#5 Coming to Grips with Genealogies - Genesis 5:1‑32

Introduction

(5:1-32) Introduction— Genealogy: this is the first godly genealogy listed in the Bible, the first roots of the earth’s godly heritage. How do we know this? Several facts show us.

Þ  The first man upon earth, Adam, who was a godly man, is listed in this genealogy; but the second man, Cain, is not listed. Why? Because Cain was an ungodly man.

Þ  The son of Adam who is listed is Seth (Genesis 5:3), and the son of Seth who is listed is Enos (Genesis 5:6). These sons were the godly descendents of Adam, the seed that God had appointed and set in place and through whom God had promised to send the Savior.

Þ  The author of Genesis is very aware of the seed promised by God. He has already mentioned the seed (Genesis 3:15), and he knows about God’s promise to Abraham, that Abraham was to bear the seed through whom the Savior would come. The writer knows that this line of godly persons will ultimately run up to Abraham, and that God will then reaffirm His promise of the godly seed and Savior to Abraham. The author is going to be writing about God’s promise to Abraham in just a few chapters.

What the author is doing in this genealogy is this: he is listing the genealogy of the godly seed or descendents. He is showing how God appointed and set in place the godly line of people through whom He could fulfill His promise, His promise...

·    that the woman’s seed would always have a godly line of people.

·    that the woman’s seed—the godly line or descendents—would eventually bear one descendent who would be the Savior of the world.

Several facts need to be noted about the godly genealogy before actually studying it.

First, this is the genealogy of Adam, of the godly line that descended from Adam. It does not list all the godly descendents of Adam. The genealogy takes each generation and lists only one descendent, the one descendent who formed the line through whom the promised seed, the Savior of the world, was to come.

Second, many of the godly descendents were contemporaries. They had the godly influence of each other, at least those who lived close by one another.

Third, this is not a list of all the godly people upon earth. It is a list of only the godly line through whom the promised seed, the Savior, was to come. There were other godly persons upon earth, at least up until Noah’s time. Each of the descendents mentioned in the godly genealogy are said to have had other sons and daughters:

Gen. 5:4 ⁴After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:7 ⁷And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:10 ¹⁰And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:13 ¹³And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:16 ¹⁶And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:19 ¹⁹And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:22 ²²And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:26 ²⁶And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
Gen. 5:30 ³⁰After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

Fourth, note exactly what is said: “This is the book [sepher] of the generations [descendents, offspring] of Adam” (Genesis 5:1). The Hebrew word for “book” (sepher) means any size document ranging from a one page divorce document to a large book. What document, then, is this?

Þ  Is the author referring to some document or book that had been written from the earliest of times, when man was first upon earth? A document or book that the author is using to gather information about the early history and genealogy of man upon earth? Or...

Þ  Is the author referring to the genealogy he is about to write?

We cannot say, not for sure; but the latter is unlikely, for this is the only Old Testament genealogy that begins this way, that is, by adding the word “book” to it. In fact, there is only one other genealogy that begins this way, and it is in the New Testament, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ” (Matthew 1:1).

Note where these two unique genealogies are placed in the Bible: in the first book of the Old Testament, and in the first book of the New Testament. Without question, Matthew had some book or document that listed the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and he was copying the genealogy and including it in his own writing, The Gospel of Matthew. Therefore, he is saying so and giving credit to the fact. Most likely, this is exactly what the author of Genesis was doing: being honest and giving credit to another document. Apparently, he also had a book or document that listed the genealogy of the godly seed who lived before the flood.

The Pulpit Commentary says this:

“If...the original compiler of this ancient document was Noah...no one would be more likely or better qualified than he to preserve some memorial of the last race of which he and his family were the sole survivors, it [gives additional proof] of the intelligence and culture of the [age]” (Genesis, Exodus. “The Pulpit Commentary,” Vol.1, p.93.)

Now, to our study of the genealogy. This is “The First Civilization and Society (Part 3): The Line of the Godly Seed or Descendents—Significant Events.” (Note: because of the length of this study, a person may wish to divide it into two or three messages or lessons. If so, Enoch is a good place to make the division because of the length of his study. See note 6—^§ Genesis 5:21-24.)

