The Renewed Covenant through the eyes of a Messianic Jew. In Isaiah 46:9 “Remember the former thing of old : for I am Yahweh, and there is none else; I am YHVH and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”
I would like to take you to the story of Kayin (Cain) and Avel (Abel) in Bersheet (Genesis) 4:1-17. This is a Bible Study, so get out your Bible. The story of Kayin and Avel is a allegory of the end times and the attitude of the people in the end of days. I have heard many Christian Pastors tell the story of how Kayin did not bring a blood sacrifice and that is why his offering was not accepted, but I would disagree, and try to show you one of the greatest stories in the Torah. First, let us determine what time of year they were to bring the offering to Yahweh.
Beresheet 4:3 says “And in the process of time it came to pass,” in the Hebrew it literally says “mekatz yamim”, the end of days. Sounds prophetic doesn’t it? This was a festival that Cain and Abel were to bring offerings to present to Yahweh. Sukkot (Tabernacles), the feast of end gathering, is one of the festivals where you can bring both the fruit of the ground (harvest) or of the firstlings of your flocks. See Shemot (Exodus) 23:16-19 ”And the feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labour that you sow in the field; and the Festival of the ingathering at the close of the year, when you gather in your work from the field”.
Also see, Nehemiah 10:35-39. Now I would like to define a couple of names for you, Kayin in Hebrew means, to buy, to erect, to acquire, to possess, to own, to attain, procure, provoke to jealousy, fabricate artificially, and to get. Kayin was also a city builder. When his mother bore him she said “chieti” “I got a man.” His nature came from both his mother and his father as we shall see. Beresheet 4:3 “In the process of time it came to pass, that Kayin brought the fruit of the ground as an offering to
Yahweh.” As you read this verse notice that it was the fruit of THE GROUND, it doesn't even indicate that it was the firstfruit of Kayin’s ground, but of the fruit of the ground. Kayin kept the choicest crops of the firstfruits for himself. In other words, living up to his name, he acquired, he kept the best for himself. See the difference in what Avel brought and what Kayin brought? Abel brought the firstfruits of his flocks. Abel was following the Torah, the teachings of Yahweh, and Kayin was following his own desires of his own heart.
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Kayin And Avel
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| What was Kayin’s understanding of what he was to bring at Tabernacles? What is his sin? “To him that knows what is good and does it not, to him it is sin”. Kayin kept the very best for himself and did not bring the firstfruits but something that was his second best.
Proverbs 3:9 says “Honour Adonai with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your income”. In Nehemiah 13:31 “I also made provision for the delivery of wood at stated times, and for the firstfruits” My G-D, remember me with favour”. When you bring the firstfruits you can ask Yahweh to look upon you with Chessed (mercy). Kayin was expecting Yahweh to show him favour even though he brought his second best.
You may ask, how can this be a festival when there was no Torah given?. Well as you look at the Tanach you will find that Noah and Abraham both kept the Laws given later in the Tanach. Noah knew what was kosher and Abraham kept all the commandments of Yahweh. I believe that Adam passed the Torah along to all his son and so on for generation to know the teachings (Torah) of Yahweh.
Well, there is a great Midrash (commentary) on the story of Kayin and Avel in the book of Ya’akov (James). This is called a “Drash” or Midrash. Now, lets us look for some hints to the story. (Ya’akov 4:13) “Now listen you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, stay there a year trading and make a profit!” Whose name means to acquire things? Ya’akov is describing Kayin! The story of Kayin and Avel is in the Fourth chapter of both Genesis and James. Is this an accident? Now look at the meaning of Avel’s name. “Avel” means to dissipate quickly, steam, transitory, or a vapour or mist.
Ya’akov 4:14 “You don’t even know if you will be alive tomorrow! For all you are is a vapour that appears for a little while and then disappears”. Well who’s name means vapour? Avel! Now that we know the characters, we can tell the story of Kayin and Avel through this great, Rabbi, the brother of Yeshua, Ya’akov.
