Abel - Hebrews 11:4

Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.

Hebrews 11:4, NLT

Odd that a person can "speak" so effectively through centuries and millennia, though the Bible does not record a single word from his mouth. Cain, the perpetrator, gets to talk rather at length in Abel's story (Gen 4:1-14). Eve speaks, too. Adam had his say earlier. From Abel--nothing. Nothing except obedience. He brings the offering God desires. Exactly why God favored Abel's offering is unknown to us but not to them. They knew. Their pristine world was not yet cluttered with noise or distraction; God's will must have been crystal clear. Abel obeyed. Nothing except eagerness. We cannot read of Abel without the sense that he enjoyed pleasing God. He was eager to spend time with God, eager to spend time with his brother. We are not given any hint of competition or suspicion in Abel. Nothing except innocent suffering. Abel follows brother Cain to the field and dies with a look of amazement and innocence in his eyes, as millions have since. Why? Why the cancer, the accident, the betrayal, the abuse, the war? Why me? Abel's story reminds us of the evil that darkens the world, of lives lost to envy, hatred, and treachery. His death begs for moral judgment, for God to make things right again. And that is exactly what God promises to do through the victory of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Abel's death (and that of so many others) is not the end of the story. On Easter morning, Abel's life--and yours--was brought back, eternally, forever, by God's mighty power. Jesus said, "I am . . . the life" (John 14:6). Today, and each day of your life, trust Jesus Christ, God's Son, our Savior, for life eternal. And like Abel, let your life speak out that eager, obedient faith.