The first exhibit in the "hall of fame of faith" is Abel. Hebrews 11 4
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
Why is Abel here? Other than his death, the only thing we know about Abel is that his sacrifice was more acceptable than his brothers. But the Bible is not clear as to why it would be.
Scholars have all kinds of theories about this. Adam Clarke, for example, says that Abel, being a keeper of sheep, offered a blood sacrifice, while Cain offered grain. But nowhere are we told that God required animal sacrifices from them. It was not until Abraham where there is any specific command for animal sacrifices is given.
Other commentators, such as Barnes, suggest that Abel pleased God not by the content of the sacrifice, but by his attitude. Abel was humble before God, while Cain was proud But again, the Biblical evidence is spotty for this. We do know with certainty that this was the reason.
Maybe Abel’s inclusion in the hall of fame of faith has nothing to do with what he did, but the unique place he occupied in history. Maybe we remember Abel not for being the best or most faithful, but simply the first. He was the first man in heaven. He was the first to receive eternal life by faith.
Abel gave us no great inventions, made no great journeys, wrote no books, built no kingdom, endured no hardships, of brought forth no great generations. He was an ordinary man who died before his time, leaving nothing behind. But he was a fortunate man, because he trusted God. His trust gave him the first home in heaven.
Or maybe there was some other reason. Let’s look at the story closer and see if we can see what Abel had to do with faith.. Gen 4:1-12
Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."
Whenever we look at the Bible it is important to remember the context from which hit came. Genesis 4 follows Genesis 3, which contains the story of the first sin, and our first parents’ banishment form Eden. Before they left paradise, God punished them for their sins. But along with that punishment, God gave them a promise. The promise came in Genesis 3:15, , when God said to the serpent.
"And I will put emnity between you and the woman, and between your seed and the woman' seed, and he will crush your head, while you will bruise his heel."
Today we take these words to refer to Jesus, the Messiah. The seed of the woman is one who was to come, who would be born of a woman but not of a man--a virgin-born man. This is Jesus, the messiah who would put to death the power of the serpent--Satan.
But Adam and Eve did not have the luxury of seeing it through the lenses of history. They thought of it as something that would happen to them in their own lifetimes. So when their first son was born, they saw him as the fulfillment of this prophecy. So when she became pregnant, and brought forth a son, they named him Cain, which meant "received from God." –in Hebrew "quaanyity."
But “Cain” may not actually actually mean “received from God.” The Hebrew may come from "quayin," which literally means "pierce through," or "lance." Thus name seems to refer to the warfare that would exist between the woman and the serpent. He was God's spear to crush the Devil. This first born son was to be the promised one that would win eventual victory over Satan. Or so they thought.
Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
The Bible doesn’t bother to say what Abel means, but we know. It means "emptiness or transitory, unsatisfactory." In other words, they did not know what to make of Abel. He wasn’t the chosen one, so he must be second best. Imagine your parents naming you “the other kid!”
Abel didn't measure up to Cain in his parents’ eyes.. He was the other one, the weaker one. Cain was the promised child. Abel was just an extra, or so they thought. That was why they gave him the least important job. He was to tend the flocks, which producd wool, while Cain tilled the ground, which produced food.
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
We don’t know what the “course of time” means. Some suggest that it might be the anniversary of creation. Others suggest that it was the Sabbath day. But whatever it was, it was a time of worship, where each member of the family expressed their love for creator and sutainer, God. Worship was part of our existence from the earliest days of earth. Sacrifice just seemed to be a natural part of worship.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Why was Abel favored? Maybe the key is sacrifice. Cain offeed the fruit of the ground, knowing that the next year there would always be more fruit. Abel offered the sheep themselves, not the wool. Abel offered something that was substantive, and hurt him to offer. Cain just offered what was left over after the harvest.
Cain out of his pride, offered a small sacrifice. Abel, out of his humility, offered a bigger one. Therefore, God was pleased with one and not the other.
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
This was not about the size of the sacrifice, but the attitude of the heart behind the sacrifice. God may not have favored Cain’s offering, but he did not regard it as sin. It was just indicative of a heart not fully surrendered to Him. As long as he continued to worship and obey, he would eventually come to understand what a proper sacrifice was. But Cain had never been bested by his brother before. He was filled with jealousy. He could not stand it.
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Here we have two boys---one loved and one hated, one a hero and one an extra. Cain was the leader. Abel was the follower. Cain was the strong one. Abel was the weak one.
Now most of us would think that it should be Abel who resented Cain not the other way around. But Abel did not. He accepted his place in God's plan without complaint. Abel knew that the position we have on earth has nothing to do with our Father’s love in heaven. What a man owned, or how others looked at him did not make a difference to God. All that matters is what God thinks of us.
