Qayin and Heḇel: Offering out of Rest

“And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell…. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:4-5, 8)

Cain and Abel. Brothers. Flesh of the same flesh. Born of the exiles of Eden.

There are several ancient ways of looking at this story and trying to make sense of it.

Perhaps simply starting with the names of these siblings will reveal something of the heart of God and the nature of man.

Cain - Qayin in Hebrew - was the older of the two. He was “a worker of the ground” (Gen 4:2) whose name means “to take possession of or to acquire”.

If his name - and his reactive disdain towards both brother and Maker - serve as a slight glimpse into his character, we may also see something of a generational curse being passed along from his banished predecessors to him, for it was his parents too who sought to take possession of that which was was not theirs to take - a fruit of the ground - an idol of false-promises - equality with God.

But we humans were never made to purloin and possess, coerce and colonize. Ours is a path of less scarcity and striving. It’s one of cultivation rather than conquering. We were designed for trusting our Creator.

We see this clearly in the contrast of younger Abel - Heḇel in Hebrew - which translates to “breath”.

Breath is what brought life in the garden. Breath is sustenance from and dependence on Elohim. Breath is living and being from a place of blessing and presence and rest.

See the difference? The change in posture? The reliance on God?

We must, because it was by these names each presented their sacrifice to God.

Qayin’s offering was of the ground - a ground cursed from the garden; Hebel’s offering was a lamb from his flock - a firstborn, fattened and undefiled.

This is not a statement of the nature of meat and vegetables; it’s a poetic declaration of the inner source from which we bring our offering.

It’s a statement that challenges each of us to ask:

Will I bring my offering to God as one who labors despairingly under the curse - striving with covetous aspirations - living insecurely (even secretly) as my own god?

Or will I come to my Father as a human “being” - breathing in the Spirit of life from the only living God - trusting in the firstborn of the flock - the blood of the Lamb that makes me acceptable and pleasing in the sight of my God?

One of the greatest gifts we are extended is the regard that comes with no longer having to try to obtain our own divinity.

…If you have 60 more seconds, try pausing for 4-cycles of breath prayer, inhaling for 4 seconds, holding, and exhaling for 6 seconds.

Inhale: “May my rest in the Lamb…”

Exhale: “…be my offering to You.”