The sin that Kayin commits is similar to the sin that Adam commits in the garden. Sins are hereditary and they are passed on to our children. Kayin and Adam’s sin came from the same root problem. Adam’s transgression did not develop from any particle need. His sin was to do exactly what he chose, as if the world belonged to him and he was the master of this world that G-D had created! It was just for this reason that the prohibition of the tree was given to him to teach him many Torah precepts and show him that the earth belonged to Adonai and the fullness there of. (Exodus 19:5)
Ya’akov 1:16-18 “Don’t delude yourselves, my dear brothers. Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father who made the heavenly lights; with Him there is neither variation nor darkness caused by turning”. This is the spirit of Avel. Avel knew that every good gift was from Yahweh.
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Kayin and Abel II
Avel brought the best and Yahweh had favour on his gift, because he recognised that we are only a vessel of Yahweh and the stewards of what He gives us. When we deny Yahweh the best we are denying His sovereignty over all the earth. We then become our own masters and make our own ways when we do not give Him the first of all that we have. When you give Yahweh your best and your firstfruits you are preaching and proclaiming the goodnews, the gospel of Yeshua. See Yeshua was the firstfruits of Yahweh and we are to be a kind of firstfruits when we acknowledge His sovereignty in our lives.
Ya’akov 1:18 “Having made the decision, He gave birth to us through a Word that can be relied upon, in order that we should be a kind of firstfruits of all that He created”. When you give Yahweh the first fruits then you draw close to Him and can request that He has favour on us and you will be judged righteous and a friend of Yahweh.
Avel is brought nearer to Yahweh because he gave him the firstfruits and this is spoken of in (Ya’akov 1:25) “But if a person looks closely into the perfect Torah, which gives freedom, and continues, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work it requires, then he will be blessed in what he does”. Avel was blessed. Avel was looked upon with favour and brought near to Yahweh because he listen and obeyed the WORD of Yahweh. Kayin on the other hand is addressed in Ya’akov (James) 2:20 “But, foolish fellow, do you want to be shown that such “faith” apart from actions is barren? Wasn’t Avraham our father declared righteous because of actions when he offered up his son Yitz’chak on the altar?” You see faith worked with his actions; by the actions the faith was made complete; and the passage of the Tanach was fulfilled which says, ”Avraham had faith in Yahweh, and it was credited to his account as righteousness”. He was even called Yahweh’s friend.
You see that a person is declared righteous because of actions and not because of faith alone. Likewise, was not Rachav (Rahab), the prostitute, also declared righteous because of actions when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out another route? Indeed, just as the body without a spirit is dead, so too faith without actions is dead. Kayin did not put action with his faith and his faith was dead.
Bersheet 4:5-7 “Kayin was very angry, and his countenance fell”. Yahweh said to Kayin, “Why are you angry? Why are you downcast?” Ya’akov 4:17 “So then, anyone who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it is committing sin”. Kayin was first disobedient and then the second step was anger. This is addressed in Ya’akov 1:19 “Therefore my dear brothers, let everyone be quick to listen but slow to anger; for a person’s anger does not accomplish Yahweh’s righteousness.” Aren’t we dealing with two brothers? You see first we have disobedience and then anger, and then argument and then death.
Yahweh says “that sin is crouching at the door, it wants you, but you can over come it”. Ya’akov 4:7 “Sin is at the door, resist the devil, and he will flee. Draw nigh to Yahweh and he will draw nigh to you.” But Kayin could not humble himself before Yahweh. He held on to his anger. If he had resisted, shown patience, prayed with his brother and asked for forgiveness for being angry, the devil would have not been able to have his way.
