IN speaking to you of some Bible brothers, it is only natural we should choose the first two boys we read of in the Bible, but in doing so, I only wish to point out the chief points in their lives, that we may learn a lasting lesson from them, it may be a lesson of warning or of encouragement as the case may be.
In the two brothers, the lesson is, the right and the wrong way of coming to God.
If I ask you whose was the right way, I can fancy all my readers are saying, Why, Abel’s of course. You are quite right. But why is Abel’s the right way?
Because he brought the best he had! No, that will not do, for you see Cain did that also: you will have to learn that it is not our best, but it must be God’s way. Naaman thought the rivers in his own country far better than Jordan, but Jordan was the means God was going to use for his cleansing.
Abel came the right way, because he brought that which pleased God, for the lamb spoke of God’s Lamb that He was going to send into the world to take away its sin. (John 1.) Then again, Abel owned to God his sinful condition, and if he would come near to God it must be in the death of another; even so in our case, we can only draw near to God because Jesus has died, His precious blood has been shed. The blood of Jesus Christ, His (God’s) Son, cleanseth from all sin.
Cain ignored his sinful condition, and thought he could come near to God in his own way, with a bloodless sacrifice, but God would neither accept Cain nor his offering. Now notice, instead of Cain being sorry for his actions and asking forgiveness of God—although if you will read Genesis 4:6,7 carefully, you will see how good God was to him, telling him the way he could come to be accepted (for the words, “sin lieth at the door,” mean the sin offering was crouching at the door ready for him to offer to God)—instead of doing this he was very angry; and O, sad to say, the next thing, he murders his brother.
You thus see where wrong ways lead to, but may God in His mercy give you to take the right way, and may you come to God through “Jesus,” who when here said, “I am the way;” no other way will do for God. There is only one way and one door, and Jesus is both—the way and the door. Be wise then, dear young friend, and learn from Abel the way that pleases God and that will bring you into eternal blessing.
ML 11/08/1925