--ABEL'S TIMELY TESTIMONY~~

“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 he was 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 blood on them that dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10).

**Secondly, he spoke to Cain. “And now art thou cursed from the earth, 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 acceptance of 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.
--ICR/JDM
[ Have you ever wondered why Cain's sacrifice was not acceptable? It never ceases to amaze me, that although Cain offered his sacrifice from the ground (garden) that he tilled. And Abel offered a blood sacrifice from the animals he raised. We already know that in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned, they covered themselves with leaves to hide there bodies. That was the first time they ever thought of nakedness being wrong.
So, what did God do? He sacrificed (killed) an animal and covered them with the skin of the animal. (Genesis 3:21) The blood of the animal was the sacrifice. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."(HEBREWS 9:22)
They had the Law, as they were still living under the Law because Christ had not yet come. Jesus came to fulfill the Law. By dying on the Cross, he shed His blood, to take away the sins of those who come to Him by faith. (Matthew 5:17-18)

Yes, CHRIST IS OUR REDEEMER. He paid our sin debt by dying on a Cross. He shed his blood for our forgiveness of sins because we could not pay the debt. Blessed be the Name of the Lord Jehovah Yahweh, YHWH. (Our Covenant-keeping God.)
WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SINS? NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgWN0OLZgzw>
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