“He Being Dead yet Speaketh”—

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. yet...: Or, is yet spoken of - Hebrews 11:4

    The first and most obvious significance of these words is that, by his obedient faith as recorded in Genesis 4 and Hebrews 11, Abel preaches a very important, needed sermon to us.

    Substitution

    There comes to us a voice from the far distant past, from the other side of the flood, saying, “Fallen man can only approach unto God through the death of an innocent Substitute. No sinner will ever, if left to himself, know and acknowledge his need of such a Substitute. None will set aside their own righteousness and their own inclinations, bow to God’s revealed will, and submit to the righteousness of God in Christ. Only those chosen sinners called by his grace, and made willing in the day of his power will trust Christ alone for acceptance with God, finding all their righteousness in him alone. Still, all who do so trust the Lord Jesus Christ obtain witness that they are “righteous” (Matthew 13:43), and receive divine assurance that they are accepted in the Beloved and are heirs of eternal life in Christ.

    Offense of the Cross

    Abel declares that “the offense of the cross” shall never cease as long as the world stands. Abel died by the murderous hand of a religious hypocrite who hated him. – His own brother! The seed of the serpent murdered the seed of the woman. “He that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit” (Galatians 4:29). In fact, Abel’s death foreshadowed and represented the death of Christ himself. Like his Redeemer, Abel was murdered by the religious world. Those who are approved of God must ever expect to be disproved of men, particularly by those self-righteous religionists. But the time is coming when the present situation shall be reversed.

    Judgment

    In Genesis 4:10 God said to Cain, “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Abel’s own blood spoke, crying to God for vengeance. “And by it he being dead yet speaketh.” He is among that multitude John “ 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).

    Thus, Abel is not only a type of the persecution and suffering of the godly, but also a pledge of the certain vengeance God will take in due time upon all who despise and persecute his people in this world. God shall yet avenge his own elect (those in heaven as well as those on earth) who cry unto him day and night for him to avenge them (Luke 18:7, 8). For now, let us seek grace to possess our souls in patience. Soon God almighty will publicly own and honor his own with everlasting glory and punish the wicked with everlasting fire and confusion in hell.