Why did God Reject Cain's Offering and Accept Abel's?

• Without Faith It is Impossible to Please God - How can a human being please God? This has been the main preoccupation with all religions and codes of ethics since the Garden of Eden. God makes it very clear that apart from His salvation man can never please God as Heb 11:6 asserts: “ ...without faith it is impossible to please him”. Remember, the Scriptures state that man cannot save himself. God has to give him salvation (or faith) as a gift and fruit of the Spirit, as Eph 2:8-9 and Gal 5:22 declares. Only a born-again believer has been qualified to please God because after salvation, it is God who works in us “…both to will and to do of His good pleasure”, according to Php 2:13. So, we see that God is the One who is causing the “good works” in the Christian’s life, as Heb 13:21 teaches, “... working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ...”.

Heb 11:5-6 “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Rom 8:5-10 “For they that are after the flesh [unsaved] do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit [saved] the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Gal 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Heb 13:21 “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen”

• I will have Mercy, and NOT Sacrifice - In this very important verse, Matt 9:13, God insists that salvation has to do with God’s mercy and not man’s works. The sacrifice that God is looking for is the sacrifice of Christ Himself. For this reason, we understand why the Lord Jesus Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). John the Baptist recognized this when he first saw Christ and announced in John 1:29, “...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”. Christ is indeed “the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel”, as Heb 12:24 tells us.

Hos 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge [knowing him as a savior] of God more than burnt offerings.”

Matt 9:13 “But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous [which trusted in themselves that they were righteous], but sinners [broken hearts] to repentance.”

Psa 51:16-17 “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

• God had Respect unto Abel and to his Offering - Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord according to their occupation. Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground. We see that early on, right after the fall of man, man knew that they had to bring an offering to God because of their sin. In all probability, God had given them some direction in this, which he demonstrated dramatically, when we find God Himself shedding the blood of an animal, and then covering Adam and Eve with those bloody skins without saying anything to them about the futility of the fig leaves they were wearing. Those skins pictured the righteousness of Christ, which is the only adequate covering for any person’s sin. So they knew that their sinfulness and their rebellion against God required an atonement. We read that God had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but to Cain and his offering He did not have respect. This was what brought about Cain’s anger and wrath, so that he became jealous of his brother Abel, to the point of murder. Why was it that Cain’s offering was not accepted, but Abel’s was? As far as the character of the offerings themselves, both are acceptable to God. But, “By faith” Abel brought his offering, the “firstlings of his flock” (Heb 11:4) reflecting his saved condition. He was not trusting in that offering itself – he did not think that the work of bringing the firstling of his flock and offering it up to God would justify him in God’s sight. He knew that there must be an acceptable sacrifice, a more excellent sacrifice – that speaketh better things than that of Abel and that God would be pleased with. God accepted the Abel's sacrifice because it was given by faith, counting on God's righteousness. He was looking to the day when the perfect sacrifice of Messiah, the Lamb of God, would atone for his sins and justify him before God. On the other hand, Cain brought his offering, and he thought that the very act of bringing the first fruit of the ground as offering unto God would justify him in the sight of God. Cain's sacrifice is rejected because it was offered in self-righteousness and NOT mixed with faith. He is counting on getting right with God using his own good works. The anger and hatred of Cain in murdering His brother Abel, not only highlights the pervasiveness of sin throughout this planet and the whole universe, but also reflects his unsaved condition and was underscored by his remark in Gen 4:9, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”. This sin – as is all sin – is connected to pride. To be our brother’s keeper is the essence of love. This is what is in view when the Bible speaks about loving “your neighbor as yourself”. Gal 5:14 affirms, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. 

Gen 4:1-5 “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 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.”

Heb 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous [heir of the righteousness which is by faith – through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith], God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh [making a statement].”

1 John 3:11-12 “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil [self-righteous counting on his own act of sacrifice] , and his brother's righteous [counting on God's righteousness and sacrifice of lamb of God, Jesus Christ].”

