321. Saturday after Ninth Sunday after Trinity.
Lord, give us grace
to believe these words. Amen.
Genesis 4, 3-11. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering, he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand.
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If we had seen Cain and Abel bringing their offerings, one of these offerings would probably in our eyes have seemed as good as the other. “For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” Deeds have their value according to the person who performs them. Therefore it is written: “The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.” No matter how much good you do, if your deeds are not done in love, they are not good in the sight of God; he has no respect unto you, and therefore he has no respect to your works.
After the offering Cain became more wicked than he had been. He had been without warmth and life and charity; he became bitter and angry, and his countenance fell. Here is a lesson, especially for the benefit of parents and teachers. See to it that the young people willingly and gladly take part in the divine services, in holy Communion, in the mission work; willingly and with glad heart; for if they do it unwillingly, they are made worse by it, and close their hearts wholly against the Spirit of God.
Yet the gracious God spoke kindly to Cain, admonishing him and offering him mercy, and wished to arm him against the devil; but Cain would not. With what infinite patience God seeks the sinners who have gone wrong! The soul of Cain also was precious to the Lord. Therefore he seeks to terrify him, and humble him, and raise him up: “Cain, beware; be on thy guard; sin lieth in wait for thee at the door; and how unhappy thou wilt be, should it outwit you. But the sin which thou dost so much desire shall not rule over thee, but be ruled over by thee.” This was at once a warning and a promise. “Thou must not let sin rule over thee; nor shall it.” If Cain had received this word of God into his heart, he would have put the devil to shame. But Cain does not believe the word of God; therefore his offering is not acceptable; he becomes a fratricide, and he bears the brand of God’s curse on his soul. Cain does not believe the word of God. This account should be read of all the world, that all men may learn that Cain, Cain, rejects the word of God, does not believe it! This was the real crime of Cain. It was this which led him to hate his brother and slay him, and then with evil conscience and scowling face to answer the Lord: “I know not! Am I my brother’s keeper?” and then go his way with the Lord’s curse upon him!
God, help us to believe thy word, that we may love thee, and bring ourselves and our possessions to thee as an acceptable offering. Give us also grace to love one another, serve one another, and stand united as one man with thy word as a weapon and shield against the devil and the seductive power of unbelief. Amen.*
Fierce is our subtle foeman:
The forces at his hand,
With woes that none can number,
Despoil the pleasant land;
All they who war against them,
In strife so keen and long,
Must in their Savior’s armor
Be stronger than the strong.
[suggested tune: Webb, TLH 451; listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.