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42
The Beginning of the End
His commands. But by works “faith was made perfect,” and without
the works of obedience, faith “is dead” (
James 2:22, 17
). Anyone
who professes to know God “and does not keep His commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (
1 John 2:4
).
When Cain saw that his offering was rejected, he was angry that
God did not accept his substitute in place of the sacrifice divinely
ordained, and he was angry with his brother for choosing to obey
God instead of joining in rebellion against Him.
God did not leave him to himself, but stooped to reason with the
man who had shown himself so unreasonable. “Why are you angry?
And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not
be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.” If he
would trust to the merits of the promised Savior and obey God’s
requirements, he would enjoy God’s favor, but if he persisted in
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unbelief and sin, he would have no ground to complain that he was
rejected by the Lord.
Instead of acknowledging his sin, Cain continued to complain
about the unfairness of God and to cherish jealousy and hatred
of Abel. In meekness, yet firmly, Abel defended the justice and
goodness of God. He pointed out Cain’s error and tried to convince
him that the wrong was in himself. He pointed to the compassion of
God in sparing the life of their parents when He might have punished
them with instant death. He urged that God loved them or He would
not have given His Son, innocent and holy, to suffer the penalty that
they had earned. All this caused Cain’s anger to burn the hotter.
Reason and conscience told him that Abel was right, but he was
angry that he could gain no sympathy in his rebellion, so in a fury
he killed his brother.
So in all ages the wicked have hated those who were better than
themselves. “Everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not
come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (
John 3:20
).
The murder of Abel was the first example of the enmity between
the serpent and the seed of the woman—between Satan and his
subjects and Christ and His followers. Whenever through faith in the
Lamb of God a person refuses to be a slave to sin, Satan’s anger is
kindled. The holy life of Abel testified against Satan’s claim that it
is impossible for human beings to keep God’s law. When Cain saw
that he could not control Abel, he was so enraged that he destroyed