Genesis 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 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: 5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
This passage of scripture brings to light that Cain was not necessarily an irreligious man, as some people believe, for it's clear that he attempted to worship God in some way or fashion. The problem with his form of worship is that he did not follow the stipulations given, that of bringing a lamb, as his younger brother obviously did, and the act of substitution was described as a sin in God's sight. The lamb was representative of Jesus Christ who would one day give His life as a ransom for many, and because sin cannot be washed away without blood, the entire family of Adam was instructed to comply with God's gracious requirement.
The problem with Cain however is that he saw nothing wrong with offering a substitution for what God had already stated, and thus by bring fruit instead of the required lamb, he demonstrated disdain for not only the commands of God, but also for His authority to rule in the lives of men. This same mindset has trickled down through the ages even to our present generation where many people believe that God does not reserve the right to tell us how to worship Him, and as a direct result we now have the majority of Christians worshiping God according to their own personal dictates, or that of other men, while the requirements of God sit idly on the back-burner of our consciences.
The Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the only day out of the seven that God has expressly blessed and set aside for universal worship across the globe, but like Cain many are now bringing substitutes, either deliberately of ignorantly, with the hope that somehow God will change His requirements to suit the overwhelming majority. But God does not change over time, and He has issued a stern warning against the practice of altering His word for any reason. Whatever may be our convictions, it is always best to leave the authoritative laws of God intact, rather than try to modify them in order to suit our convenience, for when this is done it puts us at odds with His favor, and He cannot bless us as would be His delight to. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
In our own personal experiences with God, it is necessary to have the two essential elements Christ spoke of present in our worship, namely spirit, meaning sincerity, and truth meaning that which is in accordance with what is written. When we comply with the conditions laid down by God, our worship will ascend to Him like a sweet-smelling savor, that will be greeted with the divine approval. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that reiterates this very point, and we hope and pray that our worship from here on out will be pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God. Let's read:
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!