     1.  Event 1: God created man (v.1-2).

     2.  Event 2: Adam had a son, born in his likeness and image (v.3).

     3.  Event 3: God was faithful to His Word, to His promise (v.3-5).

     4.  Event 4: Man died (v.5).

     5.  Event 5: Godly parents taught their children about God, to follow Him and to worship and live for Him (v.6-20).

     6.  Event 6: One godly man, Enoch, dedicated his life totally to God (v.21-24).

     7.  Event 7: One man, Methuselah, lived longer than anyone else, lived longer as a testimony to God’s grace and judgment to come (v.25-26).

     8.  Event 8: Godly men believed in the coming rest and comfort promised by God (v.27-32).

DEEPER STUDY -- (5:27-32) Genealogy— Christ: note that many of the godly line were living at the same time. For example, Lamech, the father of Noah, knew Adam.

Þ  Lamech was born in the year of 874.

Þ  Adam did not die until the year of 930.

But note: when the flood came (1656), all of the godly line had died accept Noah.

The genealogies have never been the best read portions of the Word of God. Ray Stedman tells the story of an old Scots minister who was reading from the first chapter of Matthew’s gospel.

He started reading, ‘Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac beget Jacob, and Jacob begat Judah,’ and he looked on ahead and saw the list to follow and said, ‘and they kept on begetting one another all the way down this page and halfway into the next.’[1]

If we are honest, that is what most of us do with the genealogies of the Bible—we skip them. In my teaching through the book of Genesis, I must admit I seriously considered doing the same thing, merely passing by Genesis chapter 5. Leupold, in one of the classic commentaries on the book of Genesis has this word of advice to preachers: “Not every man would venture to use this chapter as a text.”[2]

And believe me, not all have. There is a verse of Scripture which will not let us pass by Genesis 5 without a serious study of this genealogy: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16).

And so we must deal with this chapter in Genesis in order to discern its profit and benefit to us. In the few years that I have preached the Bible I have learned that the inadequacy is not the text of Scripture we preach, but in the teacher who presents it.

Understanding Genealogies

The fifth chapter of Genesis is only one of many genealogies contained in Scripture. Learning from this chapter will encourage us and instruct us as we approach the other numerous genealogies of the Bible. And, conversely, the other genealogies give us considerable insight as we approach this particular account. Let us, then, give our attention to the purpose of genealogies in general, before we turn our attention to our text.

The genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 are not at all unique in the ancient times. The Egyptians had king lists and so did the Sumerians. The Hittites had royal offering lists, the historical and chronological value of which is beyond doubt.[3] These ancient Near Eastern genealogies are very instructive in determining the correct interpretation of the biblical records.

For one thing, we learn that genealogies were not intended to be used as a chronology.[4] At first glance, the one who reads Genesis chapter 5 would think that one only need add up the numbers contained here in order to establish the age of civilization upon the earth. Ussher, for example, arrived at the date of 4004 B.C. for the events of Genesis chapter 1.

The naming of individuals did not necessarily imply that a continuous sequence was to be assumed. Often names were omitted and genealogical lists were selective.[5]

“The expression ‘A begat B’ does not always imply direct parentage.”[6] Matthew 1:8 states that ‘Joram begat Uzziah,’ but from the Old Testament (II Kings 8:25; 11:2, 14:1,21) we learn that Joram was the father of Ahaziah, who fathered Joash, father of Amaziah father of Uzziah. Thus ‘begat’ can mean ‘begat the line culminating in.’[7] As Kitchen states, “Terms like ‘son’ and ‘father’ can mean not only ‘(grand)son’ and ‘(grand)father,’ but also ‘descendant’ and ‘ancestor’ respectively.”[8]

The arrangement of the genealogies into a neat and clean pattern also suggests something other than a chronological indicator. Matthew’s genealogy of Christ, for example (Matthew 1:1‑17) is arranged into three successions of 14 generations each. And this genealogy is known to be selective.

The numbers in the genealogies of the Ancient Near East were usually of secondary importance.[9] The primary purpose was to establish one’s family identity, one’s roots. Nowhere in Genesis 5, the Bible, or elsewhere were the numbers ever totaled to establish any kind of chronology. Sometimes the numbers of one account differ from those of another.[10] While there are many explanations for this, one is that these numbers were given only as an approximation. Exact figures did not serve the purpose of the genealogy. While we dare not say that the numbers are not literal, we simply point out the way such numbers were used in the Ancient Near East.[11]

Let us then carefully consider the words of the great scholar, Dr. B. B. Warfield, when he writes:

