Why did God reject Cain's offering?

No, animals need to eat, be cleaned after during winter and need to be herded during summer and protected from predators
so no

Maybe I don't know, but that is why I said he only gave the ones he had an "abundance". He showed caution in offering to God, afraid God wouldn't provide for him if he gave to much. Abel on the other hand didn't show any caution, he sacrificed the first born goat right away even if that meant running the risk that the pair might not have another baby. Also it is worth noting that God did accept Cain's gift, he just appreciated Abel's more because it showed a deep trust in God.

youtu.be/MLp7vWB0TeY?t=1391

This is a great explanation

Look, there's a reason kids on farms usually look after the animals instead of working the fields, and that's because it takes less effort, especially when you don't have modern farming equipment.
Shepherds tend to be men because they go far away from home and have to protect themselves and the animals from criminals and beasts. It's not about effort, it's about danger, like hunting.

>that is why I said he only gave the ones he had an "abundance". He showed caution in offering to God, afraid God wouldn't provide for him if he gave to much. Abel on the other hand didn't show any caution, he sacrificed the first born goat right away even if that meant running the risk that the pair might not have another baby.
Nice fanfiction.

>He showed caution in offering to God, afraid God wouldn't provide for him if he gave to much
What verse is that? All I find is that they both bring "some" things from their respective resources.

I thought it was because Cain's offering wasn't genuine. He did it as rote. He was empty of love, to the point that he got jealous and killed his brother when his gift was rejected....which is a testament to what was inside him from the moment he was asked to offer up something to begin with.

Instead of pressing in and asking why his gift was rejected, instead of attempting to learn and adjust...he just let his emptiness fill with jealousy instead. He was cold from the start.

What I would love to know is if he repented afterwards, if he finally pressed in or if he just never cared period.

"By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks." - Hebrews 11:4

Sure maybe not exactly what I said, but similar: That Abel's was better because of his stronger faith.

I want to know this because I've gone from not giving a shit about anything to actually caring. So I know it can be done. But for Cain? I want to know man...

From my understanding, he did repent and felt bad for killing his brother, which is why God gave him his mark. It was protective, remember - that no man should kill Cain without facing God's wrath many times over. Cain repented and God forgave him, giving him the opportunity to overcome his sin.

*dibs bedora*

Forgot about that mark and never thought of that, thanks man

he didn't reject it, it just didn't have the same value
you see, in the old testament, god had a fetish for killing the young and the spilling of blood, so obviously a young lamb would be worth more to him than matured crops that can't even bleed

God put the scar on him in order to punish him, so that everyone may know that he is a murder. God was punishing Cain and his whole house.

He was never forgiven.

>it's alright cain, I forgive you
>here's a mark that'll keep you alive until the coming of my kingdom, have fun
I mean I guess it's better than being thrown into proto-hell, but living for that long must be really shit

That's wrong; the punishment was that his crops would never grow. He bitched to God that that was too much, so God gave him spiritual protection. Also
>timshel

Because ancient jews were shepherds who waged war and was in almost constant feud with agricultural societies of Mesopotamia, Levant and Egypt. I thought it was obvious.

god was a dinosaur, and dinosaurs dont eat grapes, duh

>*eats gabel*

The god of the Bible is a blood lusting god, it's quite evident if you actually read it.

>there's a reason kids on farms usually look after the animals instead of working the fields,
[citation needed]

Only you either never read it yourself, or are just a terrible judge of context lol

Former fAg kid here; I would much rather work the field than raise an animal. Shit's hard, plus it's much easier to slack off doing field work than raising a flock or herd or what have you.

Numbers 18:17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

Deuteronomy 12:27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.

Leviticus 8:15 And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.
8:19 And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
8:23 And he slew it, and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
8:24 And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
8:30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

The smell of burning blood (and fat) is most delicious for God, it's also used to sanctify his altars, while the flesh is usually eaten by the priests.

Also:
Deuteronomy 12:23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

Even more explicit:

Leviticus 17:6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
17:10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
17:12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
17:14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

Blood is reserved for God, poured on his altars to atone for their sins. Israelites spill blood (the life) for God, and are forbidden from eating it.

See I don't think you fully understand the context of the sacrifices, or of sacrifice in general..

Isaiah 1:11
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

Err, wouldn't it be that the judeo-christian god just longs for sacrifice? Like the act of denying something good for yourself/your tribe by burning it 'for god?'

because Cain was a little bitch
alternatively because Farmers were foreigners and invading the area, meanwhile the native Semitic herders felt under attack by these godless people.

when the Jews grew to be an ethnicity of their own and settled down as farmers they kept these old stories from long before.

remember Cain was not only a farmer but an engineer, a blacksmith, and an architect.

he was the epitome of what happens to man after eating the fruit of knowledge, they become arrogant and try to become little gods themselves. God saw this and therefore rejected him in favor of the more humble Abel.