• Woe unto them! for they have Gone in the Way of Cain - Jude 1:11 says “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core”. Man had greatly fallen from grace and from the glory of God! Yet God tells us that there are some who go in the way of Cain. “Woe unto them”, He says, “who go in the way of Cain”. When God speaks of “the way” in the Bible, it has to do with the Gospel that someone is following – “Gospel of Grace” or “Gospel of Works”. Natural (unsaved) man in his spiritually dead condition loves the “Gospel of Works” because the true Gospel of salvation by God’s sovereign, electing grace is repugnant to him. Man’s natural, sinful pride causes him to reject the notion that God is totally in charge of His Own creation and salvation program. An unsaved person cannot bring himself to acknowledge that salvation is totally God’s work for His glory, as is clearly described in Rom 9:13-16: “... I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy”. Satan and his demonic hosts have been relentlessly – but unsuccessfully – seeking to thwart God’s salvation plan for His elect by deceiving mankind about the true nature of God and essentials of the Gospel of Christ – sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). There are a plethora of counterfeit “gospels”, or belief systems, that claim to be based on the Bible but are distortions of the Truth. Obviously, a “gospel”, or doctrine, that is false is no gospel at all (Gal 1:6-9; 2 Cor 11:3-4). Satan deceived our first parents with “the lie” in the Garden of Eden, and they tried to “hide” from God (Gen 3:8). Ever since that time, people want to hide spiritually from God behind various false doctrines, or the imaginations of their own minds, that are more pleasing to contemplate than the True Gospel that speaks of God’s judgment of sin and His eternal wrath. They want to cover themselves with the “fig leaves” of their religious works (Gen 3:7; Isa 59:6) instead of the robe of Christ’s righteousness (as we read about in Isa 61:10). This is “the way of Cain” – Cain sought to become right in God’s sight through his own works, but his own works were evil. That is true of any man who would attempt to “work” their way into Heaven using a “form” of godliness – not genuine godliness, which is salvation. In other words, what is missing is the spiritual reality, or substance. A man can think that he is doing good works – he can give his money to the poor, he can carry the Gospel message,he can prophesy and declare the Word of God, and he can faithfully gather together with the people of God, yet if he in any way thinks that these things will justify him in the sight of God then this same statement holds true for him: “his own works are evil”. Everything that we do is tainted by sin: “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags”, as Isa 64:6 says.

Jude 1:3-4 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Jude 1:10-12 “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally [natural or unsaved man cannot discern spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14)], as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 11Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 12These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water [water typifying pure Gospel], carried about of winds [carried about by every wind of doctrine (Eph 4:14)]; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;”

Matt 23:13,16,28,33-35 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! [typifying unsaved and self-righteous] for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.... 16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, ... 28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity... 33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes [typifying the saved]: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.”

• Woe unto them! for they have Gone in the Way of Balaam and Korah - In Jude 1:11 “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core”,  God identifies three Old Testament figures to represent the false prophets or teachers, with those who profess the name of Christ yet who have never been born again. They always think that there is something that they can do, and they thereby pervert the Gospel of grace; they change it into a gospel of works.  Balaam, as we read his historical account in the book of Numbers, is a person whose language might cause us to believe that he is a child of God. He sounds very faithful as he says, “... If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more” (Num 22:18). How faithful he sounds as he makes statements like that, yet as we consider everything that the Bible has to say about Balaam, we know that Balaam is likewise he is a false prophet (2 Pet 2:15) who brought about great trouble for the Israelites. Then finally we have Korah as God says, “They perished in the gainsaying of Core”. Korah was one of the chief men of Israel who rose up in rebellion against Moses and Aaron and against their spiritual rule over the congregation. He said, “Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them [which trusted in themselves that they were righteous], and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?” (Num 16:3). Each one is a false prophet, someone standing for and representing “another gospel”. The lying false-gospel teachers are “unproductive” with respect to the Gospel of Christ. In our day when apostasy abounds and false gospels are legion, we would do well to keep in mind the admonition of Gal 1:6-9.

