(Read Gen. 4)
CAIN drew near to God on wrong ground, and then was angry because he was not accepted; whereas Abel drew near by faith, on right ground, and was accepted thereon Cain’s wrath makes him imbrue his hands in the blood of his brother.
“And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?” (vs. 9). Look how he faces up to God. Cain gets bold in his sin, and he says, when God asks him, “Where is Abel thy brother?” “I know not; am I my brother’s keeper?” Then God says, “What hast thou done?” (vs. 9). That is a grave question for God to put to a man. God knows what you have done. God knows the whole history of your life, and He puts this query to you, “What hast thou done?” You may say, I have not slain my brother. Possibly not, but have you not been angry with your brother? Have you never said in wrath, “God damn you”? Aye! and had you the power to do it, you would have done it. I am only speaking the truth. I know what man can say in his heart.
“What hast thou done?” we hear then is God’s solemn query to Cain; and thereafter He says, “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” The righteous martyr had been slain as a witness for the truth and what follows? God save to Cain, “And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” And Cain departs from God, and proves that he is one. He does not like to be called a vagabond, but that is really what man is by nature. Do you know what vagabond means? It means a man who is always on the move—a man that is never settled—never at rest. That is a vagabond, according to Scripture.
The next thing we read of Cain is that he “went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod” (vs. 16). Do you know what “Nod” signifies? It means “wandering.” The land was named Nod, and men have since then been wandering truly. And Cain “builded a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch.” He builds a city. He as it were says, I have gone out from the presence of God, but I will try to make myself as happy and as comfortable as possible; I will build a city, and will forget that I am a vagabond, and I will forget that I am a sinner. Thus Cain started what you and I now call the world.
It is very instructive to see what follows. One of his descendants, Lamech, has two wives, and has children. Observe the names of his children, Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain. Sometimes people say, What is the use of recording all these names? Why are Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-cain mentioned? The reason is that God wishes to give us the story of Cain’s “way” and Cain’s “world.” The meaning of Jabal is “moving.” He was a true son of Cain, always on the move—always wanting something new. That is the spirit of the world. You must have everything new. You must have a new opera—a new song—a new book, or a new novel. Satan must have something new, everything new, in order to allure and entrap man. Jabal’s name is characteristic of the world, “moving.” “He was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.” He was the example, in the East, of what you would call well-to-do people. He was in that sense the starter of commerce.
Jubal, whose name means “playing,” was “the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.” There comes in pleasure; and the next is Tubalcain, “an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron,”— the scientific man. I believe that in the names of these three men you will find the threefold cord that really binds up society at present.
“Jabal was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.” He was the man that started commerce. He was the inaugurator of the commercial world. Jubal did not care for moneymaking. His name— “playing” — bespoke his character, and he says, I will go in for pleasure. Jabal, you may get money, if you like, but I am going in for pleasure; and “he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.” Jabal went in for money and Jubal for music; while Tubal-cain was “an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron,”— in other words, science and art; that is, I doubt not, the scientific world. Take out of the world the man of commerce, the man of pleasure, and the man of science, and you will find the world empty—cleaned out. Money, music, and science formed Cain’s world at the start, and by them Satan holds men and women in his hand now more than ever.
What a world to be part and parcel of! What a miserable start, and what will its end be? Cain does not find acceptance with his offering, so he turns round with murderous anger upon the man who is accepted, and then he goes out into the world determined to make himself as happy as possible without God. How many men who read this are exactly in the same position? Follower of Jabal, do you say, I am going to add bank-note to bank-note? My friend, you brought nothing into the world, and it is certain you will take nothing out of it. It is better to lay up heavenly riches.
How many there are among the Jubalites, seeking pleasure only! But how long will your pleasure last? You will have “the pleasures of sin for a season” (Heb. 11:2626Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. (Hebrews 11:26)). That is not good enough for me. I want something for eternity, and, thank God, I have got it. Faith can say, “At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psa. 16:1111Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16:11)). I must have something both for time and eternity.
Again, are you a votary of Tubal-cain, a devotee of the scientific world, with its ever-increasing stores of knowledge? It is a very interesting world, Tubal-cain’s; but it is not after all a satisfactory world; and if you go into eternity without the knowledge of Christ, your life will be a dead failure. If, on the other hand, you are a Christian, truly and simply, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have the knowledge of eternal life now, and you will have the sense of the favor of God. You will furthermore be the servant of Christ—the servant of God; and, if so, you will look back—whether your life be long or short—when you are passing away, and will thank God that you were led to decide for Christ when you were young.
I never knew a man who repented that he was converted. I have known many men repent on their death-bed that they were unconverted. Let me tell you, that if you today, through grace, get into the way of Abel, and trust in the Lord, you will bless God forever for moving your feet out of “the way of Cain.” In the way of Abel you will find the pathway to God. He was the leader to glory. He leads you to glory—to God; but Cain has only led men to the lower depths of eternal damnation. “Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain” (Jude 1111Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. (Jude 11)) is an awful imprecation. Avoid its application to your own soul, I beseech you.
Now let me ask, Whose leadership are you following? Is it Cain’s or Abel’s? Do not hesitate to answer. Eternal issues hang on your reply. Doubtless, Cain’s road is the more pleasant to nature. Natural religion, with its routine of religious services, aided by what pleases the senses of man, has an undoubted charm. But, alas! it is not divine, and the end of that way is woe—eternal woe.
The pathway of Abel is purely one of faith, but it leads to God, although martyrdom be met on the road. If you Simply believe in Jesus, you will find that you are “accepted in the Beloved.” Your sins are all washed away in the precious blood of the Son of God, and you are the possessor of eternal life. You are a glory-bound soul, with a flawless title to that glory—viz., the blood—and a prospect that has not a cloud in it, nor ever can have, for Christ is your life, your portion, and your hope. Happy is the man whose feet go not in “the way of Cain,” but who follows the example of Abel.
W. T. P. W.