Last Sunday I was watching a program called "Hidden in the Hebrew" with Uri Harrell, which comes on God's Learning Channel on Sundays.
He was talking about the story with Cain and Able, and he taught it from what the literal translation was. It seems that the reason that Cain was angry at Able was because God told both of them to bring Him an offering from what they had raised. Able took his time and picked the absolute best of the flock that he had. Cain on the other hand, being unprepared, just grabbed what was around and brought it to God also. God preferred Able's offering, because he had taken time to select something special. Cain didn't and that was why God preferred Able's over Cain's.
Well, according to Uri (who is a Torah Scholar), he then taught that the Christian version says that Cain slew Able. Well....he did....but there was more to it than that, because when God saw Cain, he asked where his brother was and Cain asked if he was his brothers keeper? God then found Able and asked Cain what happened. Cain said that he was angry that his gift was not accepted with as much favor as Able's, so he hit him with a rock, and thought that he had just been knocked out. Then, Cain hid his face from God.
Now......when I heard this story, I thought about my own life before. When I was married, on one of the last Christmas' with my ex wife, I'd spent about 2 weeks looking for the perfect music box for her, which I knew she'd love. She on the other hand gave me a couple of t-shirts and a cd (and we had plenty of money then). I was kinda disappointed and hurt about it, and after I'd learned what Uri taught, I knew what had happened. Kinda the same thing if you think about it.
Now......thinking about that, I started to think about the silly season that is fast approaching us. There are MANY people who go out and search for that "one best gift", for the person that is special to us this season. Others, (and there are many of them too) are content to simply give cash or one of those soon to be bankrupt gift cards, because they don't want to be bothered with taking time out for someone else.
So.......for this season, why not spend a little extra time to select that gift to make sure that it is the best we can possibly give each other? I mean after all.....Jesus said that "as you do to the least of you, you do unto Me", which kinda means that in a round about way, we're all giving a present to Father by the way we treat, and what we do for, each other.
He was talking about the story with Cain and Able, and he taught it from what the literal translation was. It seems that the reason that Cain was angry at Able was because God told both of them to bring Him an offering from what they had raised. Able took his time and picked the absolute best of the flock that he had. Cain on the other hand, being unprepared, just grabbed what was around and brought it to God also. God preferred Able's offering, because he had taken time to select something special. Cain didn't and that was why God preferred Able's over Cain's.
Well, according to Uri (who is a Torah Scholar), he then taught that the Christian version says that Cain slew Able. Well....he did....but there was more to it than that, because when God saw Cain, he asked where his brother was and Cain asked if he was his brothers keeper? God then found Able and asked Cain what happened. Cain said that he was angry that his gift was not accepted with as much favor as Able's, so he hit him with a rock, and thought that he had just been knocked out. Then, Cain hid his face from God.
Now......when I heard this story, I thought about my own life before. When I was married, on one of the last Christmas' with my ex wife, I'd spent about 2 weeks looking for the perfect music box for her, which I knew she'd love. She on the other hand gave me a couple of t-shirts and a cd (and we had plenty of money then). I was kinda disappointed and hurt about it, and after I'd learned what Uri taught, I knew what had happened. Kinda the same thing if you think about it.
Now......thinking about that, I started to think about the silly season that is fast approaching us. There are MANY people who go out and search for that "one best gift", for the person that is special to us this season. Others, (and there are many of them too) are content to simply give cash or one of those soon to be bankrupt gift cards, because they don't want to be bothered with taking time out for someone else.
So.......for this season, why not spend a little extra time to select that gift to make sure that it is the best we can possibly give each other? I mean after all.....Jesus said that "as you do to the least of you, you do unto Me", which kinda means that in a round about way, we're all giving a present to Father by the way we treat, and what we do for, each other.
And its nice to see that I'm not the only one who's getting into the Christmas mood a bit early!
