Today's Scripture Reading (August 5, 2024): Genesis 4
The story of Cain and Abel has sometimes been set as the beginning
of the conflict between two farming lifestyles: the production of grains and the
production of animals. The idea is misplaced. The conflict is not about the
sacrifice itself but about the value that the participants placed on the
sacrifice. Cain was the older of the two sons of Adam and Eve. The text says,
"In the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil"
to be given as a sacrifice to God. We almost get the idea that Cain gave God
some of the excesses he possessed. He gave out of his wealth.
And if we are honest, this is our story. We are like Cain; we give
out of our wealth. If we have enough left over at the end of the month, we might
give some to God. If we have something in our house that we don't want or is
not good enough for our house anymore, maybe then the church could use it. Cain's
offering is the idea of giving to God the leftovers. As a kid, I was involved in
an argument that I am sure no one else has ever experienced. There were
occasions when I didn't like the food that was placed in front of me. I would
eat some of it, but, from my point of view, I was forcing it down my throat. At
the end of the meal there was no "Can I have some more?" coming out
of my mouth. In my house, these meals often caused some parent-child conflict. Eventually,
my mom would bring up the starving children in Africa; does anyone recognize
this conversation? The conversation was designed to produce enough guilt in me
to get me to eat the food; after all, I was the lucky one; I was the one with
food to eat.
But I didn't feel all that lucky. After a while, the conversation
almost seemed to become scripted, and it ended with me, the child, arguing, "Take
my meal and send it to them," because I DON'T WANT IT. If we are honest, our
gifts to God too often may be made up of things we don't want. And this is precisely
the idea that arises out of Cain's offering. He had too much, so he gave some
of his excess to God.
God has never asked us for our excess; he wants us to place him
higher on the priority list. Cain was doomed, partially because he had put God
on the "If I have enough" list. If I have enough money, if I have
enough time, if I have enough talent, then I will give it to you. However, Cain
missed the truth that he would never have enough as long as God was waiting for
Cain to have excess.
Jesus sat with his disciples, watching the offering box at the
temple, and he saw a widow come to the box and place two small coins in it.
They were coins like our penny; for most people, they would be deemed
worthless. But that was not what Jesus saw in the offering. "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has
put more into the treasury than all the others. They gave out of their wealth;
but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on"
(Mark 12:43-44). It wasn't out of the widow's excess that she gave; she gave
everything she had. And in that offering, God was honored.
Tomorrow's Scripture
Reading: Genesis 5
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