Abel Bible Study – Acceptable To God

Abel Bible Study: In this bible study, we will be studying the entire life of Abel. I’m sure you’ve probably read the tragic story of Abel and Cain about 1,000 times. The very first two brothers in the world: one presents an acceptable offering to God, the other one kills his brother out of jealousy? Yep, that’s the one! While this story has many important lessons, we will only be focusing on Abel. So, let’s dive deep into scripture to study who Abel was, his part in the Bible, and the legacy he leaves behind.

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ABEL BIBLE STUDY

Although Abel has a very brief and small role in the Bible, he is considered to be ‘acceptable to God”, mentioned in both testaments, and has a spot in the famous and iconic “Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith” So, are you ready to learn about Abel? I sure am!

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ABEL CHARACTER OVERVIEW

Let’s begin this study by studying who Abel was, where he came from, some unique facts about him, and his presence in both the Old and New Testament.

ORIGIN

Abel Name Meaning: “breath”

Breath:/ breTH (n) – The power of breathing, life.

FAMILY TREE

• Father: Adam
• Mother: Eve
• Siblings : Cain (older brother), Seth (younger brother), and the other children of Adam and Eve who are not named in the Bible. 

UNIQUE FACTS

Abel is the first person in the world who:

• Experienced death
• Was murdered by his own sibling
• Became a martyr in the Bible
• Died without leaving any descendants
• Became a shepherd 

ABEL IN THE BIBLE

Although he was mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, he was mentioned very briefly. Here are all of the places he is mentioned in the Bible:

OLD TESTAMENT:

Genesis 4: 1-26 <- The Story of Abel

NEW TESTAMENT:

• Hebrews 11: 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. (NKJV)
• 1 John 3: 12 ^“not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” (NKJV)
• Hebrews 12: 24 “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” (NKJV)
• Matthew 23: 35 ^“that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.’ (NKJV)
• Luke 11:51 “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. (NKJV)

Abel is mentioned a total of 13 times (correct me if I’m wrong) in the entire bible.

OCCUPATION 

Abel was a shepherd. Since the role of a shepherd is to protect and guide their flock of sheep, we can conclude that he was someone capable of leading, protecting and guiding. If you recall, there were many other important biblical characters like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David were shepherds too.

THE STORY OF ABEL

Read: Genesis (4) 1-11

THE BIRTH OF ABEL

Genesis 4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord. (NKJV)

In this verse we learn that:

Adam and Eve had their first child, Cain – the first baby of the world. 

Genesis 4:2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (NKJV)

In this verse we learn that:

• Adam and Eve gave Cain a baby brother, Abel.
• Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve’s first two children. 
• Cain was a worker of the ground.
• Abel was a keeper of sheep.
• Two brothers – two occupations. 

Genesis 4:3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. (NKJV)

CAIN & ABEL’S OFFERINGS

In this verse we learn that:

Cain brought the Lord an offering from his work – an offering of the fruit of the ground. 

Genesis 4:4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering. (NKJV)

In this verse we learn that:

• Abel brought the Lord an offering of his work – an offering of the firstborn of his flock & of their fat portions. Emphasis on “firstborn” and “fat”. 
• Cain gave the Lord something from what he had, while Abel gave the Lord the best he had.
• Although they both gave God an offering, their offerings set them apart.
• In the last portion of v4. it is stated that God regarded Abel and his offering! 
• God approved of Abel’s offering. 

Genesis 4:5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. (NKJV)

In this verse we learn that:

• God did not approve of Cain’s offering – he had no regard for it.
• God’s disapproval made Cain very angry. 
• Cain’s anger showed that he didn’t give his offering because he wanted to please God, but because he wanted to receive praise for it.
• He was so angry that he couldn’t hide his emotions. Scripture says, “his face fell”

CAIN IS JEALOUS OF ABEL

Genesis 4:6-7 So the Lord said to Cain, “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. And its desire is ^[d]for you, but you should rule over it.” (NKJV)

In these verses we learn that:

• Because God knew the intentions of Cain’s heart, he questioned him about his anger and gave him a warning to stop him from sinning further.
• The offerings reflected Cain and Abel’s actions.
• Abel’s offering was accepted because his actions were good.
• Cain’s offering was not accepted because his actions were bad.
• It wasn’t the offering that mattered, but the reflection of their actions through their offering.

CAIN MURDERS ABEL

Genesis 4:8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. (NKJV)

In this verse we learn that:

• Although God advised Cain, Cain disregarded all the words the Lord had said to him and moved forward with his wicked plan.
• Cain tricked his brother, took him to the field and killed him. 
• Abel blindly trusted in Cain (even after Cain’s jealousy) and followed him to the field only to sign his own death sentence.   

Genesis 4:9-11 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. (NKJV)

In these verses we learn that:

• The Lord confronted Cain about Abel’s death, but Cain lied and rudely responded to the Lord “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
• Clearly, Cain couldn’t be bothered to care, not even in front of the Lord. 
• Abel’s voice is heard after his death.

ABEL’S VOICE

Abel is one of the very few biblical characters that didn’t have a line in the Bible, show us his point of view/side to the story, or ever said a word.

However, even though everything we know about Abel is what is recoded of him, the Bible still mentions Abel speaking after his death. 

The only time that the Bible mentions Abel speaking is after his death. 

