Abels of this day. It is the perpetual love for the Father and His Son. It is the flowing of living waters, because they are not their own and their offerings are that of Yeshua. It won't matter when the Cains come out for war and the nations are astir. The heart of His chosen ones are with Him already. They are communing with Him continuously, even now. They are His beloved and He is theirs. |
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