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Abel: A Life of Faith
December 10, 2011

The first person to die was Abel. He was killed because his older brother Cain somehow became angry and jealous of him. Paul writes in Hebrews that Abel's actions demonstrated his faith.

Hebrews 11:4
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.

Abel offered his sacrifice in faith, not having received any promise of God, just an assurance, a hope of something better. The nuts and bolts of the story show that what Abel received for his more excellent sacrifice was death. Some might look at this story and claim that Abel received a raw deal; the reality is Abel was looking for something better, a future life of promise. His brother Cain on the other hand, who gave the less excellent sacrifice may not have had this same hope or if he did might not have held it to the same esteem. The story of Abel and Cain is found in Genesis.

Genesis 4:1-16
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 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: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 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. 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. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

There is room for debate as to why God respected Abel's offering and did not respect Cain's offering. While we cannot know for sure what is indicated is that Abel offered God the first and best of his flock and that Cain offered God fruit of the ground that is neither indicated as the first or the best. Perhaps Cain offered God average fruit, not the first and not the best, but probably not the worst either. So what can we take from this story? Sometimes average is not good enough. It may be good enough to get us by in school and allow for a comparison with with others. With God, it appears average may not be good enough. God has given us the best, and perhaps he respects those who provide him with the best. In the Gospels, there is an account spoken of by Jesus to become perfect. This often throws people for a loop. By comparing these words to Hebrews 11 and the original story in Genesis, we come to understand this a bit more.

Matthew 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Being perfect is impossible, the language indicates a need to become perfect, and one way we start on the path to perfection is understanding what is first and what is the best. Perhaps this is why God had respect for Abel's offering. Perhaps God knew that Abel desired to do right and wanted this so much that he worked hard to honor what is first and what is the best. By understanding these two concepts, we can begin and continue on our path of perfection.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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