It Is Not Revenge, But The Voice Cries "Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!"

What is this? What is this cry that we hear?
(Charles Spurgeon)

"Now Cain said to his brother Abel, 

'Let's go out to the field.' And while 

they were in the field, Cain attacked 

his brother Abel and killed him."

 Genesis 4:8

"The blood of sprinkling, that speaks 

better things than that of Abel." 

Hebrews 12:24

"The sprinkled blood which speaks 

[of mercy], a better and nobler and 

more gracious message than the blood 

of Abel [which cried out for vengeance]." 

Hebrews 12:24 (NLT)

There is a cry heard in Heaven; 

the angels are astonished; they rise up 

from their golden seats and inquire, 

"What is that cry?" 

GOD looks upon them, and says, 

"It is the cry of blood; a man has been 

slain by his fellow; a brother is slain 

by him who came from the womb 

of the same mother, has been murdered 

in cold blood, through malice. One of MY 

saints has been murdered, and 

here he comes." 

And Abel entered into Heaven, 

blood-red, the first of GOD'S elect 

who had entered Paradise, and the first 

of GOD'S children who had worn 

the blood-red crown of martyrdom.

And then the cry was heard, loud and 

clear and strong; and thus it spoke: 

"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!" 

And GOD HIMSELF, rising from HIS 

throne, summoned the culprit to HIS 

presence; questioned him, condemned 

him out of HIS own mouth, and made 

him henceforth a fugitive and a vagabond, 

to wander over the surface of the earth, 

which was to be sterile to his plough. 

And now, beloved, contrast the blood of 

CHRIST with this. There is JESUS CHRIST, 

the incarnate SON of GOD; HE hangs 

upon a tree; HE is murdered--

murdered by HIS own brethren. 

HE came to HIS own, and HIS own 

people did not receive HIM--

but put HIM to death. 

HE bleeds; HE dies; and then 

a cry is heard in Heaven. 

The astonished angels again start 

from their seats, and they say, 

"What is this? What is 

this cry that we hear?" 

And the mighty MAKER answers 

yet again, "It is the cry of blood; 

it is the cry of the blood of MY only-

begotten and well-beloved SON!"

And GOD, uprising from HIS throne, 

looks down from Heaven and listens 

to the cry. And what is the cry? 

It is not revenge; but the voice cries 

"Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!" 

Did you hear it? It said, 

"FATHER, forgive them, for 

they know not what they do!"

(Luke 23:34b)
"The sprinkled blood which speaks 

[of mercy], a better and nobler and 

more gracious message than the blood 

of Abel [which cried out for vengeance]." 

Hebrews 12:24 (NLT)

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Arthur Pink "Profiting from the Word"
Chapter 8. The Scriptures and the PROMISES