EVE'S SORROW FOR HER SONS
Flowers for the altar have been a quiet meditation for me for many years. This past Easter season, I revived this service and have enjoyed its richness in my life. I ponder the sacrifices of Cain and why God didn’t accept his gift. I pray that I might not fall into Cain’s arrogance. “But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” Genesis 4:5.
Why did God not accept Cain’s offering? God respected Abel’s offering because he gave the best and fattest of his flock (Genesis 4:4). Cain must have had some reserve. He might have believed in the same lie his mother thought when she took a bite of the forbidden fruit. We must take for ourselves what God will not provide. “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” Genesis 3:5. For Eve it was wisdom, and for Cain, it was food.
The lie continued to weave through humanity, saying that God won’t give us everything we need. To the young ruler who asked God himself how he can have eternal life, Jesus answered “Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:21-22. Again: giving in to the lie that I need to keep for myself the possession of this world because I can’t trust God to be everything that I need.
Our inability to understand God’s desire for our complete worship and surrender prevents us from attaining everything we want. We end up hoarding things we don’t need and are of no real value. In unconditional surrender, we shall be given everything our hearts desire. Abraham successfully surrendered completely by offering his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice. In turn, he redeemed his own life and that of Isaac, teaching his son faithfulness. "This narrative of parents passing down their legacy of surrender or fear plays itself out across the fabric of Biblical history until the coming of the messiah."
Eve’s failure of faith passed on to her son a collapse of confidence in God. God’s rejection of Cain’s sacrifice was an invitation to a conversation and a relationship, a personal call. God gave him the gift of spiritual growth into holiness and wisdom, which he failed to see. “So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you so angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7. God’s call can be hard to discern because it most often comes amid deep personal anguish and suffering.
Cain didn’t heed God’s advice. He could have been redeemed by offering to God all of himself. Instead, he blamed his brother just like his Father blamed his mother, and his mother blamed the serpent. Cain believed in the false perception that because my brother is good, I must be bad. He didn’t understand the exclusivity of himself to his brother and his parents. If my sister is pretty, that does not make me ugly. If my brother is successful, that does not make me a failure. For Cain, Abel cannot exist because his existence would forever define Cain’s failure.
The process of spiritual growth is to identify our attachment of our sin, our letting it go, and seeking from God our identity. Instead of doing the spiritual work, Cain killed his brother to remove the reminder of his own shame. Unaddressed sin only causes more sin, and his brother’s removal did not alleviate his pain but added to his destruction.
Eve’s heart must have been shattered to pieces. Her disobedience was perpetuated in the sins of her children, and it broke her family. She lost one son to death and another to exile. Did she accept her part in the fallen state of man? Did she see how she could not redeem her lost sons? Did she remember the word of the Lord to the serpent in that moment: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel” Genesis 3:15.
Jesus fulfilled God’s plan when he appeared to Mary Magdalene, the seed of Eve’s womb, first at the tomb. “Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.“ John 20:17. It’s a significant part of God’s plan that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. The Lamb washed away sin and restored creation through this woman by giving her the good news to announce. He fulfilled God’s WORD physically standing there between her and sin, welcoming her into the gates of heaven and into a renewal of purpose. Through his LOVE and passion, creation is restored.
The true sacrifice that God wants is a broken spirit, complete surrender, washing of sins through confession. These flowers offered to the altar are sacrifices for grace—a token of deep appreciation and love for Christ’s passion. I claim my salvation through Christ’s suffering. His love moves my love for Him. I can offer my own broken heart that I may heal. The Blood of the Lamb has cleansed Eve’s sins and the sins of all her children, myself included. I am returned, and I can then give back the love and beauty of creation that belongs to the Lord.