Cain and Abel

 Art Katz does the best job of teaching the story of Cain and Abel.  It is in three parts, starting here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prDFqfy1_jM

Cain was older than Abel, we don't know by how much.

Cain worked the ground.  Abel took care of animals.

Adam and Eve were aware that animal sacrifice was what God required, they taught their children that.

Cain was not willing to do that.  Cain was not going to be the one who would crush the head of the Accuser. Adam and Eve knew that based on his actions.  

So they had Abel, breath, vapor either one gives a good sense of the meaning of the name.  Why did they choose that name?  Did God make them prophetically aware that he would not be on this earth for anywhere near the 900 years that ordinary people were living in the pollution free earth?

Cain was aware he was not the chosen one, but that maybe Abel would be.

Sin was crouching at his door in the form of envy and pride and he allowed it to overcome him.  God said the choice was his as to whether or not it would overcome him.  (Sorry Calvin, you and TULIP are wrong again.)

Cain offered his grain the very best of his grain, but no life was taken, no penalty of death was in his "sacrifice."

Abel offered a life, one of his animals was sacrificed.  Blood was shed.  God was pleased.

Cain knew God was pleased, Cain rejected God by bashing in the skull of his brother.

What a short distance it is from envy and pride to murder.

Beware, sin is crouching at the door.

 the choice was his. Sorry Calvin you are dead wrong again. 

At rest, in Him

Talking with a friend today and this true statement came up.  "Most of what Satan is trying to do is to take us out of a place of rest."  Psalm 131 is a picture of that place of rest and trust in God.  It is our 'home.'  When we are not 'in' our home, we are in a place of wandering.  Wandering is the curse put on Cain.  Wandering is the state of everyone 'in Adam.'  In Christ, we have truly found our home, and in His victory, we can find rest.  We receive best when we come to God knowing that all our needs our met, (1 Cor. 1:30) and that we are just content to 'be' with Him.  It is at the place of not 'needing' to receive that we truly can receive.