2 Pet 2:1-2 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”

2 Pet 2:12-18 “But these, as natural [natural or unsaved man cannot discern spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14)] brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 17These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. ”

Gal 1:6-9 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed [or damned]. 9As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed [or damned]. ”

Same Sex Marriages - Are we on the right track?

• Male and Female Created He Them - God created man in his own image. No other creature that God made during the six days of creation is quite like man. The reason for this is because man has an eternal soul (unlike the animals), and he was made in the image of His Maker. Man was created perfectly by God – that is, he was endowed with mental, physical, and spiritual capabilities in order to serve God and enjoy fellowship with Him. God has given man the capacity to communicate, to reason, to work, to feel emotion, to nurture, to explore, to invent – to name just a few capabilities. In Gen 2:20, in connection with the creation of man, we see “... but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him” and in Gen2:18, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him”. So God created Woman out of Man, from his bone, from his flesh, divinely designed them to form an intricate and intimate union with one another and God instituted marriage, as seen in Gen 2:21-24. God created Woman to be alongside Man as his “other half”, to be his aid, his helper, his companion and his life partner. In Gen 1:28 we learn that Adam and Eve were blessed by God to bear children and rule over the rest of God’s magnificent world. The biblical concept of marriage is a oneness between two individuals, husband and wife, that pictures the oneness of Christ with His Bride, the Church.

Gen 1:26-27 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Gen 2:21-24 “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

Mark 10:6-9 “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Gen 1:28 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

• Men with Men and Women with Women - Man was made to serve and obey God and man chose to rebel. Unfortunately, this idyllic situation in Garden of Eden was short-lived because they tragically failed a test that was set up by their Creator: “... God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ... And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Gen 3:1-6). However, a tragic event unfolded that sent eternal shockwaves throughout the universe, infected every single human being in the process, and sentenced all (unless redeemed) to eternal death in Hell: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12). Man, who had been perfectly created in the image and likeness of God had rebelled against His Maker. Adam and Eve and all the rest of us are deceived by three factors, as 1 John 2:16 tells us – a very real and insidious problem of life on this sin-cursed earth is that man is captivated by “… all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life...”. Man’s innate sinfulness, pride and rebellion against God continued. Not only is he in complete rebellion against God and His Law, the Bible, throughout history man has attempted to create the Infinite, Eternal God “in man’s own image”, reducing God to man’s level, to something he can control – a portable, practical kind of a god – very much like a puppet of sorts. Though many today do not worship so-called “idols”, they are just as guilty for worshiping their own minds, or humanity, or education, or science, or fame or power, or money, or politics. Man is guilty of changing God’s laws of the Bible, especially regarding marriage, to suit his own sinful inclinations. Marriage has everything to do with the family, and the family is the foundation of society. Same-sex marriages cannot be fruitful nor can they multiply. Man is setting up for his own extinction. The family is the cornerstone of every nation. When the families are destroyed, the destruction of the nation is not far behind. Luke 17:26-33 is a fitting commentary of our day, as we are in the period known as “Great Tribulation”. It is important to remember that God has obligated Himself to punish sin, and that man is completely accountable to God for his sin because he was created in the image of God. Although God is extremely patient with mankind, that does not in any way diminish the fact that He hates sin and hates sinners: “God judgeth the righteous [saved], and God is angry with the wicked [unsaved] every day” (Psa 7:11). Man will be brought to justice on the dreadful Judgement Day as 2 Pet 2:9 states: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”

Rom 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Luke 17:26-29 “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. 28Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; 29But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.”

Isa 5:20-26 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! 24Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:”

• The Ultimate Male and Female – Christ and His Bride - God alone provided the solution for man’s sin. You see, though through woman sin entered, it was through the woman, Eve, that help would one day come, as Gen 3:15 and 1 Tim 2:13-15 alludes. So, who is the seed of the woman? it is Christ as Gal 4:4-5 elaborates. God also likens the union of a husband and wife to the mysterious union between Christ and His Bride, the eternal church, in Eph 5:31-32. The language God used to describe the intimacy of Christ and the Church “we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” is same as the one he used to describe how woman is the integral part of man, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man”. In other words, God is assuring us that He has made a spiritual commitment that the church is to be forever the bride of Christ. Once Christ had committed to build a church from and for Himself, He will never revoke His commitment to love that church [eternal body of believers] eternally. In this intimate, wonderful example of the church being the bride of Christ, God looks at the physical marriage relationship, and admonishes husbands to follow the same pattern.

Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [Christ] shall bruise thy [Satan] head, and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his [Christ] heel.”

1 Tim 2:13-15 “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing [Christ] ...”

Gal 4:4-5 “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law…”

Eph 5:25, 28-32 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. 28So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

God Removes Kings, and Sets Up Kings. Read more...

• God Removes Kings, and Sets Up Kings - God’s majestic name is “Jehovah”, usually written as “LORD” in all capital letters in the Old Testament of the King James Version of the English Bible, and Psa 83:18 declares, “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH , art the most high over all the earth”. Psa 93:1, proclaims: “The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty”. The Hebrew word for “reigneth” [malak] means “to reign”, or “to rule”, as a king and is the word from which “king” (melek) is derived. God raises up kings and He puts down kings, as we read in the below verses. God sets up all rulers, presidents and people in authority, and works in their hearts to accomplish His will throughout the history of the world. God's Will, no way implies that He causes the ruler to act sinfully but uses the rulers sinful intentions to accomplish His Will, as Pro 16:9 teaches, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but Jehovah directeth his steps”. It applies to earthly rulers such as King Nebuchadnezzar. God is the one that brought him against His own people of Judah. Remember what the Bible says concerning God’s relationship with King Nebuchadnezzar in Jer 25:9 “... saith JEHOVAH, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations”. We also have a great example with Pharaoh, where God says in Rom 9:17, “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth”. He was raised up to be a ruthless king and to be someone who would not let the Israelites go. This was all according to God’s plan and God’s purpose and Kings like Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh were established in their position of power and rule in order to accomplish God’s purpose as His servants of destruction. We do not understand a lot of things, but we do understand that God is in charge and that we are not to reply against God. God is a God who is righteous and He is a God who does everything perfectly and He makes it clear in Romans 9 that it is His sovereign right to do so. His divine will will ultimately sustain His everlasting glory. And sometimes, He will raise up the basest of men to be a king. Whatever government, whoever is in charge, God will make a way for His people and God is the One who is in control of the whole process. Finally, whoever is ruling will do so only at the will of God. They cannot do anything more or less than God will permit. And so, we just trust God. We do not necessarily trust the particular government, if it is a dictatorship or a communist rule or something where they are not maybe being all that honest. But no matter what the situation of the government, God’s people can be confident, they can just trust in the Lord, that He is going to work it out. Jesus Christ is the Supreme Ruler over all the kings of the earth, as Rev 19:15-16 proclaims. Rom 13:1 admonishes, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God”.

Psa 75:5-7 “Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

Dan 2:20-21 “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:”

Dan 4:17 “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

Pro 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

John 19:10-11 “Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.”

Rev 19:15-16 “And out of his [Jesus Christ] mouth goeth a sharp sword [Word of God], that with it he should smite [judge] the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

• The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD - Literally, this is true of all kings, rulers and presidents. Let us look at what this means spiritually. We read in Psalm 23 verse 5, “Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over”. It was customary to anoint the head of a new king of Israel with oil to signify that he was officially taking that position of authority. The Greek word for “Christ”, christos, is a translation of the Hebrew word rendered as “Messiah”, which means “anointed”. That is because the Lord Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, and those who have become saved are spiritually “anointed” as kings, prophets (Rev 1:5-6). We, the believers, are “a royal priesthood”, as we read in 1 Peter. We are, in principle, ruling with Christ in Heaven even while we are still on earth (Eph 2:6). What God accomplishes in saving someone from spiritual death to spiritual life is equivalent to what the Lord Jesus Christ experienced through His death, burial, and resurrection, as Eph 1:19-20 indicates. God is in complete control of the lives of His children - the Kings. And our heart is in His hands, as the hand represents the will, and He will turn us whither soever He would have us to go, “as the rivers of water”. God gave us a new heart that He will direct and guide, according to His way and according to His plan.

