By Faith – Abel’s More Excellent Sacrifice
“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.” (Hebrews 11:4)
According to the NIV version of the verse quoted above, Abel gets a triple mention of his faith, so he must have something pretty important to tell us.
You were probably raised, as I was, hearing that Abel’s sacrifice was more acceptable because it was a blood sacrifice. And there could be some truth to that. We do know that Adam and Eve got a demonstration of this substitutionary sacrifice when God killed an animal to provide coverings for them after they sinned (Genesis 3:21). The sentence of death had been pronounced upon them, as a result of their disobedience (Genesis 2:17). But they did not immediately die, although their bodies immediately began the process of decay (Romans 5:12).
We do know that many years later God laid out a whole system of sacrifices that Israelites were expected to observe in order to maintain a relationship with God. The first half of the book of Leviticus lays out a pretty detailed account of what was to be sacrificed, and how the sacrifices were to be offered. What we don’t know is how much of this Cain and Abel were familiar with. They certainly knew sacrifices were to be made. Why else would they have brought these offerings to God?
Donald Guthrie acknowledged, “
“It is often supposed that Abel’s sacrifice was superior because it was a blood sacrifice whereas Cain’s was not. But there was no precedent to blood sacrifices and there is no evidence to suggest that God had instructed the brothers about what kind of offerings they should make.”[1]
Certainly we are not told that on this particular occasion they were bringing a “sin” offering. It could have simply been that Adam said, “Boys, it’s Tuesday [or Saturday, or Sunday, or Wednesday]. Time to do your weekly offering.”[2]
So what is really going on here? Why was Abel’s sacrifice acceptable and Cain’s offering unacceptable? First, we do have hints in Genesis 4:3-4 about the content of the offerings. Cain brought “some of the fruit of the soil,” whereas Abel brought “fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.”
But we also have hints about other issues with Cain. Look back at Genesis 4. Here’s what happened when Cain’s offering was rejected:
“And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. 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.
“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 rule over it.’” (Genesis 4:4-7)
The major problem, it seems, was not with necessarily the content of the offering, but with the attitude with which it was offered. George Guthrie explains, “Cain had not done what was right (4:7), revealing that he himself was not right spiritually.”[3] That contrast is seen in comparison to our verse above, where Abel is called “a righteous man.” According to Thomas Lea, “The fact that God accepted Abel’s sacrifice showed that he had an obedient attitude of mind. In some way Cain held back from God, perhaps in his heart. Abel’s offering was an unrestrained response to God, complete with lavish worship which pleased God.”[4]
Bottom line, the difference between Abel’s sacrifice and Cain’s sacrifice was our key word—faith! Abel trusted God, while Cain, apparently did not, at least in some significant way.
Another interesting point to consider is the means by which God communicated to Abel that his sacrifice was acceptable. Did God audibly communicate His pleasure to Abel? It’s not out of the question. He certainly spoke to people in various situations in a variety of ways which becomes clear as you read about His dealings with His people in the Old Testament.
But William Newell suggests another method God may have used. On several occasions God actually sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice as it lay on the altar.[5] One such occasion is found in Leviticus 9. Moses and Aaron have been offering sacrifices. As they leave the tent of meeting, this happened:
“When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.” [Leviticus 9:23-24, emphasis mine]
Could God have done that? Of course! Did He? We are not told. But we do know that by whatever means He chose, God did communicate to Abel and to Cain that Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable.
Just to reiterate what we have seen so far:
“Sacrifice is acceptable to God not for its material content, but in so far as it is the outward expression of a devoted and obedient heart.”[6]
“The abiding principle of Scripture in this regard is summed up in the words of Prov. 15:8, ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah; but the prayer of the upright is his delight.’”[7]
“Of course, sacrifice is ineffective if offered in the wrong spirit.”[8]
We are left with one final “by faith” in the legacy of Abel. How does he “still speak” even though he is dead? F.F. Bruce offers these ideas:
“Through his faith, too, Abel continues to speak, even in death. When God accused Cain of Abel’s murder, he said, ‘the voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground’ (Gen. 4:10). Our author’s point appears to be that Abel is still appealing to God for vindication, until he obtains it in full in the judgment to come. [see Rev. 5:9ff]…
“It has been held, on the other hand, that our author simply means that Abel, by his faith, bears abiding witness to succeeding ages; but that more than this was in his mind is suggested by 12:24, where he says that the purifying blood of Christ ‘speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel’—a clear reference to Gen. 4:10.”[9]
The bottom line in Abel’s story is the vital importance of approaching God with the proper attitude. Hebrews 11:6 explains what we must always keep in mind as we approach Him: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. ”Do you need an attitude adjustment?
- Donald Guthrie, Hebrews, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983). Accessed in Logos. ↑
- Sanctified imagination! ↑
- George H. Guthrie, NIV Application Commentary, © 1998, accessed at biblegateway.com. ↑
- Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 197–213. ↑
- William R. Newell, Hebrews Verse by Verse (Chicago: Moody Press, 1949), p. 378. ↑
- F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964), p. 283. ↑
- Bruce, p. 284 ↑
- David Horton, The Portable Seminary: A Master’s Level Overview in One Volume (Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition), p. 121. ↑
- Bruce, p. 386 ↑
