Listen To Abel
The account of Cain and Abel is Genesis 4:1-8. Perhaps, you remember that Cain and Abel, sons of Adam and Eve, both offered sacrifices to God. Cain was a farmer and he brought “of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord” (verse 3). Abel was a shepherd, and he “brought of the firstlings of his flock” an offering unto the Lord (verse 4).
I am sure that Cain had worked hard to grow a crop. When he brought in the harvest, he did not offer his sacrifice to a false god, but to the one, true God of the Bible. Nevertheless, in spite of Cain’s desire to worship God, the sacrifice he offered was rejected. On the other hand, God accepted Abel’s sacrifice. The acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice caused Cain to become so jealous of his brother that he killed him. Cain committed the first murder in killing Abel.
Long after the events of Genesis chapter 4, the writer of Hebrews wrote the following about Abel: “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). This text teaches that even though Abel has been dead for millenniums, he is still speaking! Of course, this does not mean that Abel is speaking to us audibly; rather, he speaks to us by his example. The question is, what is Abel saying to us?
To answer that question, we should consider that Abel offered his sacrifice “by faith.” The Scriptures teach that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, when Abel offered his sacrifice “by faith,” he was following instruction from the source of faith—the Word of God. This was the difference between his sacrifice and Cain’s. Abel trusted and obeyed God’s Word, Cain did not.
Now, go back to the question: what is Abel saying to us? He is saying that God will not accept all worship. God did not accept Cain’s worship, and there is no reason to believe that God accepts all worship today. Abel is also saying that worship is only acceptable when we trust and obey God’s Word. We have no right to alter God’s pattern for worship by adding unscriptural practices. Unless our worship is based upon the teaching of God’s Word, then our worship is not offered “by faith.” To worship “by faith,” we must do what God says in his Word. Any other approach to worship is to walk in “the way of Cain” (Jude 11).