Rev 19:15-16 “And out of his [Jesus Christ] mouth goeth a sharp sword [Word of God], that with it he should smite [judge] the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Rev 1:5-6 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Eph 1:19-20 “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he [God the Father] raised him [God the Son] from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”

Eph 2:5-6 “Even when we [true believers] were dead in sins, hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Pro 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.”

God Blesses Those Who Bless Israel and Curses Those Who Curse Israel?

• Promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - God first called Abram in Genesis 12 to leave his country and go to a land that He would show him. God promised in verse Gen 12:3, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” and in Gen 26:4, “in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”. God repeated that promise to Abraham many times afterwards. Moreover, after Abraham’s death, He reassured Isaac of that promise in Genesis 26 and to Jacob in Genesis 28. God also changed Abram’s name to Abraham (which means “father of a multitude” ), He said in verse 5, “for a father of many nations have I made thee”. However, it is vital to understand that God gave Scriptures veiled in shadows and types and figures. To see the Spiritual truths that God wants us to see, we have to compare “spiritual things with spiritual” (that is, “Scripture with Scripture”), as we are instructed to do in 1 Cor 2:13.

Gen 12:2-3 “And I will make of thee [Abraham] a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Gen 13:14-15 “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: 15For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”

Gen 17:8 “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

Gen 26:2-4 “And the LORD appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;”

Gen 28:13-14 “And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou[Jacob] liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

• Is the Promised Land Earthly Jerusalem? - In Gen 17:8, It’s highly significant that the promised land was to be given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their seed for an everlasting possession. But according to 2 Pet 3, God will destroy this present universe by fire and create everlasting New Heavens and a New Earth. So the promised land has to be new creation. Even in the Old Testament we read in Isa 65:17, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind”. This promised land, where righteousness dwells, will be inhabited by God and His people. So the Promised Land is type or figure of the new heavens, new earth and new Jerusalem from Heaven according to Rev 21:1-2.

Heb 11:8-10 “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise [earthly], as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Heb 11:13-16 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he [>God] hath prepared for them a city”

2 Pet 3:10,13 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

Rev 21:1-2 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband”

• Who are All the Families or All the Nations that will be blessed? - Notice that, God linked the giving of promised land to His promise that in them shall all nations be blessed. Actually, that was also a reiteration of what God had previously promised Abraham. Back in Genesis 13, when Abram and Lot separated, later, in Genesis 17, when God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (which means “father of a multitude” ), He said in verse 5, “for a father of many nations have I made thee”. All Families or All Nations, that will be blessed, are type or figure of the God's Elect from all over the world [Jews and Gentiles] and this is the Gospel that was preached to Abraham, according to Gal 3:8.

Gen 12:2-3 “And I will make of thee [Abraham] a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Gen 17:5 “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.”

Gal 3:8 “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”

Gen 26:3-4 “... I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy [Isaac] father; 4And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;”

Gen 28:14 “And thy [Jacob] seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

Heb 4:2 “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them [Israel as a nation]: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”

Rom 9:27,30-31 “27Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 30What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31But Israel [as a nation], which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.”

Rom 4:16-17 “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law [remnant of Israel], but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham [remnant of Gentiles]; who is the father of us all, 17(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.”

• Are the Earthly Jews Recipients of these Promises? - In Gal 3:16, the apostle calls particular attention to the word “seed”, as distinguished from “seeds”. And that singular seed that God had in Christ, NOT all the blood descendants of Abraham. The Recipients of these Promises are the Israel of God, the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, according to Gal 3:29.

Gal 3:16 “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

Heb 11:17-18 “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him [Isaac] in a figure [figure of Christ].”

Rom 9:6-8 “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”

Rom 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Gal 6:15-16 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.”

Gal 4:22-28 “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh [unbelievers from both Jews+ Gentiles]; but he of the freewoman was by promise [believers from both Jews+ Gentiles]. 24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all [all who are in Christ]. 27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28Now we [the born-again believers], brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.”

Gal 3:26-29 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”