Cain and Abel
The New Covenant consists of Adonai’s promise to write His Laws directly on our hearts so that we can follow them more easily. Why is it that the New Covenant believers are so eager to throw away most of the very Laws they claim they want written on their hearts? Which Laws do we expect Him to write? How can we claim to understand Yeshua’s teachings on love when we don’t study the Laws that define what love is? How can we “plead the blood” when we don’t understand what it means to be covered by the blood as defined in the sacrificial system? Why must blood be spilled?
From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Psalms 119:104
It is through the study of His precepts that we understand, so what are His precepts? That word refers to the appointed times, made by God, that we are expected to keep. This are also referred to as the feasts and festivals. It is through the keeping of these feasts that we gain more insight into God’s plan. This is why David hates false ways: they lead us away from understanding God’s plan. You see, the word translated as “false ways” (sheqer - Strong’s #8267) could also be translated as “a way of life which goes completely contrary to God’s Law.” False ways lead us completely away from Him whom we serve. Why would we want to do something that distances ourselves from Him?
The question we really need to ask ourselves is this: Do we have a heart like Cain’s or like Abel’s? Is sacrifice a burden to us, or is it a joy and the delight of our hearts? When the enemy whispers in our ear that God no longer wants our sacrifices, are we going to believe him? Are you willing to sacrifice the best of the best for the Elohim you serve, or are you only willing to offer that which is easy to give? It is much easier to put a check in the collection plate than to give of your time, yet that is often the sacrifice He requires. Are we willing to give even when it hurts?
By the time Cain was fifteen years old, his hard-heartedness was so evident that Eve is recorded as saying, “I do not like Cain because he is hard-hearted.” Once again, Satan appears to Cain in the form of a man and tells him that his parents are planning on giving his beautiful sister to Abel as a bride, causing jealousy to rise up in Cain. Satan then suggests to Cain that he should kill Abel and marry the beautiful Luluwa himself, then his misery would end and Cain would end up better off than his father Adam.
At those words of Satan Cain opened his ears, and leant towards his speech. And he did not remain in the field, but he went to Eve, his mother, and beat her, and cursed her, and said to her, “Why are ye about taking my sister to wed her to my brother? Am I dead?” His mother, however, quieted him, and sent him to the field where he had been. Then when Adam came, she told him of what Cain had done. But Adam grieved and held his peace, and said not a word. 1 Adam and Eve 78:11-15
It seems that domestic violence has been around since the beginning, even predating the first murder. Adam, I feel, was wrong not to say anything to his son regarding the beating of Eve. I have seen in my own life how that only encourages a child to continue this kind of bad behavior. Adam should have put a stop to the violence immediately. This is why God commanded us to stone those who blatantly disregard God’s Laws; so those watching would learn not to follow in their footsteps. When nothing is said, it gives the impression of approval, and that is the last message we want sent! No, this behavior must be stopped immediately. Adam, of course, is only a child himself and hasn’t learned this lesson… yet.
The next day, Adam instructs his sons, ages fifteen and twelve, to take their sacrifices up to the altar on the mountain. This account in the book of Adam and Eve goes into much more detail, but remember, we don’t know for sure that this is what transpired. We only know that this is how the story goes.
But Cain behaved haughtily towards his brother, and thrust him from the altar, and would not let him offer up his gift upon the altar; but he offered his own upon it, with a proud heart, full of guile, and fraud. But as for Abel, he set up stones that were near at hand, and upon that, he offered up his gift with a heart humble and free from guile. Cain was then standing by the altar on which he had offered up his gift; and he cried unto God to accept his offering; but God did not accept it from him; neither did a divine fire come down to consume his offering.
But he remained standing over against the altar, out of humor and wroth, looking towards his brother Abel, to see if God would accept his offering or not. And Abel prayed unto God to accept his offering. Then a divine fire came down and consumed his offering. And God smelled the sweet savor of his offering; because Abel loved Him and rejoiced in Him. And because God was well pleased with him He sent him an angel of light in the figure of man who had partaken of his offering, because He had smelled the sweet savor of his offering, and they comforted Abel and strengthened his heart.
But Cain was looking on all that took place at his brother’s offering, and was wroth on account of it. Then he opened his mouth and blasphemed God, because He had not accepted his offering. 1 Adam and Eve 78:18-25
There is one sin that in unpardonable: the sin of blasphemy. At this point, how can we doubt that Cain has been indwelled by evil itself? Remember, we have already read, “the wicked one remained behind in the heart of Cain,” and, “God did not accept his offering, because his heart was full of murderous thoughts.” This is what happens to those who listen to the lies of Satan. If our heart is truly towards Adonai, then we should be able to spot the lies of the enemy and tell him, “Adonai rebuke you!”
When Cain pushed his brother away from the altar, he then offered his sacrifice with a proud heart. Meanwhile, Abel, whose only desire is to worship El Shaddai, humbly builds another altar from the stones lying nearby and offers his sacrifice on this inferior altar yet it is still accepted. The proud heart verses the humble heart. No wonder it is said, “Pride goeth before the fall.”
By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. Hebrews 11:4
According to the book of Hebrews, Abel’s sacrifice obtained him the status of righteousness, yet the very same book tells us that Abraham’s righteousness came from his belief in the promises of God. So which is it? Are we righteous because of our belief or because of our actions? Both. The lesson here is that our beliefs are evident through our actions, or as James put it:
But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18
Works are not a bad thing. In fact, it is through our works that our faith is displayed. Abel’s faith was displayed through his eagerness to worship El Shaddai through sacrifice. Cain’s lack of faith was displayed through his unwillingness to worship; although willing to sacrifice, his heart was full of guile. We may appear to be worshipping to those around us, but God looks at our hearts. What will He see within our hearts when we worship? Will He be pleased with us if we are unwilling to worship through sacrifice? What are we willing to give to Him? More importantly, what are we NOT willing to give?
By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 1 John 3:10-12
Our deeds are the measure of our hearts. Are we the children of God or the children of the devil? It is through our actions that our hearts are displayed. Cain showed no love for his brother, clearly indicating that his heart belonged to the evil one. This is the message we need to receive from the lives of Cain and Abel. Cain’s deeds were evil, plotting against his brother, beating his mother and having no desire to worship Adonai his Elohim… maybe Adonai really wasn’t his Elohim… maybe Satan was. He did seem to listen more to him than God. But how do we know for sure if our hearts are for God or for the enemy?
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. 1 John 3:18-24
Okay, here is where it gets a little tricky, especially if you are a Christian. The Church has always told us that Yeshua’s (Jesus’) commandments are simply this: love God and love your neighbor. That is not exactly accurate, and it is not exactly what John is teaching here. Remember, Yeshua told us that He and the Father are one (or, in Hebrew, echad). Echad does not just mean a singular number, but the unified one found in groups with the same goal, or the same outlook. Yeshua and Abba both have the same goal, the same outlook. Yeshua was the perfect sacrifice because He was without blemish, keeping the commandments and celebrating the feasts and festivals of Adonai. When He told us to love one another, He was simply condensing the commands of God. In fact, the Ten Commandments teach us how to love God (the first five commands, including honoring our parents) and how to love each other (the second five commands).