Cain then went on to found the very first city, Enoch which was massive but eventually he was killed by the collapse of a grand palace ontop of him

also there is Seth, the third child whom people often ignore.
not to mention Lilith and some other woman.

there's another version of this story where Cain and able both meet women but Cain prefers Abel's wife so he kills him and rapes her with his own wife in some devilish Ménage à trois giving birth to a race of giants.

Because somehow they had to move the story along to teach the lesson so they made up a good plot device. Like every other religious text throughout the entirety of humanity's use of religion.

Because no blood flowed, moron.

More like you don't understand the context of that verse. He is angry at them. Like a sulking child stubbornly refusing his favorite food, he tells them he won't accept offerings from them or answer their prayers anymore.

jews originally were goat herders not agricultors

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD

user, pls..

He literally states he doesn't desire blood, he desires the sacrifice. It was never about blood, but the sacrifice itself. As for it always being about food, it's because man is often ruled by his stomach, the appetite of the flesh. Fasting is a form of sacrifice for this exact reason. Giving up of food/what man puts high value on.

If God truly "lusted after blood," he'd accept blood at any cost. Since lust is unbridled in nature.

The Israelite's falling away in Isaiah, showed that their sacrifice was in vain, the blood was never desired. It was their love and faithfulness. Because after all, loving God is loving the ideal of love and righteousness itself.

The Israelite's sacrifices turned superficial though, rendering the blood of the animals a waste and for nothing, because again...it was never about the blood.

Animals are way more work then crops. Animals get sick, have trouble birthing, break legs, have to be moved, hay must be put down, fed, and watered. This is DAILY stuff while crops are seasonal and then you may even need crops for your animals. The kids in Ag society just look after one cow while the family must look after the herd.

Isaiah 1:15-18
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

......Literally, the whole context of that book is a massive opposition of evil and the morbid selfishness it produces.

What was this about, then?
>There is evidence that ancient Israelites believed that human sacrifices could be offered to Yahweh in exchange for victory in battle against their enemies. The Israelite warrior Jephthah sacrificed his virgin daughter to Yahweh in fulfillment of a vow he made in order to secure Yahweh’s help in battle. The same ideology can be seen in some early accounts of the Canaanite conquest, in which Yahweh gives Israelites victory against Canaanite armies, and the Israelites in turn slaughter all of the women and children in payment to Yahweh for his aid.

>There’s also evidence that Yahweh commanded human sacrifice in the law of Moses. Later, when the practice of human sacrifice fell into disrepute among elite circles, the prophet Ezekiel confirms that Yahweh commanded human sacrifice, but interprets that command as a form of punishment for Israel’s disobedience. Ezekiel needed a way to deal with that tradition found in Exodus 22, and did so by claiming that Yahweh ordered them to kill their firstborn sons as a way of getting back at them for their lack of faith in him. Obviously Ezekiel’s solution to the problem was problematic in itself, but at least we can thank him for helping to put an end to the institution of child sacrifice in Israelite religion.

Cos God hates vegans

>If God truly "lusted after blood," he'd accept blood at any cost.
This is just nonsense.

>He literally states he doesn't desire blood, he desires the sacrifice.
He states he's literally sick of their sacrifices. Other verses confirm that it is specifically the blood and fat that produce "a sweet savour unto the Lord", which would refute a too-literal interpretation of "I am full of the fat" and "I delight not in the blood"
If he desired the sacrifices, he would just accept the sacrifices, but he is angry with them for their wickedness. He refuses their offerings and is deaf to their prayers. He has essentially excommunicated them.
Imagine angering a bitchy spouse and then trying to apologize by buying her favorite thing, but without really reforming or feeling sorry. Of course she will throw the gift in your face.
Even if your father has a fondness for drinking you can't keep getting away with everything just because you buy him booze every time, at one point he becomes disgusted with you and he sees your hypocrisy.

>As for it always being about food...
Blood, like swine, was forbidden as food, though it's because it was reserved for good rather than being unclean. The flesh was usually eaten rather than burned on the altars.

>it was never about the blood
17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
I already posted this verse.

The bible's a narrative about how cool are the hebrews and how awful are their neighbors

Agricultural societies of the levant were deemed bad to YWH's eyes different from nomadic shepherds like the hebrews.

There's a difference between what Israel concluded to and what God actually wanted.

Jeremiah 32:35
35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.

>This is just nonsense.
How so? You can't accuse of blood lust when there's a blatant refusal of blood. lol That's the exact opposite of lusting over something. The whole point of lust is that there is never a refusal. Lust is unbridled in nature. But you're right, the blood was significant as it was used for a forgiveness of sins.

