CAIN AND ABLE
Tuesday – April 10, 2018, Nisan 25, 5778
Courtesy of: www.freebibleimages.org
Greetings and welcome back to this stimulating study from the Book of Hebrews concerning faith. Nothing happens without faith, faith is powered by love, and whatever is not of faith is sin. In addition to that, it is impossible to please God without faith. Seems like this faith business might be a worthwhile study. Of course, this has not changed since Genesis 1:1 and likely before that so why are we not further along? Short answer, we are too focused on the natural that is to say what we can appreciate with our natural senses and natural reasonings.
Galatians 5:16 (KJV)
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Walking in the Spirit is to do the Word of God and the direction of that still small voice of the Holy Spirit. The lusts of the flesh are what our unrenewed mind wants and our physical body wants.
1 John 2:15-16 (KJV)
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Remember that in place of the word “love” we can quite accurately use the words ‘obey or obedience’. Or we could substitute ‘selflessness’. The third aspect of love is abiding by the terms of the Blood Covenant and those terms are contrary to the world which rebels against God, is selfish, and rebels against the terms of the Blood Covenant. Given that brief preamble let’s dive into the study by first reviewing our primary text.
Hebrews 11:1-4 (KJV)
1 Now 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.
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.
For the remainder of today I will focus on the fourth verse with a discussion about Cain and Abel. We are told that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain of which God Himself testifies. Abel was considered righteous (to have right standing with God) by God. To this day both Abel and God are witnesses of Abel’s faith and subsequent righteousness (right standing) to us through the Holy Scripture. I suspect that most if not all the readers (especially those that have gotten this far) know the account of Cain and Abel but let’s briefly review it.
Genesis 4:1-8 (KJV)
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.
Cain and Abel are the first two recorded children of Adam and Eve, one was a farmer and the other a rancher. We find Cain bringing a sacrifice to the LORD in verse three of the fruit of the ground. Then in verse four we see Abel bring a first born and most excellent of his sheep to sacrifice to the LORD. It would appear that this sacrifice was a continuation and a forerunner of the sin offering which among the Feasts of the Lord would be Passover. The final Passover Lamb would be Christ. It appears from the context that Cain did not bring the best fruits of his fields however more importantly there is no remission of sin, there is no Passover, without the spilling of innocent blood. It is not clear why Cain thought he could bring anything and be accepted or righteous but God gives him an opportunity in verse seven. Seven is the number of spiritual completion. He can be complete in the eyes of the Lord with the right sacrifice, innocent blood otherwise sin will rule over him. Instead he chooses sin and eliminates his brother, Abel. It appears that Cain would have had to purchase an unblemished, firstborn lamb or ram from Abel for a proper sacrifice. Could it be that the love of money was at work in Cain and resulted in the evil work of murder? We see this all over the world today where the world is trying to wipe out Christianity rather than do what they know to be right. This is the spirit of antichrist. These children of Adam and Eve had been told of the importance of a sacrifice for sin by their parents for God had taught them and covered their sin in the Garden.
Genesis 3:21 (KJV)
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Abel had faith that the sacrifice of a firstborn lamb without blemish would make him righteous, he was right and we receive that testimony to this day. We are fortunate that God Himself provided for us an unblemished lamb and our sins are blotted out forever and we enter into His righteousness, we are the righteousness of God. We also like Abel do this by faith.
Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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