Daily Devotional
How Did Abel Please God?
“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.”
Hebrews 11:4
March 7, 2022
Ponder This
What did Abel offer? “Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock” (Genesis 4:4). Abel’s offering was based on a blood atonement and this pointed forward to Jesus. Religion is what sinful people do for a holy God. The Gospel is the Good News of what a holy God has already done for sinful man.
Where did Abel get the idea of bringing a blood offering to Almighty God? When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they tried to clothe themselves with fig leaves. What is that? The fruit of the ground. What did God do? God came into the garden of Eden and made them coats of animal skin. How do you get coats of skin? Blood must be shed. This sacrifice foreshadowed the blood of Jesus that would be shed as the ultimate sacrifice.
- Why was it necessary for Jesus’s blood to be shed?
- What other Old Testament examples can you think of that point forward to the shed blood of Jesus?
Practice This
Make a list of some Old Testament references to sacrifices. Consider the ways these accounts pointed to Jesus.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Real Truth Never Changes
Real truth never changes, and the truth about government is that it is God who ordains it, leaders who are responsible for it, and citizens who are accountable to it. The privilege of being called Americans comes with significant responsibilities—to God, to each other, and to the world.
