I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Among the many faithful persons in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews is Abel, the son of Adam and Eve.

                                                             1.      Although little is recorded about Abel in the Scriptures, God has declared him to be one of the great standards of righteousness for all men for all time.

                                                             2.      Notice Hebrews 11:4 – “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

B.      Because the Scripture says that Abel still speaks, let us consider what Abel now says to us by considering his example and all that is written about him in God’s word.

II.      THE MURDER OF ABEL

A.      Cain and Abel brought offerings before God, but God regarded only Abel and his offering (Gen. 4:1-5).

                                                             1.      The offerings of these two brothers corresponded to their occupations.

a.       Cain was a tiller of the ground, so he brought the fruit of the ground as an offering.

b.       Abel was a shepherd, so he brought an offering from his flock.

                                                             2.      The Genesis account does not say directly why God regarded Abel and his offering and not Cain or his offering, but we can deduce certain conclusions.

a.       As we noticed in Hebrews 11:4, Abel’s sacrifice offered by faith was better than Cain’s sacrifice.  This implies that Cain’s sacrifice was offered without faith, and “without faith, it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6).

b.       Abel’s offering was of the “firstlings of his flock,” while Cain’s offering was simply of the fruit of the ground.

i.         By giving of the firstlings, we know that Abel had given God first priority in his life as his offering foreshadowed Moses’ law regarding the firstfruits (Ex. 34:26; Lev. 23:9-14; Prov. 3:9).

ii.        It is likely that Cain’s offering was not of the firstfruits, and therefore he did not esteem God properly as Abel did.

c.        It may be that God had commanded Cain and Abel to make certain sacrifices to Him and that Cain disobeyed.  This conclusion is based on assumptions and speculations, but it may be true because “faith comes by hearing” (Rom. 10:17).

B.      God warned Cain of the danger of his anger (Gen. 4:6-7).

                                                             1.      The countenance, appearance, or expression of Cain betrayed the anger that burned within him.

                                                             2.      Recognizing this, God warned Cain of the opportunity that his anger had created for sin.

a.       John used Cain as an example of the connection between hatred and murder (1John 3:11-15).  This is very similar to the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5:21-26 and John 8:44.

b.       God’s counsel to Cain was to do well and lift up his countenance.  In others words, God was telling Cain to get the hate out of his heart and overcome the temptation to sin.

C.      Despite God’s warning, Cain murdered his brother Abel (Gen. 4:8-15).

                                                             1.      It is curious that Cain spoke of these things to Abel before he killed him.  This would seem to indicate that Cain was gaining control of his anger, but obviously this was not the case.

                                                             2.      Notice that God said, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.”

a.       Innocent blood is a pollutant of the ground on which it is shed (Num. 35:33).  Its presence demands the blood of the one who shed it.

b.       The voice of Abel’s blood was crying for justice in the shedding of Abel’s blood.  That justice was administered by God through his punishment of Cain.

c.        The message of Abel’s blood was similar to that of those who were slain because of God’s word in Revelation 6:10 – “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

III.   WHAT DOES ABEL SAY TO US?

A.      Abel tells us that being faithful to God is always right regardless of the consequences.

                                                             1.      Even though Abel lost his life as a consequence of his faith and righteousness while Cain continued to live, it is Abel who has the ultimate victory through God.

a.       By his example, Abel says to us that it is better to be faithful and lose our lives than to be unfaithful and live.

b.       This message requires faith to accept, for it calls upon us to elevate our love of the unseen God above the love of our own lives.  See Matthew 16:24-26.

                                                             2.      Abel was the first of many righteous persons who have been persecuted because of their righteousness.  Their examples are written in God’s word for our encouragement.

a.       Jesus remembered the “righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah” (Matt. 23:35).

b.       Their blood continued to flow in the first century as Paul warned Timothy that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2Tim. 3:12).

                                                             3.      Abel’s memory proves that God’s faithful ones will overcome the world through Christ Jesus.

a.       This is the main message of the book of Revelation (Rev. 17:14).

b.       John wrote, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith” (1John 5:4).

B.      Abel also tells us that justice will be done, although it may not be in this world.

                                                             1.      Abel’s murder is the first of many examples in the Bible that demonstrate how bad things may happen to good people.

a.       Our sense of justice indicates that good is returned for good and evil for evil.  When that does not happen, our sense of justice is violated, and we are often left confused and despondent.

b.       The Scriptures bear witness to a history of injustice by men in the world, with the ultimate injustice occurring in the crucifixion of the Son of God.

                                                             2.      Despite the injustice of this world, the spiritually minded person understands that justice will ultimately be carried out by God for eternity.

a.       Our sense of justice is true, but the application of justice is not always present in this world.

b.       The reasons bad things happen to good people are not as difficult to understand as they are to accept.  To accept these reasons, one must be spiritually minded.

i.         In truth, God has given us the ability to choose between good and evil, and it is possible for one person’s evil choice to affect another person who is innocent.

ii.        In fact, we live with the ever-present effects of the evil choices of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12-21) and many other people.

c.        The ultimate justice that God has promised will be delivered at the Judgment when each soul “will be recompensed for his deeds done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2Cor. 5:10; see also Rom. 14:12; Heb. 4:13).

C.      Most importantly, Abel tells us that Christ is our hope.

                                                             1.      With all that we have considered about justice, let us acknowledge that what we need is mercy.  The blood of Abel speaks of that mercy.

a.       While Abel’s blood says that justice will ultimately be done, it also declares that there will be mercy for the righteous.

b.       This is because Abel himself was a sinner (“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Rom. 3:23).  Even so, his faithful works justified him in God’s sight, and God remembers him as righteous (see Rom. 4:1-8; Gal. 3:6-9; Jas. 2:14-26).

                                                             2.      To this point, the blood of Christ is a better witness than the blood of Abel.

a.       Notice Hebrews 12:24 – “…and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

b.       Christ’s shed blood is the full expression of the love and mercy of God to a world of sinners so that they may be made righteous.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Therefore, let us listen to the unspoken words of Abel that echo from the grave.  Are you listening, or will you go in the “way of Cain” (Jude 11)?

B.      Moreover, when our lives on earth have ended, what message will we leave for those who come after us?