“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” (Genesis 4:3,4).

When Cain was born, Eve declared: “I have gotten a man from the Lord” (Genesis 4:1). Apparently she believed that the Messiah promised in Genesis 3:15 had come. Her hopes were quickly dashed and she named her second son “Abel,” which means “vanity.” One can imagine these boys growing up near the gate of Eden, guarded by the angel’s flaming sword. No doubt they heard how their parents attempted to cover sin with fig leaves and how God instead covered them with skins, signifying the importance of sacrifice and substitution (Genesis 3:7,21).

When these two sons come of age to worship the Lord themselves, our text describes each employing a different approach. Cain brought the work of his hands as a sacrifice to God. His actions became a prototype of false religion throughout the ages. The essential elements have always been the same: refusing God’s sacrificial plan, attempting to atone for their mistakes through a system of good works. The Bible declares: “Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain” (Jude 11).

Abel offered a blood sacrifice and demonstrated his obedience to God’s plan. He earned God’s respect, not because his right actions atoned for his sin, but because the principle of substitutionary sacrifice was employed. “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4). His sacrifice prefigures Christ: “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). DW