Abel worked and lived for God; he also lived by God. He was a feeder of sheep for God (Gen. 4:2, Heb.). During Abel’s time sheep were not to be eaten by men, because before the flood men were allowed to feed upon vegetables and fruits only (Gen. 1:29). Therefore, Abel’s feeding the sheep was not to seek food for his own existence. He did not work and live for himself as Cain did, but for God’s satisfaction as God desired. It seems that the purpose and interest of his life was to satisfy God in God’s way.
Abel did not present his sacrifice according to his concept, thought, or way, but according to God’s way of salvation. He worshipped God according to His revelation (Heb. 11:4). He knew that he had been born of fallen parents and that he was evil, sinful, and polluted in the eyes of God. He needed an offering with the shedding of blood to satisfy God’s righteous requirement and the skins of the sacrifice to cover the naked man. Therefore, the Bible says that Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof (Gen. 4:4). When he offered the fat, the sacrifice was killed and the blood was shed. The shedding of the blood was for his redemption, and the burning of the fat was for God’s satisfaction. He did this according to the instruction of his parents. What Abel did corresponded exactly to the requirements of the Mosaic law which was given later by God. This proves that his way of worshipping God was according to God’s revelation, not according to his concept.
According to Numbers 18:17, the firstling of a cow or sheep, a type of Christ, could not be eaten by the Israelites; it had to be offered to God. Hence, in typology Abel offered Christ to God. The offering of the firstling of a cow or sheep had two factors: the blood, which was sprinkled on the altar for redemption, and the fat, which was burned on the altar as an offering, as a sweet savor unto the Lord for His satisfaction. The Lord Jesus Christ had these two factors. He had the blood which was shed for us and the fat which satisfied God’s desire. Abel, seeing God’s way of redemption, presented such an offering to God and was accepted by God.
Enosh means frail, mortal man. After the fall, not only did human life become a vanity, but man also became frail and mortal. When we see that our life is vanity and that we ourselves are frail, spontaneously we will call upon the name of the Lord. This is the reason that Genesis 4:26 says, “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” From the time of Enosh, the third generation of mankind, men began to call upon the name of the Lord, realizing their weakness, fragility, and mortality.
In Hebrew, the word for “the Lord” is Jehovah. The name Jehovah begins to appear from Genesis chapter two; it is primarily used for God in relation to man. Jehovah is the name for God coming into an intimate relationship with man. Hence, Genesis 4:26 does not say that men began to call on the name of God, but on the name of Jehovah. Men did not call on the One who created all things, but on the One who was so near to them, on the One who was closely related to them. The name Jehovah means “I AM THAT I AM” (Exo. 3:14); He is the One existing from eternity to eternity. He is the One who was in the past, who is in the present, and who will be in the future forever. He is the eternal One. When men realized that they were fragile and mortal, they began to call on Jehovah, the eternal One. This calling began even with the third human generation. It continues throughout the Bible, and it was also practiced by the New Testament saints (Acts 9:14; 22:16; 1 Cor. 1:2).