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Originally Posted by SemperFideles  Quote:
Originally Posted by victorbravo The discussion drove me back to Calvin's commentary. He doesn't really address whether the grain sacrifice would have been appropriate (in some places he almost seems to assume it), but he does talk about the elder pride aspect. Certainly the theme keeps coming up: Ishmael, Esau, Reuben, etc., down even to David's older brothers. | Vic,
Honestly, the reason it seems so obvious to me is because I'm a middle brother that still struggles with sin in my heart in my attitude toward younger siblings. To my shame I could have been just like Cain or Ishmael in my attitude to my younger brother apart from the grace of God. I still have an "older brother" pride that needs to be mortified.
Whether or not the type of sacrifice was in view, it doesn't surprise me in the least that Cain could not abide his younger brother's sacrifice being accepted. I think that probably gnawed at him that he actually had to be more like Abel in his worship. |
That and he flat out couldn't worship like Abel, because it wasn't
what Abel did, but the "by faith" through which he did it.