If you were the creator and ruler of the universe, what would you expect of your subjects? According to the Bible, God expects his people to give him all that they can and to obey him at all times. When a person refuses to comply with all that God wants from them, God becomes infuriated with that person. God reacts to different peoples defiance in different ways, but it is always negative. At certain points throughout history, God has become extremely angered with his people and sent down terrible acts of vengeance. God at other times has been pleased with the obedience of his people and rewarded them for it. Under all circumstances, God insists on his people being completely devoted to him and showing that devotion through offerings and compliance. This idea is prevalent in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. The stories of Cain and Abel, and Abraham depict the same intention each in a different manner but are always focused on the larger meaning of the text; God above all.
After God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, Eve became pregnant and had two boys, her first she named Cain and the second Abel. Cain became a farmer and Abel became a shepherd. Both would like to please God so they bring him gifts. Cain brings some of his harvest and offers it to the lord. Abel brings an offering of the first lamb of one of his sheep. He then slaughters the animal and presents the best parts as a sacrifice. God accepted Abel's sacrifice, but rejected Cain and his offering. This angered Cain. God recognized his anger and told him that he would have accepted his sacrifice had it been the best of his harvest. Cain still angry and jealous killed his younger brother Abel. As a punishment, the lord told Cain, if he tried to farm nothing would grow from the soil. .
This is a harsh punishment for the time. Cain had to wander the earth and beg for food, but this short passage has a lot of significance.
