I believe you’re correct that God was, is, and always will be a gardener. It’s evident in the order that reigns in His creation (when we aren’t trying to screw it up). One aspect of the garden story in the Bible, though, has always bothered me. It’s God’s disapproval of Cain’s offering of the fruits of his labor in a garden. Why would God be displeased with the offering and not just with Cain’s attitude? “The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.”
Thanks for the feedback! And it's a good question. I think the lack of detail in the story invites us to think about that very thing. There isn't any detail about what God was expecting and we know that agriculture is part of God's plan for us. We even know that later he would specifically request plant offerings (Lev 2), so I think it can't have been the offering itself that was a problem but rather his heart. Makes me think of verses like Hos 6:6, Heb 11:4.
It could be that God recognized Cain’s stinginess in his offering which was just “some of the fruits of the soil” while “Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock [the best of the best],” indicating that Abel had more faith in God’s ongoing provision than Cain did. The Hebrews verse does make it clear that faith must accompany the offering, or it will be pointless. Thank you for the reminder. Merry Christmas, by the way!
I believe you’re correct that God was, is, and always will be a gardener. It’s evident in the order that reigns in His creation (when we aren’t trying to screw it up). One aspect of the garden story in the Bible, though, has always bothered me. It’s God’s disapproval of Cain’s offering of the fruits of his labor in a garden. Why would God be displeased with the offering and not just with Cain’s attitude? “The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.”
Thanks for the feedback! And it's a good question. I think the lack of detail in the story invites us to think about that very thing. There isn't any detail about what God was expecting and we know that agriculture is part of God's plan for us. We even know that later he would specifically request plant offerings (Lev 2), so I think it can't have been the offering itself that was a problem but rather his heart. Makes me think of verses like Hos 6:6, Heb 11:4.
It could be that God recognized Cain’s stinginess in his offering which was just “some of the fruits of the soil” while “Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock [the best of the best],” indicating that Abel had more faith in God’s ongoing provision than Cain did. The Hebrews verse does make it clear that faith must accompany the offering, or it will be pointless. Thank you for the reminder. Merry Christmas, by the way!
Yeah, I think you're right. And thanks and Merry Christmas to you, too!