ABEL THE PREACHER OF RIGHTEOUSNESS Salvation by faith is a concept unique to Biblical Christianity. In every other religion, salvation is sought by achieving reward through personal effort. For example, Islam has many requirements to be fulfilled, including its strict observance of prayer five times a day. Judaism requires obedience to the Law and to the writings of holy men. In Roman Catholicism, the salvation by works cannot be fully achieved without going through a Purgatory where they are sufficiently purged of their sin for entrance into Heaven. And there is also another concept of religion that comes closer to our own doors. Within Protestantism, many teach a salvation by works whereby an individual, by their own ability, sets out to achieve sufficient righteousness so God would allow them into Heaven. The writer to the Hebrews, - and we re not exactly sure as to his identify, - except that he was most definitely a Jew. He began chapter eleven by presenting salvation by faith, v.1 faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. He was writing to Jews who had come to believe in Christ s work of redemption, - they believed that only Jesus saves but, at the same time, there were some issues they yet needed to understand more clearly. What about the faithful in the Old Testament? Since they died before Christ s work of salvation on the cross, how are they saved? Since they lived before Him, they could not actually have put their faith in Him, so if they are saved, how did it happen? And this was what lay behind the writer s teaching throughout the epistle, and specifically for this reason, he demonstrated using certain Old Testament characters. Quite simply, he was emphasising to his readers the basis of salvation has always been, always will be, and is Eph. 2:8 by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. The first illustration he presents is Abel, the son of Adam, v.4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. Abel was the first man in the entirety of Scripture who came to God by faith. In this chapter, - from its very commencement, - the Jews to whom this epistle was being written were being taught salvation by faith is not something new. It goes back to the earliest of days.
2 Adam and Eve did not know God by faith they knew Him by sight for we read Adam was literally on speaking-terms with God in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 1:27 So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying 3:8 they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day) They had the Shekinah glory presence of God with them in the garden. They could see and hear and listen to believe in God but Abel was born outside of this time-span and that is how he was the first man who believed in God by faith. Let s read the account of Abel s life in Gen. 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 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. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. Now, the writer to the Hebrews points out that Abel offered God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. It wasn t a competition to see who could worship best but nonetheless, God accepted Abel s sacrifice over Cain s sacrifice. If Cain had come to the altar as Abel had come, then both offerings would have been accepted. Cain was born first, Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain. He was the first baby ever to be born, - Adam and Eve were literally created from the dust of the earth, - that is what the Bible says, and the Bible is God s Word, Gen. 2:7 the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul v.21 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; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man but Cain was the first baby to be born, and then Abel. The name Cain (Qayin) means possession, I have gotten a man from the LORD Now, these births were obviously very significant
3 Back in Gen. 3:15, the Lord told the serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it [i.e. her seed] shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. These words of God to the serpent referred to a conflict that would take place between the devil and the seed of the woman. One of these sons of the woman, therefore, would produce a seed who would bruise the serpent s head This seed would defeat the enemy who had broken the fellowship with God, and this same seed would bring reconciliation and restoration to that relationship. So, even before God had expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden, He had already displayed mercy by giving a promise that the sinful woman would have a son, and through his seed the Conqueror of Satan would come. As someone has said, By a woman had come sin, and by a woman would come the Saviour! When Cain was born, it would have been very probable Adam and Eve would have thought Cain was this promised seed, - maybe that is what was behind her calling the first child Cain, I ve gotten the promised seed. If that is what she thought, she was wrong because Cain became the first criminal, - he was the first murderer. Besides, Cain was the product, - the seed, - of a sinful man and a sinful woman and a sinful man and a sinful woman can only produce a sinful child, - sin begets sin. However, the seed promised in Gen. 3:15 was altogether different. The seed Gen. 3:15 required was not the seed of a sinful man otherwise Jesus would have been born a sinner. No, the seed referred to in Gen. 3:15 required the holy seed that could only come from the righteous and holy Father, - when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He addressed His prayer to His righteous Father (Jn. 17:25) and the holy seed that came by the Holy Spirit from the Father would grow inside the virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ would be born. And that is how God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But Eve would not have understood the full implications of the promise. Then, in verse two, Abel was born, v.2 And she again bare his brother Abel. The name Abel (Hebel) means vapour/breath. It is the same word used in Job 36:27 For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof 33 The noise thereof sheweth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapour Ps. 148:8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour James uses it also, 4:14 For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. It describes how Abel s short life was like a vapour so very, very brief!
