"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh."
Hebrews 11:4

"And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And 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 slew him.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth."
Genesis 4:1-12

Abel was the son of the first two humans, the younger of two brothers. He was a shepherd, while his brother Cain was a farmer. When the time came to make a sacrifice to God, Abel brought one of the best lambs from his flock.

Abel's sacrifice showed obedience to God and a realization that a pure, guiltless sacrifice (represented by a lamb) must be given and blood must be shed to cover sin. His sacrifice foreshadowed the coming Messiah who would shed His blood to redeem mankind.

Cain, however, offered a sacrifice of fruits he had grown, and he had the wrong heart attitude. Unlike Abel, he had a sour attitude toward God. God rejected this offering and gave Cain an opportunity to bring an acceptable offering with the right heart.

Cain only became more bitter and killed his brother Abel in a moment of wrath. Cain was cursed by God and became a vagabond.

Though Abel is dead, the story of his life shows his faith in God and the coming Deliverer. He was a staunch contrast to his brother Cain.

Other scriptures mentioning Abel:

• 1 John 3:12
• Matt. 23:35
• Heb. 12:24

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