Abel’s Sacrifice

2007-11-02

I have always been curious by those who espoused that Abel’s sacrifice was superior to Cain’s because he brought a blood sacrifice. The main reason why Abel’s sacrifice was superior to Cain’s was because Abel offered his sacrifice in faith and Cain did not (Hebrews 11:4). I still believe this to be true. However, with more clarity I understand why a blood sacrifice was important in understanding that someone must die in place of us because of our sin. My original argument was that the type of sacrifice was not important because when the institution of sacrifices came in the Law, there were grain offerings. If God chose Abel’s sacrifice because of the type of sacrifice, isn’t God discriminating against certain vocations, since Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a tiller of the ground?

Here are my reasons why it is important that a blood sacrifice is necessary. First, after discussing it with a few others a few months ago, the conclusion was that it is seen in the context of progressive revelation. The grain offerings and the like were not revealed until the time of the Law. The blood sacrifice had already been seen in Eden in Genesis 3:21. Abel was doing as he heard from his parents what God did in the Garden at the time of the Fall. He was emulating God’s pattern for sacrifice.

But recently I noticed something more than this. More importantly was the choosing of vocation. Abel intentionally chose keeping sheep as a vocation, while Cain chose to be a tiller of the ground. Cain chose a vocation that would provide food for himself (who can blame him?). He also chose a vocation that resembles what God had cursed in Genesis 3:17. Abel chose his vocation based on God’s revelation. He did not choose to be a shepherd because he would get food for himself, because animals were not eaten until after the flood (Genesis 9:3). He also was not going to be a nomadic herdsman because this vocation was invented specifically by Jabal in Genesis 4:20, after Abel was dead. Abel was giving his life over to the Lord. One can see that Cain invents his way of sacrifice so that he too can appear spiritual and still have his own way of living.

Also, as I have always known, it is important that Abel brought the best of his flock to the Lord, while Cain only brought regular produce to God. Even if this type of sacrifice would have been permissible, it still was not the best of the best, which is what God requires.

In addition, it is also important to see the Abel is a type of Christ. He was a shepherd, who died at the hands of a lawless man. The Good Shepherd also died at the hands of lawless men. Abel’s good works were envied by Cain, and Jesus’ miraculous signs were envied by the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The blood of Abel spoke from the ground to the Lord (cf. Genesis 4:10, Hebrews 11:4), and the blood of Jesus declares the forgiveness of alls sins (Hebrews 9:12).

With this in mind, the importance of Abel’s blood sacrifice is that it modeled what was coming in the future: the death of Jesus Christ in our place as payment for all of our depravity. In Him we have complete forgiveness of sins, and there can be no undoing what He has done. Being helpless to appease God’s wrath toward all sin, someone else had to speak on our behalf... one who was perfect and had no blame. Jesus was that one who was perfect, and being God Himself, only His sacrifice could pay for all of our sins for all time. Thank Him who took away all penalties for our sin, and never stop remembering the finality of what He has already done.