THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB Cain and Abel
“ Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed
each other.” Psalm 85:10
These words penned by the Psalmist in Psalm 85:10, describe what happened at
Calvary.
The Cross was in fact the expression of God’s judgment and of God’s mercy at
the same time.
In Jesus the propitiation (peace-making) was accomplished in
righteousness because sin was judged.
The story of Cain and Abel also portray the judgment and the mercy of God and
it introduces the first violent shedding of human blood in the murder of Abel by
the hand of Cain.
When we consider that “Life is in the Blood” it’s easy to understand why
Jesus could not have died any other way that would have prevented the shedding
of the blood. This truth is very repellent to many today who cannot see how a
God of Love would require such a gory death from His Son. They say that
only His death was necessary, not the blood. However a more careful study of the
teaching in Leviticus would reveal that God would not accept the offering of
strangled sacrifice. Why? Because in strangulation there is no shedding of blood
Others say that Jesus’ sacrifice alone is not enough for the remission of
sin; we need to add our own efforts to it. They believe that, in addition to the
blood, God requires our works, our penances or corporal sufferings (even self
inflicted) in order to pay for sins committed. Howbeit all of those things do
not save us. We work because we are saved, not to get saved. Works prove we have
been saved not only from the penalty of sin but also from its power. (James
2:20, 26).
But let’s go to the beginning of the story regarding Cain and Abel and their
offerings. In it we will find out the consequences of presenting to God a
bloodless sacrifice.
Gen 4:1-13
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I
have acquired a man from the LORD." Then she bore again, this time his
brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the
ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an
offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD.
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the
LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his
offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the LORD
said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? "If
you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies
at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
Now 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 killed
him.
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do
not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" And He said, "What have you done? The
voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground "So now you
are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your
brother's blood from your hand. "When you till the ground, it shall no
longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on
the earth."
And Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!
Evil entered the first family of the human race when Cain became envious of
his own brother because when he brought to God an offering of the fruit of the
ground, the Lord did not respect him or his gift while He had regard for Abel
and his offering.
Was God a respecter of person? No. Abel was accepted not for who he was, but
for the offering that he brought. God rejects no one who has faith in the blood
of the Lamb for the remission of his or hers sins. Both bothers knew what kind
of sacrifice the Lord accepted because most certainly their parents told them
that God required a blood sacrifice to cover sin. As they were growing up, Cain
and Abel has probably heard how God covered Adam and Eve with the blood in he
skin of the animal that had been slain. Chances are that their parents still
wore animal skins. Perhaps Cain was repulsed at the idea of a blood sacrifice
like many are even today. Maybe he had a distorted image of God in his mind like
many who believe in a God of love and grace but not in a God of judgment and
wrath (where unrepented sin is concerned).
Did the Lord know that Cain had the wrong perception of His character when He
offered him a second chance? "Why are you angry? He said, And why has
your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do
not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should
rule over it." Genesis 4:6-7.
Now Cain had no excuses. Perhaps he did not understand that we do not work in
order to gain God’s approval because it is through the Cross that we have it.
Nevertheless, his insistence in the attempt of being accepted at his own terms
and by his own methods indicated rebellion against God’s way. In wanting to do
things his way, he brought to God the fruit of that which had been cursed.
(Genesis 3:17-18). Consequently, the sin that was crouching at the door of his
heart, found the opening it was looking for and the spirits of deception and of
envy took over Cain. Deception convinced him that God had rejected him. In his
hurt, he became angry. Anger toward God manifested in envy toward his brother
whom God had accepted. Rage soon followed anger and eventually turned to hatred.
At the opportune time, hatred led to murder and Cain killed his own brother.
Anger blinds – Envy kills
The spirit of Cain is present in the Church. Envy is everywhere and it still
kills: slander, gossip, malice, competition, back biting…they all undermine and
drain away life. They debilitate the Body of Christ so that it lacks the power
and the authority to confront the adversary on a large scale. Envy prevents
unity, thus averting revival.