Cain’s sin was one which was basic to all of us. He was proud. He saw himself as God’s chosen instrument, and the thought of God choosing someone else was a thought he could not stand.
What is real faith? There are two faith stories. There is a secular, worldly faith and there is Biblical, Godly faith. j world is pushing a secular faith story, which in most cases obscures the Biblical view.
The secular faith story goes like this. We are strong. We are capable of doing great things. All we have to do is to believe in ourselves. We just need a little positive thinking. Whatever we set our minds to do, that is what we are.
Cain did not lack self confidence. From the earliest days he was told he was special, and his brother was not.
Abel represents Biblical faith. He had no illusions of competency. But his weakness turned out to be his strength. Instead of looking to himself. Abel looked to God. He knew he was unworthy. So he made a larger and deeper sacrifice. He offered a sheep, trusting God to give him another. Abel could have given a sacrifice similar to Cain's. He could have set aside some of the wool at sheep-shearing time, and burnt it before God. He had plenty. Besides he could be certain that the wool on his sheep would grow back.
The self confident express gratitude to God for what they have. But the God confident express their need for God to meet what they don’t have. They are willing to surrender to God everything, if it means gaining God’s favor and love.
We have a confidence that Abel did not have. We know that our redeemer lives. We know that if we give our live to him, he has already given His life for us. God accepted Abel's sacrifice, because it truly was a sacrfiioe. Cain's was only a light inconvenience..
Abel reminds us that it isn't what we do in life, it is who we do it for. If we do what we do for God, then God will reward us. But if we are rewarde dwy the whole world, and we do not have God's favor, then nothing matters anyway.
What was Abel's reward? First of all, he was rewarded by being the first man in heaven, and the forgiveness of his sins. His name was ascribed in the Bible, in the hall of fame of faith.
Cain's did not understand his own sinful nature. He denied that sin was a problem in his life, until he murdered his brother. His name became a curse upon him and his family forever. Instead of being the chosen child, Cain became a hunted man.
Faith is not for exceptional people. It is for ordinary people. Anyone who puts their faith in God, and takes hold of the sacrifice of Christ, can receive eternal life in the end. If we have confidence in ourselves, we fail. But if we have confidence in God, we succeed.
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
Why is Abel here? Other than his death, the only thing we know about Abel is that his sacrifice was more acceptable than his brothers. But the Bible is not clear as to why it would be.
Scholars have all kinds of theories about this. Adam Clarke, for example, says that Abel, being a keeper of sheep, offered a blood sacrifice, while Cain offered grain. But nowhere are we told that God required animal sacrifices from them. It was not until Abraham where there is any specific command for animal sacrifices is given.
Other commentators, such as Barnes, suggest that Abel pleased God not by the content of the sacrifice, but by his attitude. Abel was humble before God, while Cain was proud But again, the Biblical evidence is spotty for this. We do know with certainty that this was the reason.
Maybe Abel’s inclusion in the hall of fame of faith has nothing to do with what he did, but the unique place he occupied in history. Maybe we remember Abel not for being the best or most faithful, but simply the first. He was the first man in heaven. He was the first to receive eternal life by faith.
Abel gave us no great inventions, made no great journeys, wrote no books, built no kingdom, endured no hardships, of brought forth no great generations. He was an ordinary man who died before his time, leaving nothing behind. But he was a fortunate man, because he trusted God. His trust gave him the first home in heaven.
Or maybe there was some other reason. Let’s look at the story closer and see if we can see what Abel had to do with faith.. Gen 4:1-12
Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."
Whenever we look at the Bible it is important to remember the context from which hit came. Genesis 4 follows Genesis 3, which contains the story of the first sin, and our first parents’ banishment form Eden. Before they left paradise, God punished them for their sins. But along with that punishment, God gave them a promise. The promise came in Genesis 3:15, , when God said to the serpent.
"And I will put emnity between you and the woman, and between your seed and the woman' seed, and he will crush your head, while you will bruise his heel."
Today we take these words to refer to Jesus, the Messiah. The seed of the woman is one who was to come, who would be born of a woman but not of a man--a virgin-born man. This is Jesus, the messiah who would put to death the power of the serpent--Satan.
But Adam and Eve did not have the luxury of seeing it through the lenses of history. They thought of it as something that would happen to them in their own lifetimes. So when their first son was born, they saw him as the fulfillment of this prophecy. So when she became pregnant, and brought forth a son, they named him Cain, which meant "received from God." –in Hebrew "quaanyity."