“These genealogies must be esteemed trustworthy for the purposes for which they are recorded; but they cannot safely be pressed into use for other purposes for which they were not intended, and for which they are not adapted. In particular, it is clear that the genealogical purposes for which the genealogies were given, did not require a complete record of all the generations through which the descent of the persons to whom they are assigned runs; but only an adequate indication of the particular line through which the descent in question comes. Accordingly it is found on examination that the genealogies of Scripture are freely compressed for all sorts of purposes; and that it can seldom be confidently affirmed that they contain a complete record of the whole series of genera­tions, while it is often obvious that a very large number are omitted. There is no reason inherent in the nature of the scriptural genealogies why a genealogy of ten recorded links, as each of those in Genesis v. and xi. is, may not represent an actual descent of a hundred or a thousand or ten thousand links. The point established by the table is not that these are all the links which intervened between the beginning and the closing names, but that this is the line of descent through which one traces back to or down to the other.[12]

Sin had entered the human race, and it didn’t take long for the corruption it spawned to spread and defile God’s creation. Like a cancerous tumor, evil infected civilization and brought death wherever it went. God’s vice-regents on earth, created in God’s image, couldn’t manage their own lives let alone God’s creation, and things began to fall apart.

This section of Genesis covers over 1,500 years of human history, years that are overshadowed by sin and sorrow. But when the night is the darkest, the stars shine the brightest; and when the outlook is grim, the uplook is encouraging. Thirteen different people are named in this section, and four of them stand out because they’re associated with something special that God did to encourage His people. Those four were Seth, Enosh, Enoch, and Noah.

Seth—a new beginning from God (Gen. 4:25; 5:1-5)

(5:1-2) Creation— Man: the first significant event, God created man. Man did not just appear by chance; he did not just evolve through some freak accident of nature; he did not come from some random evolutionary process. There was plan and purpose behind man’s appearance upon earth, the plan and purpose of God. Man is the climactic creation of God. Man is the creature that God planned and purposed eternally—long, long before the earth was ever founded. God and God alone created man.

Note four facts about God’s creation of man.

1.  God made man in the likeness of God; He created man with the highest dignity and nature possible. This means that man was created just like God...

·    in perfection

·    in holiness

·    in love

·    in spirit

2.  God created both male and female, He created them...

·    to love, comfort, and help each other.

·    to carry on the human race. God appointed Adam and Eve to be the head of the human race, to stand as the first man and woman upon earth.

·    to work and subdue the earth.

3.  God blessed the man and woman, gave them His glorious benediction.

4.  God called both the male and female “Adam.” The word “Adam” means man earth, red earth. God gave this name to the male and female so they would have a constant reminder...

·    that they had come from the humblest origin, from dust as well as from His Godly hand.

·    that He is God, the only living and true Intelligence and Power, who alone could take dirt and create life.

Note: the fact that God Himself named Adam and Eve was not given in the earlier account of man’s creation. This is new information. God created man, both male and female, in His own likeness and blessed them with every imaginable blessing. Man was created perfect: he had everything necessary to live both in perfection and for eternity. This is the first significant event to note in the godly genealogy.

(5:3) Man, Nature— Adam— Seth: the second significant event, Adam had a son born in his own likeness, in his own image. There is a deliberate contrast between the statements...

·    that “God created Adam in His likeness” (Genesis 5:1).

·    that “Adam begat a son in his own likeness” (Genesis 5:3).

The point is this: Seth was a being just like Adam, in the image of Adam, and not in the perfect image of God, at least not in the perfect image that man had when God first created Adam. Right after God created Adam, Adam sinned; he fell. Adam experienced what it was to be “hid” (Genesis 3:8-10) and “cut off” (Genesis 3:23-24) from God. He was to die (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:19; Genesis 5:5). He had corrupted the perfect nature that God had originally given him. Simply stated...

·    Adam experienced the transformation from a perfect and innocent human nature to a fallen human nature.

Whatever is involved in a human nature, Seth was born “in his father’s likeness, in his father’s image.” Seth too possessed a fallen human nature. He too was corruptible and doomed to die.

Now, what is involved in a human nature? In contrast to God’s image, the nature God first gave Adam, there are at least five things involved in human nature.

1.  A perfect human nature would be absolutely perfect, without any flaw or defect whatsoever. But a fallen human nature is the exact opposite. A fallen human nature is full of defects and flaws. A fallen human nature...

·    has an imperfect body and mind.

·    is subject to sickness, disease, and accident.

·    has a limited capacity to learn.

·    experiences pain and suffering.

·    senses alienation, loneliness, and emptiness.

·    sheds tears of sadness, sorrow, and grief.

