Background
Here meditating on Leon Bridges, Sweeter.
Abel, Biblical Figure
Britannia
Abel, in the Old Testament, second son of Adam and Eve, who was slain by his older brother, Cain (Genesis 4:1–16).
According to Genesis, Abel, a shepherd, offered the Lord the firstborn of his flock. The Lord respected Abel’s sacrifice but did not respect that offered by Cain.
In a jealous rage, Cain murdered Abel. Cain then became a fugitive because his brother’s innocent blood put a curse on him.
The storyteller in Genesis assumes a world of conflicting values, and he makes the point that divine authority backs self-control and brotherhood but punishes jealousy and violence.
Cain had not mastered sin (v. 7); he had let it master him.
The narrator takes a somber look at the human condition, seeing a dangerous world of Cains and Abels.
Nevertheless, God is on the side of the martyrs; he avenges their deaths in the ruin of the Cains.
In the New Testament, the blood of Abel is cited as an example of the vengeance of violated innocence ( Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51).
Good Book
- Matthew 23:35
- Woes to Scribes and Pharisees
- …Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.…
Link
- …Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.…
- Woes to Scribes and Pharisees
- Luke 11:50-52
- Woes to Religious Leaders
- …As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation. Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”…
Link
- …As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation. Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”…
- Woes to Religious Leaders
Dedicated
Dedicated to my brother, Khalid A.
Hit me up on Slack this morning….
Why dedication?
- He took the initiative
- He hit me up
- Salutation is familiar/Hey Bro
- Always helpful
- Always straight forward
- Precise
- On Point
Decidedly and Intentionally so.
Referenced Word
- Leon Bridges – Sweeter ft. Terrace Martin
Link
