By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. Hebrews 11:4
Five months after a 99 year old man dies in a veterans’ nursing home in Fredericton, a little group gathers in a cemetery to commit the body of that dear old man to the grave beside that of his wife. The little group is made up of a few family members; the man had five sons and three daughters, and they all had children, who had children, who had children. One of the interesting features of the funeral was the fact that one of the man’s great-grandsons stood and read the 12th chapter of Ecclesiastes. He being dead yet speaketh. And five months later, at the graveside, another great-grandson stands and takes the salute for the playing of the Lost Post. He being dead yet speaketh. Every one of us, as we make our way through life, make an impression on those around us and on those who follow us. So when it comes our time to die, our life will have made a difference. We being dead will continue to speak. For some, sadly, the message will not be a worthwhile or good one; for others, the message will be commendable and valuable. Have you ever wondered what you will continue to say after you are dead and gone?
Consider Abel, God’s first inductee into Faith’s Hall of Fame as presented in Hebrews 11. Abel didn’t live a long life. And as far as this world is concerned, he didn’t accomplish much; he had a little flock of sheep. His death was violent and tragic, as he was a victim of a jealous brother’s rage. And yet as far as God is concerned, he stands as a towering monument of faith. For what? For offering to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Cain’s offering was the product of guilty hands and a cursed earth. But Abel’s offering was an innocent substitute as God had commanded. In fact, Abel’s sacrifice is the model for the faith of all those who came after him, including ourselves. He obeyed God. And he offered an acceptable sacrifice. Faith can do nothing greater. It is the very same faith that has saved you and me. So Abel’s voice is heard today, the voice of the very first man to ever die on this planet. It tells us that God is pleased with our acceptance of the one acceptable Sacrifice. And God is pleased with simple, humble obedience to His Word. That is the message that we should continue to sound forth after we are gone.
At most of the funerals of Christians that I have attended, someone delivers a Gospel message. This enables the person who has died to continue to speak. Many Christians die leaving families to whom they have taught the Word of God and before whom they have lived a powerful testimony for their Lord. So when they are dead, they continue to speak through their families. Many Christians when they die leave behind friends, fellow workers, and others who recall a life of faithful testimony to God’s saving and preserving power. Even a tombstone can be a loud voice that speaks for many years, like the message on an ancient tombstone in the Bell Gift Cemetery in New Annan, which for some 200 years has said: ‘Look on me as you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, soon shall you be. Prepare yourself to follow me.’
When our life ends, our voice will not be silenced. We being dead will yet speak. What will we say? – Jim MacIntosh