Welcome back to our weekly look through our old picture album of the Book of Genesis. Last week we saw a picture of God making provision for Adam and Eve’s sin. Here. And the promise God made before He pronounced the curse and banished them from the garden. People wonder sometimes, whatever happened to Adam and Eve? Some wonder if they were saved or even could they be saved? There is no doubt, to me, that Adam and Eve were ‘saved.’ I truly believe it’s safe to say they were. Let me tell you why.
We know Adam and Eve had some understanding of the dire consequences of their sin. They understood something tragic had occurred when God himself made the sacrifice for them. It was a horrible event in their absolutely perfect paradise. An animal died a bloody death. All of a sudden they had a graphic picture of the penalty that must be paid for their sin. Adam and Eve didn’t understand everything, but they did understand something of how sins must be atoned for. It’s obvious Adam and Eve retold the story of the garden to their sons. Because Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to God we know they learned about sacrificing from someone…….
So far as their salvation is concerned. Adam and Eve didn’t have but a small piece of the puzzle. But they did have a piece! And they had the responsibility to ‘walk in the light you have receive.” Based on the fact their sons offered sacrifices, we know Adam and Eve continued to, even after they left the garden. So to me, that indicates they were saved. They didn’t know much, but they knew to make sacrifices for sin, which obviously, they did.
This week we come to the photo of Cain suggesting to his brother, Abel, that they bring sacrifices to the Lord.
Cain decided to “Do it his way.” He made an offering of fruit and vegetables and grain from the bounty of his crops.
Abel sacrificed a perfect lamb without spot or blemish. The Bible tells us that God rejected Cain’s offering but accepted Abel’s.
Now, here is where the excitement begins. I just love this….
There is only one way to approach a Holy God. It is through the blood of a perfect sacrifice. Forever and ever and ever we read the story of the High Priests making offerings in the Temple for the whole Hebrew nation. We see individuals making offerings for their whole family. All through the Old Testament we see this over and over. These offerings were simply foreshadows of the sacrifice to come. They were merely pointing the way ahead to the day God would make a provision for our sin. A perfect sacrifice. Jesus.
Please don’t be offended. Instead of blowing me off….and all this ‘nonsense,’ you owe it to yourself to sincerely ask the Lord to open your eyes. He will. Are you ready? Get this….
Abel is the first shepherd. He points to the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He made a perfect sacrifice that was pleasing to God. Abel is a type or picture of the coming Christ who would make a perfect sacrifice, pleasing to God and be betrayed and killed by his own brethren. Abel suffered a violent death at the hand of his own brother.
As a result, the judgement of God came upon Cain. God called to Cain and asked where his brother was…Cain said “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?” God said to him that his brother’s blood was crying out from the ground. And now God curses Cain and the earth and he will live as a fugitive and a vagabond from now on.
Cain therefore is a picture of the Hebrew nation who did not recognize the perfect gift and sacrifice of God and was consequently banished from the land and forced to wander the earth under the constant threat of death. Cain is afraid and says to God that everyone is against him and he will be killed.
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 anyone find him and kill him.
God showed His mercy and grace, even to undeserving Cain. He made a provision that though Cain would wander the earth and never find peace, anyone who touched him would suffer. This prophecy has obviously been fulfilled as we saw after Jesus’ death the Jews were scattered, the temple destroyed and great persecution followed even unto today. But, I hope you also notice with me, that any nation who has ever turned against the Jews has suffered for it. And tho many have attempted to destroy the Jewish people completely, that mark of protection God placed on Cain has preserved a remnant to this very day.
So the picture we have this week of Abel, being the first shepherd,who offered a perfect sacrifice, being betrayed and killed by his own brethren is an exact picture of Jesus…. And Cain is a perfect picture of The Jewish people, his brethren, who rejected Jesus, dispersed throughout the earth and being persecuted and yet a remnant remains, protected by the mercy of God.
Next week, God’s getting pretty fed up with all the sin.