·    is sinful, corruptible, and dies.

2.  A perfect human nature would be holy: sinless, righteous, pure, and godly. But a fallen human nature is the exact opposite. A fallen human nature is unholy and wicked. A fallen human nature is...

3.  A perfect human nature would be love: always devoted, loyal, cherishing, loving, merciful, gracious, and compassionate. But a fallen human nature is the exact opposite. A fallen human nature is...

·    often selfish

·    often undevoted and disloyal

·    often unloving and ungracious

·    often unmerciful and lacking in compassion

4.  A perfect human nature would have the spirit of immortality, the power to live forever. But a fallen human nature is the exact opposite: it has the spirit of death. A fallen human nature dies; it returns to the dust of the earth.

5.  A perfect human nature would be in perfect union with God: it would worship, fellowship, and serve God in an unbroken consciousness of His presence. But a fallen human nature would be the exact opposite. It is alienated and separated from God. It follows its own will and desires and does its own thing. It creates gods of its own and worships and follows the gods created by its own mind and imagination. A fallen human nature desperately needs to be reconciled with God. (Cp. Acts 17:29; Romans 1:21-23; Gal. 4:8.)

The point is this: when Adam and Eve sinned, they experienced the transformation from a perfect, innocent human nature to a fallen human nature. Consequently, when they had children, the children were born in their likeness, in their image. The children were born with the same human nature.

(5:3-5) God, Faithfulness of— Promises, Fulfilled: the third significant event, God was faithful to His Word, to His promise. God had promised a godly seed and Savior to the world, that there would always be a godly people upon earth and through this people—the godly seed—He would send one very special seed, the Savior of the world.

Note the Scripture (Genesis 5:3):

“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.”

God fulfilled His promise: God gave Adam a son, Seth, who was to become the first son of the godly line. Above all else, it is this that the godly genealogy teaches: the faithfulness of God. Note how God faithfully causes one godly son after another to be born, how God carries the godly line from generation to generation (Genesis 5:3-32). Each godly father had other children, both sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 26, 30).

But only one son could be the godly line through whom the Savior was to come. How was that son to be chosen? By God or by man?

Þ  Since the fathers were godly men, could they ever determine who should be in the godly line? Think of all the temptations within the world, all the increasing lawlessness and wickedness, how far short man really is, even the godly. How could any human being conceivably choose which child was to carry on the godly line?

Þ  If the fathers had chosen the godly line, they would have corrupted and doomed it. Despite their godliness in following God and in being part of the godly line, they were still imperfect, still full of flaws and defects. If they had chosen the godly line, they would have doomed it and the Savior could have never come.

Þ  The godly seed and Savior had been promised by God; therefore, God alone knew how He wanted the godly line to develop. God alone could make the choice. It was His promise—His Word, His purpose—to send the Savior into the world through the godly seed of the woman. And God was faithful, faithful to the ultimate degree. This is what this genealogy is all about: God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to send the Savior to the world. The very first forefathers of the Savior are here listed: Adam, Seth, and all the other men who were chosen to be the first of the godly seed.

God is faithful to the ultimate degree. He will do for us what He did for Adam and the godly line: prove to be faithful. God will keep us safe and secure. He will deliver us from all evil and give us an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. All we have to do is repent and turn our lives completely over to Him: follow Him and give all we are and have to Him and His great cause of world missions.

(5:5) Death— Adam: the fourth significant event, man died. Note the Scripture:

“Adam lived...nine hundred and thirty years: and he died” (Genesis 5:5).

Remember: Adam had been created perfect. God’s purpose was for man to live forever without ever having to die. But God had warned Adam: he would die if he ate the forbidden fruit, that is, if he...

·    chose to turn away from God.

·    chose to walk his own way in life.

·    disobeyed God.

·    rebelled against God.

Tragically, this was exactly what Adam did. He turned away from God and rebelled against God. He disobeyed God and walked his own way. Adam did his own thing: he ate the forbidden fruit. From that point—from that very moment of sin—Adam became mortal, subject to corruption, aging, deterioration, and decay. Adam was afflicted with the seed of corruption, with the process of dying, day by day and degree by degree, and eventually he moved more and more toward that inevitable day of death. His body was doomed to die and return to dust.

This is the report of Scripture; this is one of the lessons of this godly genealogy. Note: the reign of death over man is seen eight times in this chapter alone (Genesis 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31).

