Two of the sons of Adam and Eve were named Cain and Abel. “Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground” (Genesis 4:2). The events that surround Cain’s provocation involved worship to God: “And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah” (Genesis 4:3). To offer the fruit of the ground, at least under the law of Moses, was an acceptable sacrifice: “And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein, that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him,I profess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am come unto the land which Jehovah sware unto our fathers to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar of Jehovah thy God”(Deuteronomy 26:1-4). Abel’s sacrifice of the “firstlings of his flock and ofthe fat thereof” was also acceptable: “All that openeth the womb is mine; and all thy cattle that is male, the firstlings of cow and sheep” (Exodus 34:19). But, of these two offerings, it is recorded, “And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect” (vs. 4-5). Why did God have respect unto Abel’s sacrifice? “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous,God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4). Faith is defined as “assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). This is seen in action when an individual believes that God “is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him” (vs. 6). When an individual believes that God is, whom he has not seen, and believes that God will reward those who seek after him, that is an expression of faith. Faith “cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Belief that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him comes from a belief in the word of God and from the evidence provided in and by the word of God. Righteousness is a term denoting right-wiseness. Righteous is a standard of right. It is said of the Jewish nation, “For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God” (Romans10:3). Righteousness is a standard to which individuals subject themselves.Abel, having subjected himself to the righteousness of God, preformed that which God had commanded and thus “Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering” (Genesis 4:4). Cain, on the other hand, did not.

          As a result, Cain was wroth. It angered him that Jehovah had not respect unto him or his sacrifice. The scriptures tell us that his “countenance fell.” His “countenance” was his“face.” Have you ever seen anyone that was angry or disappointed about a matter and their attitude was so affected that their facial expression changed? That same attitude is exhibited even today when individuals present an offering unto God and when they find out it was not of faith, that it was not according to the righteous standard of God, they get angry and lash out against those who do present an offering unto which Jehovah will have respect.

          Cain’s circumstance could have been turned if he would have turned. Jehovah said unto him, “Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? And if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it” (Genesis 4:6-7). Cain had control over the situation if he would simply heed the word of God and thereby present an offering for which Jehovah could have respect. But he did not: “And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother,and slew him” (Genesis 4:8). As the first sin brought a curse, so also did the sin of Cain: Jehovah said unto Cain, “cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth” (Genesis 4:11-12).