As for applying human nature as a motive for this process with those analogies, ignoring the fact that this was all done to perpetuate a departure from evil in the broader context, which man has been prone to...leaves me wanting to ask....are you a vegetarian?

I only ask because where you see a lust for blood, I never once even considered that. Nor was I ever offended. That's genuinely intriguing to me.

It's a metaphor for Man's earliest days. God favors the hunter-gatherers over the agriculturalists.

I'm not a Christian, and I grew up in a Chinese semi-atheist family background so my interpretation would be a bit different.

But isn't it more likely due to the fact that the ancient Israelites are nomadic people and see livestock as more valuable than crops?

Most major characters in the bible are shepherds, and all leaders and heroes of Israelites are shepherds. Many metaphors in the bible are closely linked with herding livestock and shepherds.

Look, It was not God that asked for an offering, it was Baal. Anyway, he asked the brothers to offer what they liked most and Cain just thought that he liked his brother more than anything. It was then, when the real God appeared upon them when Cain felt guilt and then, he was punished.

>and then there was seth whom people often ignore
-
i can attest to that, im named after (seth) from the bible
its weird because im 99% positive that its actually egyptian-in-nature

I don't know. I believe he rejected it because Abel did it out of faith while Cain didnt

God rejected Cain's offering because it wasn't dear enough to his heart

So Cain realized he needed to offer up unto God his most cherished and beloved brother as a sacrifice...

Why didn't God spawn his own protein rather than toying with mortals' emotions?

Yahweh's a bit of a cunt if you didn't realize. Also enough of this "God" crap, call a spade a spade and use his actual name

bingo

it's just a representation of the superiority of pastoral nomads over agriculturalists which ended up getting taken literally.

I wondered when someone would point it out.

Also, Baal was a rain god to whom crops were sacrificed, so it would ring that sacrificing to the other god.
>inb4Cain actually killed in self defence, because God sent Abel to punish Cain for giving sacrifice to other god.

>there's another version of this story where Cain and able both meet women but Cain prefers Abel's wife so he kills him and rapes her with his own wife in some devilish Ménage à trois giving birth to a race of giants.
>giving birth to a race of giants.
That was from Sons of God (Angels) having children with Daughters of Man, not from something about Cain.

I think you forgot the time when God punished Israelites for not killing all animals, women, and children in captured city (IIRC, their King wanted that fancy horse, and probably some woman).

That's interesting, why is it the first time I see this?

>alternatively because Farmers were foreigners and invading the area, meanwhile the native Semitic herders felt under attack by these godless people.

One of the most retarded things I've ever heard.

I didn't brother to read the rest of your "post", both native Canaaneans and the nomad "Habiru" who invaded were Semitic peoples,a nd it were the natives of Canaan who were farmers, not the Nomadic rejects known as Habiru and later Hebrews.

but they do eat lemons

what's this guy's theological background?

Habiru is a false cognate. scholars primarily spell it as Apiru nowadays

>applying Marxist LTV to the Bible

underrated post

Problem is that the hebrew god is a conflation of el, baal and yahweh.

Based Jordan

Go out in the woods and try and keep a newborn lamb alive, it needs fed, safety from predators who smell it a mile away, water, shelter, warmth, try it.
Look, this wasn't some farm out in the Heartland with fences, stables, barns, fields of food, safe grazing.
There were brier bushes, crags, cliffs, wolves, lions, bears, birds of prey, cold nights, infections.
There were no vets, nor fences, nor cleared land.
crops was a whole lot easier and safer, this was way back when beasts ruled the earth and man was still young.
A young lamb would've been prime pickings for any carnivore in the next 3 regions.

Its like you guys don't even consider the most basic things.

It said:

"In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. " in NIV.

Judging by from what's here, Abel offered some choice pieces while Cain just grabbed some fruits. It isn't exactly the quality of the goods as much as it was how much they're willing to give up. It's like how that story of the rich man who threw tons of money into the temple treasury & a widow who only gave a few small coins.

Cain got the better deal at the end though of being the father of modern vampires

I always had the idea that Caín went more autistic with the sacrifice
"Ok, I get it now. It needs to be in Blood, and it needs to be precious to you... hmmm what could I give to god?"

A funny chap

My nigga

According to a Gnostic version, Cain's father was Lucifer, not Adam.

God generally disliked Cain, it's not just about that offering.

>Why did God reject Cain's offering?

1. YHWH IS NOT GOD.

2. YHWH REJECTED CAIN'S VEGETABLE OFFERING BECAUSE YHWH IS A FLESH AND BLOOD CRAVING DEMON.

The Whole Thing was disgusting and laughable
Fucking Aztecs were more reasonable

It's spelled Jove and you're evil

At least the Aztecs mostly killed prisoners and war captives

Bravo

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