4 Abel was a keeper of sheep, - he worked out in the fields with the animals. Cain also worked in the fields but his job was as a farmer. These were real people. This was a real family unit, - Adam and Eve (a man and a woman, Gen. 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh), Cain and Abel. They were sinners, the two sons were both conceived by fallen parents. Both were born after the Fall. They were all living outside the garden and notice also how these were human beings 1,2,3,4 there is not even a whisper of anything evolutionary! God did not make Adam a monkey, He made him a man and Cain and Abel! This was how God began it all It was all orderly. None of man s habits or characteristics underwent evolution. Here were real intelligent human beings from the commencement of time. And the two sons were brought up in a civilised home, using tools, caring for animals, and possessing skills. And so, Hebrews 11:4 sets out Abel as a model of believing faith in God, By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. That statement is based upon how Abel came to worship God by demonstrating true faith. I wonder where they worshipped We are told both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord, and the context would strongly suggest they brought their offerings to the same place I wonder where it was? It would have been somewhere specific, - it would not have been here one day and somewhere else the next. God has a pattern, - we see that in the intricacy of the plans by which the men had to build the tabernacle and then temple. He would have had a place to be worshipped. Very possibly, - maybe even, very probably, - 3:24 holds the answer as to where Cain and Abel brought their offerings, 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. Would that not have been a great place to worship at the entrance at the east of the Garden of Eden? You might say, why does it matter? Well, look at how he had the angels guarding the tabernacle in the wilderness in the Holy of Holies and how He had the angels guarding in the temple and how the angels are mentioned again before the throne, in the fifth chapter of the Book of Revelation. These were places God inhabited, like the Garden of Eden and surely if there was a place that would indicate where God was to be worshipped, at the east of the garden of Eden would have been perfect! On a particular day, - in process of time it came to pass, - this was the day arranged in God s will when these two brothers came with their offerings.
5 This was prior to the Ten Commandments where future generations were instructed, Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy (Ex. 20:8). Nevertheless, already, the God of order would have had a place for them to come, and at a specific time He requires a precise way to be worshipped, v.3 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. Why was God so judgmental? What was there about Abel s offering that pleased Him, and what was there about Cain s offering that did not please Him? Hebrews 11:4 explains the reason, By faith Abel offered unto God By faith in what? Rom. 10:17 faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Both Cain and Abel would have heard from God what kind of sacrifice He would accept, - God had told them Abel had faith in God and he listened, and he obeyed and had brought to the altar the sacrifice he knew God would accept, while Cain didn t! That s why God was pleased with one sacrifice, and not the other. Abel prepared to worship God, Cain didn t. Abel sought out what God would require, Cain didn t. Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof (4:4) He laid the animal out on the altar and sacrificed it before God. He would have heard his parents speak about how when they recognised their nakedness they tried to cover up with leaves (3:7) but their efforts to cover their sin were so ineffective for God saw their nakedness, and then we read, v.21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. The first sacrifice ever made, - the first blood to be shed, - was by God when He slew the animals to use their skins to cover our first parents after their sin had been exposed. This was the offering Abel identified with when he brought his sacrifice to the altar and it pleased God. And not only was Abel s sacrifice a blood sacrifice, but it was also offered in obedient faith, - it was what God had told him to do, and he did it. It was the very best he owned, and he gave it to God. On the basis of obedience Abel believed God would accept it. Therefore, Heb. 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice. Undoubtedly, Cain would also have known what he should have done because both sons would have received the same instructions from their parents. However, Cain chose a form of worship that did not meet the requirements of God. Without any doubt, Cain would have known what to do but he couldn t be bothered! As far as he was concerned, God would receive whatever he was prepared to give Him. No, that s not the way it works!
6 He thought he could approach God on his own terms He didn t see any need for the shedding of the blood sacrifice God will have to make do with what I m prepared to give Him! Cain would not acknowledge his sin, and he would not recognise he needed God s forgiveness. He went to the altar with his offering and it basically meant nothing to him, - it was an empty offering. He went to the right place but he arrived at the wrong destination! Religion is dead if there is no relationship with God. God will acknowledge our repentance and forgive us our sin but only through the shed blood of His Son Who died on the cross for all those who believe. That is the true religion! Cain failed but what is even sadder is that it didn t bother him. He took his anger out on his brother! His brother Abel had recognised his sin, the need for a sacrifice, and he offered that sacrifice on the altar and God removed his sin. Cain had none of that though! He had no respect for the holiness of God and, in turn, we read, v.5 unto Cain and to his offering he [the Lord] had not respect. And so Cain became angry, very wroth, and his countenance fell. You can imagine him in a tantrum, - he is angry with God, he is angry with Abel, he is angry with everything! The problem lay, though, in his heart. The person who is out of tune with God cannot know the peace of God. And when the Lord asked Cain, v.6 Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? Why don t you do what you know you ought to do and then your offering will also be accepted? Go and ask your brother and he will tell you. But no, Cain would not! Instead, he rejected God s gracious offer of pardon and the second part of God s warning to him would apply, if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. The choice was set before Cain, and he chose the only way a sinner who is not directed by the Spirit of God will choose for he chose to reject God and His offer of mercy. That is what sinners who are intent on continuing in their sin do, - they not only reject God s grace, but they also reject God s mercy! John explains, I Jn. 3:12 Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. At the altar of sacrifice Abel acknowledged he was a sinner in need of God s grace, and he laid his sacrifice out before God Cain wouldn t! Cain was a hypocrite who came with an offering that meant nothing. He came before God in a manner that demonstrated he treated the Sovereign Lord with contempt.
