LESSON 5 - If Thou Doest Well, Thou Shalt Be Accepted

SACRIFICE

I have heard two major theories regarding the acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice and the rejection of Cain’s sacrifice.

1) Abel’s was acceptable because it involved the shedding of blood in similitude of the future sacrifice of the Savior. Cain’s did not.

2) Cain’s sacrifice was rejected because he did not offer the best he had; his allegiance had already been given to Satan.

While certainly there may be some truth to the assertions in the second theory, the prophet Joseph Smith specifically cited the issue of the shedding of blood as the determining factor in the acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice and the rejection of Cain’s.

Abel offered to God a sacrifice that was accepted, which was the firstlings of the flock. Cain offered of the fruit of the ground, and was not accepted, because he could not do it in faith, he could have no faith, or could not exercise faith contrary to the plan of heaven. It must be shedding the blood of the Only Begotten to atone for man; for this was the plan of redemption; and without the shedding of blood was no remission; and as the sacrifice was instituted as a type by which man was to discern the great Sacrifice which God had prepared; to offer a sacrifice contrary to that, no faith could be exercised… Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 58.

As Cain was a “tiller of the ground,” to offer a sacrifice in the approved manner would have required some effort on his part. He would have had to make arrangements with his brother, or some other “keeper of sheep,” for a firstling of the flock. This effort was more than he was willing to make, so he simply offered (half-heartedly) what he had, the “fruit of the ground.” He seems to have had no faith in the performance of the sacrifice itself, and was trying to do the least he could to comply with the letter of the law only.

Lest we think that Abel got off easy, remember that as a shepherd, the “firstlings of the flock” would be his most prized possessions, and the basis for the future growth of his flock. To give these up would require devotion to the principle and the spirit of the law of sacrifice. If neither Abel nor Cain completely understood the necessity of a blood sacrifice, at least Abel exercised his faith and was obedient to the instruction given to them.

In an effort to understand the principle of sacrifice and how it may apply in our lives, allow me to jump ahead to a story about King David found in the final chapter of 2 Samuel.

David had sinned in numbering Israel when he had been specifically forbidden to do so, and as a result, 70,000 men were killed by pestilence. David repented of his disobedience, and wishing to make amends and bring the pestilence to an end, consulted with the prophet Gad. The prophet told David that he should go to the “threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite,” and there offer sacrifice to the Lord. David did as instructed, and took his servants with him to offer the required sacrifice.

2 Samuel 24:20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.

23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee.

David had come with the intent of purchasing the threshingfloor and animals for sacrifice, but Araunah offered to give these to him freely. There is great wisdom in David’s response, and a profound lesson for all of us.

2 Samiuel 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

David understood that if he were given the threshingfloor, the animals, and the instruments necessary for the sacrifice, the sacrifice would not be acceptable to the Lord. He would not make an offering unto the Lord of “that which doth cost me nothing.”

A sacrifice, by its very nature and definition, requires that we give up something. If we give up nothing in the performance of the “sacrifice,” then it is no sacrifice at all, and the blessings promised as a result of that sacrifice will not be realized. In this day we are not required to give up the “firstlings of the flock,” but we are required to give up something. It may be money, or desires, or time, or talents. Let’s not take the easy way out, like Cain, and thereby show our lack of faith in the Lord’s promises. Let’s make sure when we are asked to sacrifice, to do something to help another, or to build the Kingdom, that we are willing to pay a price, and thereby purchase the promised reward.

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GENESIS 4:7

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door…

The Chumash renders this as, “sin rests at the door,” or, “sin rests at the gate,” referring to the gate of death. In other words, our unrepented sins await us at the entrance to the afterlife.