Gloriously, the love and power of God is seen in this one fact: no person has to die. No person has to ever taste or experience death. Jesus Christ has tasted and experienced death for us. Jesus Christ has died for us. He has already paid the penalty and judgment of sin for us. If we commit our lives to Him—totally commit them—we will never die. When the moment comes for us to leave this world, quicker than the eye can blink (11/100 of a second), God will transfer us right into His presence. One moment we will be in this world; the next moment we will be in the glorious presence of God. We will never lose consciousness of being alive; never know what the experience of death is.

The only ray of hope in that dark day was God’s promise that a Redeemer would one day be born of the woman and conquer the serpent (3:15). But Abel was dead, so he couldn’t beget a child; and Cain, the unbelieving murderer, had wandered off and built a city in the Land of Nod, east of Eden. Would God’s promise be fulfilled? How could it be fulfilled?

God is sovereign in all things and His plans aren’t frustrated by the foolish and sinful ways of mankind. Because He is the sovereign God, He “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11, nkjv). “But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases” (Ps. 115:3, nkjv). The Lord enabled Eve to conceive and bear a son whom she named Seth (“granted”) because God had appointed him to replace Abel.

Genesis 5 is the first genealogy in Scripture and introduces “the book of the generations of Adam” (v. 1). Ten generations are listed here, from Adam to Noah, just as ten generations are listed from Shem to Abraham in “the generations of Shem” (11:10-26).^7-1 Eight times in Genesis 5 you find the melancholy phrase “and he died,” for death was now reigning over mankind because of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:12-17, 21). Sin and death still reign today, but through Jesus Christ we can “reign in life” (vv. 5:17, 21).

In Bible history, very often the birth of a baby has made the difference between defeat and victory for God’s people. During the Jews’ difficult years in Egypt, Moses was born and became the liberator of his people (Ex. 2:1-10). When the lamp of prophecy was burning very low, Samuel was born to bring Israel back to God’s Word (1 Sam. 1–3); and when the kingdom was disintegrating under Saul, God sent a son to Jesse whom he named David, the man God had chosen to be the next king (Ruth 4:18-22; 1 Sam. 16). At a very low point in Jewish history, by the grace of God, one little boy continued the messianic line from David (2 Kings 11:1-3). In spite of Satan’s attacks and the disobedience of His people, God was faithful to work so that His promise of a Redeemer would be fulfilled.

Knowing this should encourage God’s people as they see the world turning more and more toward sin and rebellion. God is sovereign and He will accomplish His purposes.

Enosh—calling on God (Gen. 4:26; 5:6-11)

Seth was 105 years old when his son Enosh was born (5:6). “Enosh” means “man” and comes from a Hebrew word that means “frail, weak.” It’s the word for man that emphasizes how fragile and weak we really are in ourselves.

A remarkable thing is recorded in connection with the birth of this boy: at that time, people began to gather together to worship God, proclaim His name, and pray.^7-2 There was a revival of public worship and believing prayer as the descendants of Seth met together in the name of the Lord. While the worldly Cainites were boasting of their strength and valor (4:23-24), the godly Sethites were giving glory to the name of the Lord.

Throughout sacred history, it has been the godly remnant that has kept the work of the Lord going in this world. Time after time, the nation of Israel drifted into idolatry and spiritual lethargy, but a believing remnant was raised up to keep the light burning. These courageous people cried out to God for deliverance, and He heard them and answered their prayers.

After the Flood, Noah’s small family was the remnant God used to people the earth. The Prophet Elijah thought he was alone in serving Jehovah, but 7,000 people in the land remained faithful to the Lord (1 Kings 19:9-18). Whoever wrote Psalm 119 was part of a faithful remnant (v. 63), and the prophets wrote about the believing remnant in their day (Isa. 10:20-23; 37:31-32; Jer. 11:23; Micah 4:7; Mal. 3:16). Isaiah named one of his sons “a remnant shall return” (Isa. 7:3), and a remnant did return to their land after the Babylonian Captivity. God used them to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem and to restore the Jewish nation as a political entity.

How many people does God need to get a job done? Ten righteous people in Sodom could have saved the city from destruction (Gen. 18:16ff), and Jesus said that He was present if only two or three were gathered in His name (Matt. 18:20). Jesus sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to empower 12 believers, and Paul evangelized the Roman Empire with a small team of men and women who were wholly devoted to the Lord. God has always looked to the remnant to pray, trust Him, and get the work done.