7 Abel, on the other hand, brought a more excellent sacrifice because it was what God required and as a consequence, God accepted him as righteous, Heb. 11:4 he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. Consider this also Abel came to that altar as much a sinner as Cain. He was as much in danger of God s wrath as his brother, - but here is what made the difference Abel came as a sinner with a sacrifice that would atone for his sins he honoured God he obeyed God, and God counted it to him, - credited it to him, - for righteousness. God respected Abel on the basis of his offering because Abel believed that in the animal he sacrificed his sins would be removed. And so, you see how this was an act of true believing faith on Abel s part that met on that altar with God s work of grace and he was pardoned and forgiven his sins. God says, Them that honour Me, I will honour (I Sam. 2:30), and what greater honour could God ever grant to anyone then to bestow upon that person His own righteousness. The psalmist declared, 24:3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. It s God s righteousness we re trusting in, not man s because all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Is. 64:6). And what about Cain? Well, he is given the opportunity to repent, - no-one can say God is unfair. Let s turn the words around for they mean exactly the same thing, If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted (v.7). God can see inside Cain s heart and He sees Cain has no interest God is offering him mercy. God is giving him a choice and Cain chooses the only way a sinner outside the workings of God s grace can choose, - he chooses to reject God and leave Him behind. The warning made no difference. God couldn t have made it any clearer, v.7 if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. How many souls have heard the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ but they rejected Him and today they are lost forever! That is all it takes to book your place in Hell, - keep on rejecting Christ as Saviour! What a fool Cain was! In verse eight he went to talk to Abel, - there is another it came to pass (v.8 v.3). The Gospel opportunity came to Cain but it passed him by. He lost his opportunity! He wasted it v.8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother,
8 and slew him. This was the first human death, the first crime, and the first murder and Cain knew exactly what he was doing! It wasn t the first death, of course. The animals from which God took the skins to cover Adam and Eve s nakedness had to die. Also, the animal Abel sacrificed had died but this was the first human death and it was because of sin. Death is a product of sin. Death was brought about because of the master of sin, the devil that s how John explained it, I Jn. 3:12 Not as Cain, [who] was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous and he would have heard it from the teachings of Jesus. And after Cain killed his brother the Lord confronted him, Where [is] Abel thy brother? (v.9). Cain replied with a bitterness in his voice as he spoke to the Lord, I know not, That s a bare-faced lie, Cain! The defiance was hanging out of him, Am I my brother's keeper? But notice how he couldn t shake the Lord off. Some people have the audacity to believe they will be able to stand against God when they meet Him in judgment. Here, the Lord put it plainly before Cain, v.10 What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. unto Me God was taking it personally. He condemned Cain as a man and as a farmer, - v.11 now [art] thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain comes back at the Lord, Too much, I can t bear, it is far too much! Who was Cain to say such a thing to God?! In fact, you will notice in his response, Cain did not use the word God or Lord even once! There was no repentance. There was no sign of repentance, or of God s sovereignty over Him You only hear, v.13 My punishment [is] greater than I can bear. In fact, he starts to blame God, - You are driving me out. You re making me to become a fugitive and a vagrant. When anyone sees me, they will want to kill me That s what You are doing to me! Don t you see how even when he was condemned Cain showed no repentance?! He was blaming God! But look once again at God s mercy. v.15 whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. Yes, God even showed mercy to this undeserving murderer but look at it again There is always a hope that somewhere and some time Cain would turn to God but did he?
9 Did he recognize the existence of God? Yes, he did, for he spoke with God and God spoke with him. Did he recognize the power of God? Yes, he did. Did he recognize the sovereignty of God? Yes. Did he recognize that God was to be worshiped? Yes, for he came to the altar. Did he recognize the God of the harvest? Yes, for He knew that season after season God supplied the harvest. Did he know that God required a blood sacrifice as atonement for his sin? Yes, he knew that too because if it had been taught to Abel it would also have been taught to Cain. Look what happened next though Even when he knew the correct answers to all the questions, look what he did, v.16 Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and as far as we know, he never came back! This was a powerful lesson for these Hebrews who were listening to this epistle being read Do I want to be a Cain or an Abel? Do I want to give God a sacrifice of which He is worthy, or am I satisfied to only give Him what costs me nothing? Am I prepared to give myself to Him completely, or to deny Him the Lordship of my life? Is it the Lord and me, or is it the Lord or me? Here is saving faith, - it is believing in Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. It is committing yourself to Him lock, stock, and barrel. He requires nothing less than everything. The final comment the writer to the Hebrews makes about Abel is this, 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. Abel is a preacher who continues to preach today, even from beyond from the grave. He presents before us the absolute necessity of full and complete faith in God In fact, Jesus referred to the blood of Abel in Lk. 11:51 where it refers to God bringing about vengeance against sinners. And it is also a Gospel message Abel s testimony continues to preach. If you are to come to God you must come only by faith, - not works, - faith in His Word. You come by faith believing that His Son died for you to take your sins completely away and He becomes the Lord and Master of your life and that is the outworking of your faith. That is how faith works! May the Lord achieve His purposes amongst us today! Amen.