Last 5 Days
Grace in the Midst of Death
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. 19 Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son 29 and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” 30 Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The genealogy of Adam continues through in Chapter 5, where the lineage of Seth was described as being in the likeness of Adam, whom God created in His likeness. However, through the record of this genealogy, the author is first and foremost bringing through the theological theme of “death”. The phrase “and he died” occurred eight times in this genealogy, showing that death reigned from Adam’s time on through the generations. Death, was in contrast to the divine blessing, and due to the presence of the curse. However, as we take a closer look at the structure of the genealogy, we may begin see that despite the fact that death had invaded the human family, there is evidence of grace throughout life – God continued to grant sons and daughters, the example of walking with Him, and the prospect of rest and comfort.
This genealogy used a fix structure of recording that someone lived x years, fathered the one who would be the next entry of the list, and then lived y more years and fathered sons and daughters. It then concludes with the total number of years the person lived and records that he died (“and he died”).
However, prominent in this genealogy are Adam, Enoch, and Noah. For these three men, the pattern mentioned above digressed, and formed a marked contrast to the routine of the genealogy.
The author spent some time at the beginning of Chapter 5 revisiting themes from the creation account, bringing forth God’s intention for human race. Chapter 5 began with the creation and blessing of Adam as the image of God, and this “image” was passed on to Seth, whom Adam “fathered in his own likeness, after his image”. However, this narrative suddenly shifted to Adam’s death, showing the curse of sin.
And then there was Enoch. Just as Lamech, the seventh from Adam in Cain’s line, was the focus of the narrative Cain’s line, so Enoch, seventh from Adam in Seth’s line, showed prominence. His narration brings a ray of hope for the human race. As a result of walking with God (a phrase expressing piety), he was taken (verse 24). And while we may need more space to discuss “taken” in its theological significance, we may also see that Enoch’s eventual fate was a reward for his close relationship with God. Enoch walked with God for three hundred years. He walked with God as a friend, in His company, in the same direction, just like how God had desired to walk with Adam in the Garden. Dear brothers and sisters, would you be like Enoch, and walk with God, opening to Him all our thoughts, purposes and hopes, allowing God to direct our lives and decisions, being diligent in seeking Him and not letting sin have a foothold in our lives?
The third digression in this genealogy came at the end of the list with the birth of Noah. The meaning of his name was, ““He will comfort [nḥm] us in the labour and painful toil [ꜥiṣṣbon] of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed [ʾrr]” (verse 29). It was a word play on the name of Noah, but brings about the motif of resting and comfort. It may have been Lamech’s hope that Noah would bring about the reversal of the curse. Although the curse was not reversed, however, through Noah, God did not curse the ground ever again (Genesis 8:21). This was enough to accomplish rest. Noah’s life brought the prospect of comfort under the curse.
Dear brothers and sisters, the genealogy of Adam’s line through Seth showed God’s blessings in generation after generation as people are fruitful and multiplying. However, the counter theme of death also resounds in each generation. Birth and death continue, the curse of sin continues on, however, in the midst of death, God’s grace shines through as well. Likewise, dear brothers and sisters, we continue to live in a hostile and sinful world, and we may continue to bear the burden of the curse. We may also be walking through challenging times today, but God’s grace is ever present. Jesus Christ, Son of God, the expressed image of the Father, came to earth. Through His saving grace, we are able to find hope in death, and relief from the groanings of the world. Dear brothers and sisters, may we learn to give thanks for the life that God gave in the face of death. May we learn to be more and more like Christ each day, and may we exemplify the image of God in the world that we are in, so that others may know Christ through our lives, and have the same eternal hope, rest and comfort.