Sukkot comes once a year and is the fall rains. Kayin could have waited for Sukkot to come again the next year to do the right thing, but was over come by his own desires. Ya’akov 5:7-9 “So, brothers, be patient until Yahweh returns. See how the farmer waits for the precious “fruit of the earth” he is patient over it until it receives the fall and spring rains.” You too, be patient; keep your courage; for Andonai’s return is near”. This addresses Kayin’s inability to be patient. This also brings to mind the field that Yeshua spoke of; the harvest is white but the labourers are few. Matthew 9:37
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Kayin and Avel III
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| Ya’akov 4:1-3 What is causing all the quarrels and fighting amoung you? Isn’t your desires battling inside you? You desire things and don’t have them. You kill, and you are jealous, and you still can’t get them. So you fight and quarrel. The reason you don’t have is that you don’t pray! Or you pray and don’t receive, because you pray with the wrong motives, that of wanting to indulge your own desires. Kayin’s indulgence is addressed here.
(Ya’akov 1:13-15) Kayin’s lust leads to death. Kayin was asked, “Where is your brother?" “Am I my brothers keeper”! Ya’akov 2:8 “If you truly attain the goal of kingdom Torah, in conformity with the passage that says “Love your neighbor as yourself”, you are doing well.” Kayin’s lack of love for his nieghbor, his own brother.
Ya’akov 5:1-6 “Next, a word to the rich: weep and wail over the hardships coming upon you! Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have become moth eaten; your gold and your silver corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat up your flesh like fire! You have heaped treasure together for he last days.” Remember in Genesis 4:3 and the story of Kayin and Avel and how it starts off “In the process of time” (mekatz yamim) “end of days." Now this is prophetic as I told you from the beginning of our story.
This also speaks of the attitude of Kayin toward his brother and the attitude of people in the last days. Ya’akov 5:4 “Listen! The wages you have fraudulently witheld from workers who mowed your fields are calling out against you, and the outcries of those who harvested have reached the ears of Adonai-Tzva’ot (L-rd of Host).” Bersheet 4:10 Then He said, “What have you done?" The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground”! Again Ya’akov tells us the story of Kayin and Avel and a time in ther future when these things will be.
The killing field both in Beresheet and here in Ya’akov, points to the field of souls the great harvest in the end time that cries out to Yahweh. Kayin should have been concerned about presenting his family complete to the Father but was not concerned about his family, but only his own ablity to acquire things. Yeshua on the other hand points to the great harvest that you and I should be concerned with, the harvest of souls the “fruit of the earth” the first fruits of our families and presenting them complete before Yahweh.
Sukkot is a festival that is a family event, were you are required to go to Jerusalem with your family and give the firstfruits of your harvest or your tithes. Were you come together as a community of Yahweh’s people. Yeshua’s family also went to Jerusalem during Sukkot and there the firstfruit was born into the world, in a sukkah. We to must bring our community together as servants, this is the point I would like to make. When you are concerned about the comunnity of Israel as a whole then you can proclaim the gospel the goodnews to the world and present Yeshua in the right way. Loving your neighbor as yourself loving Yahweh and keeping His commandments.
Ya’akov 5:14 “Is someone among you ill? He should call the elders of the congregation." If you are in the community of Israel then you are to call for the elders of the community, but if you are outside the community then you are to be put outside the camp. Kayin was put outside the camp of his family because he would not obey the Torah of Yahweh. But Yeshua was sent into the world to reedem all that repent and turn to Yahweh. All Kayin had to do was repent and Yahweh would have forgiven him and brought him near.
But when you do not follow the Torah then your freedom is narrowed. You see this in the name of Kayin’s son “Enoch” which means to disipline or to narrow your way. Ya’akov 5:19 My brothers, if one of you wanders from the truth, and someone causes him to return, you should know that whoever turns a sinner from his wandering path will save him from death and cover many sins. (Proverbs 10:12)
“Ya’akov a servant of Yahweh and of Yeshua the Messiah”. Ya’akov wants us to learn the story of Kayin and Avel and become servants.
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