The book of Numbers (chapter 12) narrates the story of Miriam who harbored a
similar attitude in her heart toward her brother Moses. Competition and jealousy
caused leprosy to cling on her. She was shut out from the camp and the progress of the people stopped until she
repented. The Bible says, “the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought
in again” (Num 12:15).
Jude, in his epistle, warns about those who within the Church seek to weaken
the faith of the saints. Among them he mentions those who have gone the way of
Cain, who revile things that they do not understand and things they know by
instinct. (Jude 10-11). These are those who reject the blood, whose works are
evil (John 3:12) like those of Cain who offered bloodless and faithless
sacrifice. All bloodless religions then are evil and those who do not believe in
the blood are under deception.
Yes, the blood sacrifice is not a pretty sight, but neither is sin. To refuse
the blood, is to ignore sin. One of the greatest deceptions comes from believing
the lie: “I am a good person.” In other words: “my works are sufficient. I don’t
need repentance”.
Cain’s self inflicted punishment
Gen 4:11-13 "So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its
mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. "When you till the ground,
it shall no longer yield its strength to you.
A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." And Cain said to the
LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!
The shedding of innocent blood provokes the justice of God and brings a
curse. Cain’s punishment was estrangement from God, isolation, wandering and a
miserly harvest from the produce of the ground. (Those who reject God’s
provisions, will suffer lack ad may be banished from Eternal Life, if they don’t
repent).
When God asked Cain, “where is Abel?” he answered, “ I don’t know. Am I my
brother’s keeper?”
The Hebrew word for “keeper” is “Shamar” which means to edge, to guard, to
protect. The spirit of Cain within the Body, removes the edge of protection
around it and many perish because of this lack, just as Abel perished when Cain
abdicated his role of ”defender” of the brethren and took the one of “murderer”.
The Blood of Abel
God spoke some profound truths when He said to Cain, “what have you done?
The VOICE of your brother’s blood cries to me from the ground” Gen. 4:10.
The blood is sacred to God because of the Life that is in it. The innocent
blood of Abel was the first one that was shed unjustly and it cried for
vengeance. God – in is justice – brought judgment on Cain. God will avenge the
blood of those who died because of violence. That blood still cries from the
ground.
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they
held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and
true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the
earth? Rev 6:9-10
If God responds to the cry of human blood, how much more will He turn His
hear to another blood, that of His Son that - from the ground - “speaks
better things than that of Abel”? (Hebrew 12:24) . The blood of Jesus,
unlike that of Abel cries for mercy. The blood of Abel calling for vengeance
brought judgment on Cain, but the blood of Jesus, calling for mercy, brings
salvation and justification to those who repent and accept it. Mercy is a better
thing than vengeance.
Jesus was also killed violently and unjustly so how can His blood speak mercy
instead of vengeance? Only because from the Cross He said ”Father forgive
them!”
In our identification with Christ suffering, whenever we forgive those who
persecute us, revile us unjustly, our “blood” will stop crying out for
vengeance and will cry out for mercy. I sincerely believe that God in his
justice will still bring vengeance (He said, vengeance is mine, I will repay)
but not in the way we might expect vengeance to be. Perhaps His vengeance is to
make our enemies to be a peace with us (“When a man's ways please the LORD,
he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. Prov 16:7)
Whatever the case, I like what Iverna Thompkin - a great teacher and woman of
God - once said: “God will vindicate you when you don’t want to be vindicated
any more”.
Forgiveness is one of the mighty weapons of warfare to be employed toward the
ministry of reconciliation that God ha entrusted to His saints. When, violated
and treated unjustly we forgive the offender, we release him or her from our
verdict and we free God to deal with the person in mercy and not in judgment,
thus facilitating the reconciliation within that person and His Redeemer.
Truly the blood of Jesus speaks of better things than that of Abel.
| 
