To the Editor,

“As the churning of cream yields butter, and a blow to the nose causes bleeding, so anger causes quarrels.” This is the Living Bible version of Proverbs 30:33.

In Genesis 4, at harvest time, Abel gave God a sin offering of meat from his lambs. God was pleased. Cain gave God a sin offering of food raised from the ground on his farm. God was not pleased.

According to my study Bible, this is because Abel gave an offering that had blood in it that was shed. There was no blood shed in Cain’s food from the ground. God accepted the blood of Jesus as full payment of our sins.

Abel’s lambs stood for Jesus. God saw how angry Cain was in verse 7, and gave him another chance at giving an offering of blood. God warned Cain to do what’s right and to stop being so angry. “Sin is waiting to attack you, longing to destroy you. But you can conquer it!”

Abel, giving the correct offering, seems to say he was taught the right way.

Hebrews 11:4 begins, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” Why didn’t Cain take God’s offer and give another sacrifice to God that was acceptable?

Mary C. Albertson

Albany, Kentucky