Genesis 2:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

For decades preachers and teachers told me that the flaming sword was keeping us from God.

Genesis 4:6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

If that is true, then how did the Lord speak to Cain about his feelings of rejection? The first words recorded to have been spoken to sons of man were in connection to sacrifices.

As we go on with this study on God’s plan to remove the obstacle of sin in our relationship with God it is important to consider first occurrences as important messages in that plan. Just as we learn a new language, this faith language, the basics are covered first. Just as we teach our children to say mommy or daddy in recognition of relationship, these first lessons are important.

As we move on in greater detail about God’s plan, sacrifice is going to be a recurring theme, and it is one of our earliest lessons given to us in this plan. The issues of sacrifices are not always simple. While I want to break down these issues to the bare essentials for easy consumption, I cannot cover all the aspects in one devotional.

God’s prescription for sacrifices is recorded in the Levitical laws. Sacrifices were performed in Genesis but it was not until the Levitical laws were given that those sacrifices were tied to the covenant promises of God. That is an important distinction.

Romans 7:7b Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

The law is a mirror to show us we are sinful.