OLD TESTAMENT:

God told Cain, “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”

NEW TESTAMENT:

• “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.”
• “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.“

After all, did Abel have a voice or not? 

He did have a voice.

A voice that the Lord heard and made known to us in both the Old and New Testament.

This shows us that the only one who we really need to hear us is GOD. 

ABEL’S RIGHTEOUS END:

“He was commended as righteous.”

So far we have learned that:

• Abel never had a line in the Bible.
• Abel died before being able to contribute any of his thoughts or feelings to the Bible.
• Abel’s entire story in the Old Testament was written in one chapter (Genesis 4)
• Abel’s story was relatively short but meaningful.
• The only time scripture mentions Abel speaking is after he died.

ABEL’S SILENT RIGHTEOUSNESS

So what is so special about Abel? What makes him a character worthy of studying? 

THREE WORDS. His silent righteousness. Although he didn’t figuratively speak, his voice was heard by God and recognized in various New Testament passages.

Abel was not only mentioned in the New Testament five times, but he was mentioned in one of those most famous passages in the entire Bible: Hebrews 11

But before we discuss Abel’s presence in Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith, let’s take a look at the actual list of people who made the cut.

ABEL IN THE HALL OF FAITH

All the characters considered to be FAITH heroes in the Hall of Faith: 

• Abel (v.4) – Presented an acceptable offering to God – murdered by his brother.
• Enoch (v.5) – Never experienced death – he was simply taken by God.
• Noah (v.7) – Built an ark – Noah and his family were the only people saved from the flood.
• Abraham (v.8-19) – The father of multitudes – his offspring could not be counted.
• Sarah (v.11-12) – Conceived Isaac at an old age – one of the matriarchs of Israel.
• Isaac (v. 20) – Escaped a sacrifice (by God’s will) as a kid – become the father of Jacob & Esau.  
• Jacob (v.21) – The father of the twelve tribes of Israel – obtained many blessings.
• Joseph (v. 22) – Saved the earth from hunger – became the second most important man in Egypt after Pharaoh.
• Moses (v. 23-29) – Liberated the Israelites from slavery – was used to demonstrate God’s power.
• Rahab (v. 30-31) – Hid the spies in Jericho – ultimately helping the Israelites obtain a victory.
• Gideon (v. 32) – Led a group of 300 men and defeated an army of Midianites.
• Barak (v. 32) – From the Tribe of Benjamin – Along with Deborah, he defeated the canaanites. 
• Samson (v. 32) – From the tribe of Dan – Saved the Israelites from the Philistines.
• Jephtah (v.32) – Led the Israelites in battle against the Ammonites.
• David (v. 32) – King of Israel – unified the kingdoms of Jersualem and Israel.
• Samuel (v. 32) – A well-known and loved prophet and judge of Israel. 

ABEL AMONG FAITH HEROES

What a glorious list this is! Do you recognize any names in this list?

Oh, I’m sure you do! There is a total of sixteen people mentioned and recognized as faith heroes in this passage. Abel being one of them. And not only is he mentioned in this list, but he is the first one to be on the list. His example of faith is the first to be discussed in this chapter. So, how did Abel make the list along with many fearless biblical heroes like Joseph who saved the earth from hunger, Moses, who liberated the Israelites from the Pharaoh, and David, who become the King of Israel? 

-> Through his faith. 

Faith is the one thing that all of these characters have in common.

Although they were all from different time periods, led different lives, had different missions, they all had the same faith. 

ANALYZING HEBREWS 11:4

Hebrews 11:4. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

Have you ever wondered why God accepted Abel’s offering and not Cain’s? 

What makes Abel and Cain so different if they:

• Were siblings.
• Had been raised the same way.
• Were the only kids alive at the time and ha no friends to influence their behavior. 

Why was one accepted and the other one wasn’t? 

Why was one gift more acceptable than the other? 

Was God playing favoritism? (Absolutely not)

Well scripture never leaves us without an answer.

WHY ABEL’S OFFERING WAS ACCEPTED

The answer to all these questions is found in the verse above (Hebrews 11:4)

Abel was able to present a more acceptable offering because unlike his brother Cain, he had FAITH. God accepted his offering because of his faith.

At the time, Abel didn’t know he was going to get killed by his brother, but because he believed that he could present an acceptable offering to God, he did.

Abel presented his offering with faith and through faith. As a result, God not only accepted his offering, but he considered him righteous in his eyes.

ANALYZING 1 JOHN 3:12 + MATTHEW 23:35

1 John 3:12 Not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” (NKJV)

Matthew 23:35 That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. (NKJV)

From these last two verses of Abel in the New Testament, we can conclude that God truly loved Abel. Abel’s faith and righteousness was not forgotten or disregarded by God. Abel may have died in a tragic way (he was meant to be a martyr after all), but in the end it was HIS voice that was heard and his offering that was accepted and remembered throughout all the centuries. 

FINAL THOUGHTS ON ABEL’S BIBLE STUDY

Although Abel didn’t have a speaking voice and died in a tragic way, he:

• Was considered righteous before God.
• Left his mark in history by presenting an acceptable offering to God.
• Made the famous hall of faith among many other biblical faith heroes.
• Was heard by the most important being, God.

I really hope you enjoyed this Abel bible study. Share what you learned about Abel in the comments below!

Sending you blessings & love,

Gabby Abigail

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