So, when the work of the Lord looks like it’s failing, and you feel like you’re the only one left to serve God, remember Enosh and the godly remnant in his day that called on the Lord. “For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few” (1 Sam. 14:6, nkjv).

Enoch—walking with God (Gen. 5:12-27)

Parents— Teaching— Children— Family: the fifth significant event, the godly parents taught their children about God, to follow Him and to worship and live for Him. Three significant facts in this godly genealogy leap out at us:

Þ  All the persons listed here were believers; they followed God and worshipped and lived for Him. They believed in God and they believed God’s Word, His promise to send the godly seed, the Savior, into the world.

Þ  All the persons listed here covered many generations of people, but they were all from one family. This line of believers—these godly followers of God—were all from the same family, and their godly line was never broken down through the years. These godly parents taught their children about God, to follow, worship, and live for Him.

Þ  Some of the children listened to the witness of their parents, but not all. Cain had the same godly parents, Adam and Eve, as Seth; but Cain rejected his parents and rebelled against God. Apparently, many of the children, when they became adults, rejected God and followed after the way of Cain and ungodliness. We know this because of the large population upon the earth at this time. The children’s rejection of God must have broken the hearts of their parents, just as it does the hearts of parents today. Nevertheless, the parents did not become discouraged, nor begin to question and blame God. They remained faithful and continued to teach the Word and promises of God to their children and grandchildren.

Two great lessons can be gleaned from the godly parents of antiquity.

1) We must teach our children about God...

·    to follow Him and to worship and live for Him.

·    to believe His Word and promises, in particular the promise of the godly seed that has been fulfilled in Christ, the Savior of the world.

2) We must not be discouraged or blame God when some of our children rebel and reject God. We must remain faithful and continue to teach the truth of Christ and His Word, no matter what some children may do. In fact, we must teach the truth with more fervor than ever before, never backing off. And we must pray fervently; we must intercede in prayer, never letting up. We must take more time than ever before for intercessory prayer, getting alone before God and crying out to Him for our children and loved ones. God promises to hear prayer, intercessory prayer, prayer that comes boldly before Him and wrestles with Him for help.

People like Kenan, Mahalalel, and Jared may not seem important to God’s great story of salvation, but they are important; for they were “living links” in the great generational chain that reached from Seth to the birth of Jesus Christ. God’s promise in Genesis 3:15 could never have been fulfilled were it not for the faithfulness of many undistinguished people who to us are only strange names in an ancient genealogy.

(5:21-24) Enoch— Walk, Spiritual— Dedication— Commitment— Seeking, After God: the sixth significant event, one godly man, Enoch, dedicated his life totally to God. Even the name Enoch (Chanokh) means dedicated. It could also mean initiator and teacher. Apparently, Enoch did three significant things:

Þ  He totally dedicated and committed his life to God—again, totally.

Þ  He initiated or began a deeper kind of walk and life with God, a deeper kind of communion and fellowship with God.

Þ  He taught men the life and walk of total commitment to God, of unbroken communion and fellowship with God.

Enoch was a most unusual person, a person who surrendered and yielded his life completely to God, who gave up all to follow God. He apparently lived a life of total self-control and self-denial. But he was not perfect, for he was but a mere man. He was as all other men are, sinful and mortal. Nevertheless, Enoch gave his life so completely to God—so totally—that he had a very, very special relationship with God.

Interestingly, more is said about Enoch in the New Testament than in the Old Testament. There are five passages of Scripture that deal with him. Two of these are in other genealogies that just list his name with no comment (1 Chron. 1:3; Luke 3:37). But the other three passages tell us a great deal about Enoch.

DEEPER STUDY --(5:21-24) Enoch’s life: the Genesis passage gives us the outline of Enoch’s life. Two very significant things are said about him. The following study on Enoch’s life is given in a broader outline because of the importance Scripture places upon his life.

ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD (Genesis 5:21-24a)

Scripture declares twice that “Enoch walked with God” (Genesis 5:22, 24). Walking means forward movement, steady progress. Enoch did not walk a little and then stop or turn aside, backsliding. He was not fluctuating up and down. Enoch was genuine through and through; he was stedfast and persevering. He walked with God consistently, growing and growing more and more. What does it mean “to walk with God”?

The life of Enoch shows us.

1.  Enoch was born to sinful parents in a sinful world just like all other persons. From all indications Enoch had been living a sinful, wicked life, running around with the ungodly crowd of his day. But something happened in his life that changed him, that caused him to confess and repent of his sin—something so convicting that it aroused him to turn back to God. Something happened that stirred him to begin to live a life of self-control and self-denial. What was it?

