Friday,
June 11, 2021
It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith. It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:4-7
Three men, Abel, Enoch, and Noah – all men of
faith in God, and one other piece of common experience – having their
lives abruptly interrupted. Enoch had,
perhaps, the most pleasant experience of the three. A friend and teacher of mine in seminary, Dr.
Charles Graham, was the first I heard say it, Enoch walked with God (he
was really good friends with the Lord).
And one day, after walking a good while, God said to him, Enoch, today we’ve
walked so far together that we’re closer to my home than yours; why don’t you just
come on home with me? Going to Heaven
while you skip the funeral home stuff has a certain appeal!
A little more disconcerting was Noah’s boat excursion. Having God shut the door on everything Noah
and family had ever known, while the thunder and lightning roared, and the
earth broke up to push floods, well, THAT was no easy ride!
Perhaps the toughest life-interruption on the
list belongs to Abel, who was the second child born to humanity. According to this account in Scripture, Abel
was a righteous man, meaning everything he did in life was
intended to please God.
Most funerals you’ve ever attended sound like
they were for Abel. The preacher talks
about just how wonderful the person was in that casket. But Genesis tells us Abel’s earthly walk through this life was
interrupted in the most violent and unjust of ways. His older brother, Cain, the firstborn child
to Adam and Eve, got jealous over his younger brother’s righteousness and killed
him with a rock. Abel never got that
wonderful funeral with all the aunts and uncles, and community of friends; his
brother just hid his broken, bloodied body in the dust.
There is something quite at-odds
with conventional “Christian” logic here.
All three of these men never got the testimonial retirement dinner and
gold watch. Abel’s death was a betrayal
of a brother who murdered him. Noah’s
validation party only had his wife and kids…everybody else was dead. And Enoch, well, he just disappeared one day,
leaving everyone to wonder, and the news cycles reporting goofy stuff about him
running off to the South of France with his secretary, or some other excuse…anything
but righteousness. Most so-called
Christian thinking says that just isn’t right; they were good men, faithful to the
Lord’s work…and WHAM…life interrupted…ended without
fanfare or thanks.
Fast-forward a few millennia and check out the Book
of Hebrews. Because of their faith, God
was pleased. Whatever the news cycles
read on the last day of Noah’s, Abel’s, or Enoch’s lives, God was pleased with
them.
For You Today
You
chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
