1923 Wholesome Words - page 3

YOUNG MEN’S CORNER.

It is very probable that as Cain and Abel grew up to be young men they both learned of the mystery of life from their parents and how God made for Adam and his wife coats of skins and clothed them.

And does not this point on to the great sacrifice of Him who was the Light of the World? We have here also the doctrine of divine righteousness, the coals which were provided by God were an effectual covering because God provided them, the aprons were an ineffectual covering because man-made.

God’s coats were founded upon blood-shedding, Adam’s aprons were not. �God’s righte-ousness is set forth in the cross, man’s righteousness in the works of his own hands wherein is no rest for the soul, but in God’s provision perfect rest.

Genesis, chapter 4. verses 1 to 7. The birth and his-tory of Cain and Abel are here recorded. Both brought an offering to the Lord, Cain of the fruit of the ground and pleasant to the eye, but only the production of the earth which God had cursed.

Abel brought his offering of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof, Abel appears to have understood God’s dealings with Adam, which also shows how he was in the mind of God �(see Leviticus, chapter 3. verse 16. All the fat is the Lord’s).

See also Hebrews, chapter 11. verse 4, Abel offered by f a i t h ; 1 John, chapter 3. verses 11, 12, Cain’s works were evil, Abel’s works righteous; Matthew, chapter 23- verse 85 speaks of " Abel’s righteous blood. "

See also Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 24, and Jude 11. These New Testament references to Abel show that God looked upon Abel’s acts as righteous and therefore well pleasing to Him and upon Cain’s as evil and therefore rejected. Cain was wroth because his bloodless offering was not accepted by God, but God in His mercy had provided a sacrifice and if there had been any desire Godward or repentance towards God,. the words addressed by the Lord to Cain as we find it in verse 7, " A sin offering croucheth at the door, " (see Newberry’s margin), would have met his need.

But Cain appears here as a type of the self-righteous re-ligionist whose worship is worthless and abominable in " God is not worshipped with the estimate of God.

men’s hands as though He needed anything" Acts, chap-ter 17. verse 25. Man would ever seek to make God a re-ceiver before he has realized his utter ruin before God or his need of precious blood being shed for his cleansing.

We would suggest that the " sin offering that croucheth at the door " is another type of the Lord Jesus Christ who