Scripture says this: “Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah” (Genesis 5:22). Note the word “after.” Scripture seems to be saying that it was after his son’s birth that Enoch began to walk with God. Apparently, the birth of his first son struck Enoch, struck him with a deep, intense sense of responsibility for the child. Enoch was convicted...

·    of his sinful, ungodly life

·    of his duty to provide a godly home for his son and any other children who might come.

·    of his duty to lead his son to trust and follow God and to believe God’s Word and promise to send the Savior into the world.

What did Enoch do when God convicted him of these things? He did exactly what every sinful and ungodly father should do: he began to “walk with God” (Genesis 5:22). Enoch repented, changed his life, and turned back to God. He turned away from sin and began to live for God. He began to live a life of self-denial and self-control. The next point clearly shows this.

2.  To “walk with God” means to believe God and to be diligent in seeking after God’s promises. The passage in the book of Hebrews shows this:

“By faith Enoch...pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:5-6).

Note what Enoch believed and what we must believe:

Þ  Enoch believed that God is, that He truly exists, that He is the only living and true God, the true Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the Lord and Master of life. Enoch knew what we must know: if God is, if God truly exists, then we owe our lives to Him. We must walk with God—follow, worship, fellowship, and serve Him—with all our hearts.

Þ  Enoch believed that God rewards those who diligently seek after Him. This refers to the great rewards or promises of the Savior. Enoch believed the promises of God, that God would give a godly line of people to the world and through that godly line, He would send the Savior to the world. Enoch believed in the promise of the Savior, the Savior who would deliver the godly from all the corruption of sin, death, and judgment to come. How do we know that Enoch believed all this about the Savior? Because of the reference in Jude 14-15 which will be discussed in point five below.

3.  To “walk with God” means to develop an unbroken communion and fellowship with God. The phrase means to walk about with God, to live with God, to have the most intimate fellowship and communion with God (H.C. Leupold. Genesis, Vol.1, p.241). Enoch did what we should do: he sought after an unbroken fellowship and communion with God.

Þ  Enoch sought to keep his mind and thoughts upon God and upon the things that are true and profitable.

Þ  Enoch sought to cast down every imagination and to captivate every thought for God.

Þ  Enoch sought to keep his mind upon God.

Þ  Enoch sought to pray always, to walk and live in a spirit of prayer, all day long.

4.  To “walk with God” means to live a holy and godly life, a life of separation, a life that is completely different from the sinful lives of others. This does not mean a monastic life, a life that withdraws from the world. It means that Enoch began to live a life of self-control...

·    that Enoch quit doing things that were sinful, wicked, evil, and ungodly.

·    that Enoch started doing thing that were pure, righteous, good, and godly.

We know this from the fact that Enoch “walked with God” (Genesis 5:22, 24). He walked just like God and lived just like God. He lived a holy and godly life. But we also know that Enoch lived a holy and godly life from Jude. Jude tells us that Enoch stood against and preached against the ungodliness of his day (Jude 14-15). This is seen in the next point.

5.  To “walk with God” means to bear a strong witness and testimony for God. Again, the Jude passage shows us this fact about Enoch:

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 14-15).

Enoch was a preacher, a preacher of righteousness. Note what his message was.

a.  First, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of His saints—with all the believers who have died up to that time in history. The Lord is coming to judge the world, to execute judgment upon “all,” upon everyone who has ever lived in the world.

This is a clear reference to the coming again of Jesus Christ in judgment and this is the first reference to His coming again in Scripture. How did Enoch know about the coming of God in judgment? Did God reveal the fact in a special revelation as He was to do to future prophets? Or did God reveal the truth to Adam earlier, and then Adam taught the truth to his children and grandchildren? We do not know. But we must remember that Enoch knew and believed the promise of God concerning the coming Savior. He knew that God was going to send the Savior to deliver the godly from the corruption of sin, death, and judgment to come. And here in Jude, he somehow knew that the Savior was also coming in judgment.

b.  Second, Enoch preached against the ungodly lives people were living. He was a strong and forceful witness. Note how often he uses the word ungodly: four times. He declares that the Lord is coming to convict...

·    all the ungodly

·    of all their ungodly deeds

·    that they did in an ungodly way

·    because they were ungodly sinners.

Remember: most of Enoch’s audience were cousins of his, not too many generations removed from him. This shows just how strong and forceful a preacher Enoch was. It makes us wonder how many people tried to get him to tone down his message, the truth of judgment, and to concentrate on the love and care of God?

