“And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.” (Genesis 4:2)
Throughout the Old Testament there are incidents pointing to Jesus, the Messiah and Redeemer of mankind. Even in the lives of the family of Adam and Eve we see a pointing toward Jesus. Abel was the second born, not the eldest. And throughout the Old Testament we keep seeing how the second son is chosen over the first son who is the legal heir. The elder is set aside and the younger is chosen. We see this repeating theme in Issac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Rachel over Leah, Joseph over his brothers, Judah over Ruben, Simeon and Levi and Solomon over his brothers. And we see that occurrence here in the first family. This is a pointing to Jesus Who is referred to as the second man. “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.” (1Corinthians 15:47)
In this Scripture we see that Abel, the second born, was a keeper of sheep. He was a shepherd. Again, right away we see a connection to Jesus Who referred to Himself as a shepherd. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) Three verses later He again makes a point of saying that He is a shepherd. “I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.” (John 10:14)
The first family sacrifice unto God their first fruit. Cain offers from the earth and Able from his flock. God accepts Able’s sacrifice. It’s a sacrifice of blood. Again, we see a reference to Jesus. God accepts Abel’s sacrifice because of its symbolic nature to the Lamb of God Who will shed His blood for mankind. And evidently the first family knew that God wanted the shed blood of an innocent creature. God tells Cain, “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.” (Genesis 4:6-7) But Cain chose to offer God of the earth which is cursed because of sin.
We see the symbolic enmity between Cain and Abel. The first man, in other words the earthly, flesh against the spiritual. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Galatians 5:17) And we have that battle in each one of us because we are physically born in this world of sin.
And Cain slays Abel, just as Jesus was slain by sinful man. And the blood of Abel speaks of vengeance. “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.” (Genesis 4:9-10) Although the Bible doesn’t say that the blood speaks vengeance, it’s vengeance because Cain is punished for it. On the contrary the blood of Jesus speaks mercy and forgiveness.
And there is one more example of the second chosen over the first. In the New Testament Jesus made a reference to it and that is that Jesus came to the Jew first. This is illustrated when the Canaanite woman comes to Jesus begging Him to heal her daughter who was “vexed” with a devil. Jesus ignores her, but the disciples are bothered and ask Him to send her away. (Matthew 15:22,23) “But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24) In the end because of her faith, He heals the daughter. Paul expounded on this. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16) Jesus came for all, but to the Jew first then the Gentiles. Sinful man rejects Jesus and the blessing of the Gospel flourishes with the Gentiles. Like the Canaanite woman, we, not the legal heir, get the blessing of salvation. Jesus said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16) Jesus’ ministry was to the Jew, but He knew that ultimately, He came for all, Jew and Gentile.
Jesus changed the theme of the younger over the elder. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming.” (1Corinthians 15:20-23) And therefore we also in Jesus are part of the firstfruit.
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