AICISIACUMACOLOCURAND: DAYS OF PRAISE-ABEL’S TIMELY TESTIMONY

DAYS OF PRAISE-ABEL’S TIMELY TESTIMONY

Abel’s Timely Testimony

February 10, 2012

“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.”

(Hebrews 11:4)

Abel, Adam’s second son, was a faithful, God-honoring

man, but hewas murdered by his older brother Cain.

From Genesis 4 we know that Cain’s bloodless sacrifice

was not accepted by God, while Abel’s animal sacrifice

was accepted. Cain’s pride, anger, and rejection of God’s

offer of restoration resulted in the murder of obedient

Abel. Our text tells us that Abel “being dead yet speaketh.”

What does he say? To whom does he speak?

First of all, he spoke to God. “The voice of thy brother’s

|Abel’s|blood crieth unto me from the ground” (Genesis

4:10). Many have followed Abel in martyrdom, and they

all cry, “How long,O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not

judge and avenge our bloodon them that dwell on the

earth?” (Revelation 6:10).

Secondly, he spoke to Cain. “And now art thou cursed

from theearth, which hath opened her mouth to receive

thy brother’s blood from thy hand” (Genesis 4:11). Cain

was banished by God:“a fugitive and a vagabond shalt

thou be in the earth” (v. 12),and every spot of ground on

which he placed his foot from then on would be crying

out to him, indicting him of his sin.

Thirdly, Abel speaks to us. His witness reminds us that

men must come to God in obedient faith, for Abel obeyed

God’s instructions regarding sacrifice (4:3-4). He offered

the sacrifice in faith that God would deem him “righteous”

(today’s text). The acceptanceof the blood sacrifice and the

rewards of his brother’s disobedience speak eloquently of

the “wages of sin.” May God give us ears to hear Abel’s

timely testimony. JDM

Print this article | More Days of Praise

| Dallas | TX | 75229