Note one other fact in the Jude reference. This was an ungodly age, an age when few people were following God and living righteous lives. This will be clearly seen in the next outline and passage of Scripture (Genesis 6:1-8).

Was Enoch’s day more ungodly than our day? The thinking and honest person has to confess that it was not much more, if any more, ungodly. Just think how wild ungodliness is running today, the awful rampage of evil in the world...

How many of us preach as strongly and forcefully as Enoch did? The love and mercy of God must, of course, always be preached and taught. But so must the coming again and judgment of God. How many people are lost because we have not warned them of coming judgment?

ENOCH WAS TRANSLATED—TAKEN—INTO GOD’S PRESENCE WITHOUT DYING (Genesis 5:24)

Note what Scripture says: “He was not” (enennu) or “He was no more” (NIV) or “He was seen no more” (NEB). Scripture simply means that Enoch was translated—transferred from earth to heaven, to be with God. Enoch was transferred right into the presence of God without ever dying. The New Testament clearly tells us this:

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him [taken him up]: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).

B.H. Carroll has an excellent description of Enoch’s experience, of what the word “translated” means:

“God translated him. This is an old Latin word, an irregular verb, and it simply means carried over or carried across. God carried him across. Across what? Across death. Death is the river that divides this world from the world to come, and here was a man that never did go through that river at all. When he got there God carried him across. God transferred him; translated him; God picked him up and carried him over and put him on the other shore” (Quoted by Arthur W. Pink. Gleanings in Genesis, p.79).

Now, why did God translate Enoch so that he should not experience death? Why did God not let him die like other men?

There are at least four reasons.

1.  God translated Enoch because Enoch walked so closely with God, because Enoch lived a life of complete surrender, of complete control and self-denial. Note what Scripture says:

“Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).

Enoch’s “walking with God” is closely tied to God taking him on home to heaven. That is, the very reason for God taking Enoch on home to heaven was because Enoch walked so closely with God. Enoch had apparently gained an unbroken consciousness of God’s presence, an unbroken fellowship and communion with God.

Þ  Enoch’s “walk with God” had become so intimate and intense,

Þ  and Enoch longed so much for face to face fellowship with God...

     ...that God just could not leave him upon earth any longer.

2.  God translated Enoch to demonstrate and symbolize His power to execute judgment. Enoch’s generation was ungodly, and he preached a strong, aggressive message to his ungodly generation (Jude 14-15). But despite their ungodliness, God loved the people. He wanted them saved. By giving them a living demonstration of His power...

·    He proved that He really exists.

·    He proved His power to judge the ungodly. If He could translate a person, He had the power to condemn and judge a person.

·    He stirred some to repent and follow God.

The ungodly could hardly miss the warning.

3.  God translated Enoch to demonstrate and symbolize the promise of eternal life. Enoch believed God’s promise of the godly seed, that God was going to send the Savior into the world. He believed that the Savior was going to save man from sin, death, and judgment, and that He was going to restore man to the perfection and eternal life Adam had known. Enoch’s translation demonstrated that eternal life is a reality. Man can live forever with God.

Note this: Enoch’s translation also symbolizes the resurrection of believers at the return of Christ. Enoch’s translation is a picture of what God is going to do for the believer: raise him up and take him to heaven.

4.  God translated Enoch to be an encouragement to other believers, both in his ungodly day and ours. God proved His promise and power to give eternal life. Enoch should stir us to press on, to believe God more strongly than ever before and to stand fast.

When Enoch was sixty-five years old, his wife gave birth to a son whom they named Methuselah (“man of the dart”). This was a turning-point in Enoch’s life, because he then began to walk with the Lord (5:22, 24; see 6:9). Did the responsibility of raising a son in such a godless world so challenge Enoch that he knew he needed the Lord’s help? Or when the baby was born, did God give Enoch insight into the future so that he knew the Flood was coming? We don’t know, but we do know that the arrival of this baby changed Enoch’s life.

The meaning of Methuselah’s name isn’t significant, but his long life of 969 years is significant. In the year that Methuselah died, the Flood came!^7-3 Perhaps the Lord told Enoch this news after the baby was born, and it so gripped his heart that he began to walk with God and do God’s will. “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.” (2 Peter 3:11, nkjv) The fact that Jesus is coming again to judge the world ought to motivate God’s people to lives of holiness and obedient service (1 John 2:28–3:3).