Cain's Offering

In Sacrament Meeting yesterday one of the speakers talked about sacrifice and referred to the story of Cain and Abel.  He asked this question: “Why wasn’t the sacrifice of Cain accepted by the Lord?”  The story in the Pearl of Great Price reads this way, “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof.  And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; but unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect” (Moses 5:19-21).  At the outset it can seem that the Lord wasn’t fair in accepting the offering of Cain but accepting that of Abel.  Cain was at least making some attempt to offer a sacrifice to the Lord—why couldn’t He recognize it as such? 

I think we see at least two reasons why the Lord could not accept the sacrifice of Cain.  First, he did not offer what the Lord had required.  We read this about the commandments that God gave to his parents Adam and Eve: “And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord” (Moses 5:5).  So the offering that the Lord had requested was an animal sacrifice, and that is exactly what Abel brought to the Lord: “the firstlings of his flock.”  Surely Adam and Eve had taught their sons that, and they likely had seen their parents perform that kind of sacrifice many times.  But Cain rebelled and brought “of the fruit of the ground” as an offering to the Lord which was not what had been requested.  This could not provide the same symbolism as that of the death of an animal, for as the angel had explained to Adam: “This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father” (Moses 5:7).  Bringing forth the fruit of the ground as an offering did not point them to Christ like the laying down of the life of a firstborn lamb.  So Cain’s offering could not be accepted because it was not the right offering, and he undoubtedly knew that.   

The second reason I believe that Cain’s offering was not accepted was because it was in reality not made unto the Lord.  The account tells us, “And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him, saying: Make an offering unto the Lord,” which Cain eventually did by offering the fruit of the ground (Moses 5:18).  Though the offering was ostensibly to the Lord, it was made at the request of Satan and Cain did it out of love for Satan instead of the Lord.  Surely God could not accept such an offering, made to obey the devil instead of the Lord.  Mormon explained this about such gifts: “For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing” (Moroni 7:6).  Cain’s gift was not done with real intent towards the Lord, and the Lord “had not respect” for the offering.  He said to Cain as way of explanation, “If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted” (Moses 5:23).  Perhaps He was saying in effect, “Cain, you know what kind of offering to make and you know with what intent it should be done—I cannot accept it otherwise.”  The Lord was not being impartial; Cain knew this but chose not to follow the pattern and purpose the Lord prescribed.  This story reminds all of us that to be accepted of the Lord we must do works of righteousness in the way He has required and to do them with real intent and love for Him.