But “Cain” may not actually actually mean “received from God.” The Hebrew may come from "quayin," which literally means "pierce through," or "lance." Thus name seems to refer to the warfare that would exist between the woman and the serpent. He was God's spear to crush the Devil. This first born son was to be the promised one that would win eventual victory over Satan. Or so they thought.
Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
The Bible doesn’t bother to say what Abel means, but we know. It means "emptiness or transitory, unsatisfactory." In other words, they did not know what to make of Abel. He wasn’t the chosen one, so he must be second best. Imagine your parents naming you “the other kid!”
Abel didn't measure up to Cain in his parents’ eyes.. He was the other one, the weaker one. Cain was the promised child. Abel was just an extra, or so they thought. That was why they gave him the least important job. He was to tend the flocks, which producd wool, while Cain tilled the ground, which produced food.
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
We don’t know what the “course of time” means. Some suggest that it might be the anniversary of creation. Others suggest that it was the Sabbath day. But whatever it was, it was a time of worship, where each member of the family expressed their love for creator and sutainer, God. Worship was part of our existence from the earliest days of earth. Sacrifice just seemed to be a natural part of worship.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Why was Abel favored? Maybe the key is sacrifice. Cain offeed the fruit of the ground, knowing that the next year there would always be more fruit. Abel offered the sheep themselves, not the wool. Abel offered something that was substantive, and hurt him to offer. Cain just offered what was left over after the harvest.
Cain out of his pride, offered a small sacrifice. Abel, out of his humility, offered a bigger one. Therefore, God was pleased with one and not the other.
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
This was not about the size of the sacrifice, but the attitude of the heart behind the sacrifice. God may not have favored Cain’s offering, but he did not regard it as sin. It was just indicative of a heart not fully surrendered to Him. As long as he continued to worship and obey, he would eventually come to understand what a proper sacrifice was. But Cain had never been bested by his brother before. He was filled with jealousy. He could not stand it.
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Here we have two boys---one loved and one hated, one a hero and one an extra. Cain was the leader. Abel was the follower. Cain was the strong one. Abel was the weak one.
Now most of us would think that it should be Abel who resented Cain not the other way around. But Abel did not. He accepted his place in God's plan without complaint. Abel knew that the position we have on earth has nothing to do with our Father’s love in heaven. What a man owned, or how others looked at him did not make a difference to God. All that matters is what God thinks of us.
Cain’s sin was one which was basic to all of us. He was proud. He saw himself as God’s chosen instrument, and the thought of God choosing someone else was a thought he could not stand.
What is real faith? There are two faith stories. There is a secular, worldly faith and there is Biblical, Godly faith. j world is pushing a secular faith story, which in most cases obscures the Biblical view.
The secular faith story goes like this. We are strong. We are capable of doing great things. All we have to do is to believe in ourselves. We just need a little positive thinking. Whatever we set our minds to do, that is what we are.
Cain did not lack self confidence. From the earliest days he was told he was special, and his brother was not.
Abel represents Biblical faith. He had no illusions of competency. But his weakness turned out to be his strength. Instead of looking to himself. Abel looked to God. He knew he was unworthy. So he made a larger and deeper sacrifice. He offered a sheep, trusting God to give him another. Abel could have given a sacrifice similar to Cain's. He could have set aside some of the wool at sheep-shearing time, and burnt it before God. He had plenty. Besides he could be certain that the wool on his sheep would grow back.
The self confident express gratitude to God for what they have. But the God confident express their need for God to meet what they don’t have. They are willing to surrender to God everything, if it means gaining God’s favor and love.
We have a confidence that Abel did not have. We know that our redeemer lives. We know that if we give our live to him, he has already given His life for us. God accepted Abel's sacrifice, because it truly was a sacrfiioe. Cain's was only a light inconvenience..
Abel reminds us that it isn't what we do in life, it is who we do it for. If we do what we do for God, then God will reward us. But if we are rewarde dwy the whole world, and we do not have God's favor, then nothing matters anyway.
What was Abel's reward? First of all, he was rewarded by being the first man in heaven, and the forgiveness of his sins. His name was ascribed in the Bible, in the hall of fame of faith.
Cain's did not understand his own sinful nature. He denied that sin was a problem in his life, until he murdered his brother. His name became a curse upon him and his family forever. Instead of being the chosen child, Cain became a hunted man.
Faith is not for exceptional people. It is for ordinary people. Anyone who puts their faith in God, and takes hold of the sacrifice of Christ, can receive eternal life in the end. If we have confidence in ourselves, we fail. But if we have confidence in God, we succeed.
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