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Why did God love Abel and hate Cain?

The reason comes from the circumstances surrounding the fall of Adam and Eve.

Eve had a love relationship first with a fallen angel (the serpent), and next with Adam prematurely. She thus fell twice, firstly with the wrong partner, and secondly with the right partner (Adam) but at the wrong time.  From this viewpoint, the second fall was more forgivable than the first.

In initiating His providence of restoration, God had to make a division between good and evil within Adam's family.  Cain as the elder son represented the fruit of the first relationship on the evil side, while Abel as the younger son represented the fruit of the second relationship on the good side.  Thus, God could not deal directly with Cain's offering because he represented God's enemy. As Abel made an acceptable offering in conformity with God's words, he was able to become the central figure for the foundation of faith. It now remained for Cain and Abel to become one and thereby establish the foundation of substance.  It was up to Cain to leave Satan's side by abandoning his false beliefs and go to God through loving Abel as God loved him.

Instead, Cain was disappointed that God did not receive his offering. God wanted Cain to distance himself from sin and to get closer to Abel.  Instead, Cain killed Abel in the field. He could not understand God's heart and in his anger committed a great sin.  

Resulting from this murder of Abel by Cain, the foundation of substance could not be laid in Adam's family.  Consequently, Adam's family could no longer be used in the providence of restoration. At the age of 130, Adam had a third son named Seth, who took the place of Abel in representing God's will.