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Created Through Him

The birth of Noah

9/20/2013

28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. 30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 5:28-32).

We have now covered all the generations from Adam to Noah. What follows in chapters 6 and 7 is a judgment of God in the form of the Flood. Noah and his family would be the beginning of another faithful remnant. What is interesting from these verses is that Noah was rather old by the time his three sons were born to him. The time delay before the Flood allowed both Methuselah and Lamech to die natural deaths rather than dying by the Flood judgment of God.

The days of Methuselah

9/19/2013

25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. 26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died (Genesis 5:25-27).

Methuselah lived longer than any other person in history. He died just before the Flood. This fact may explain the meaning of his name (see yesterday’s post). After Methuselah died, the Flood judgment was pronounced. We are now therefore discussing the last generation before the Flood. Lamech, the father of Noah, was a son of Methuselah.

A man of God and his son

9/18/2013

21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him (Genesis 5:21-24).

Enoch was a man of God. He literally never died but rather was taken up to heaven. There are New Testament references to Enoch in both Hebrews 11 and Jude. Hebrews clarifies that in deed Enoch was translated to heaven and Jude verifies that Enoch was a prophet. Enoch also was the father of Methuselah. One translation from Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names for Methuselah is ‘when he is dead it shall be sent’. More about that tomorrow.

The importance of Enoch

9/17/2013

18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: 19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died (Genesis 5:18-20).

We will talk more about Enoch in the next couple of days. Enoch in Hebrew means teacher. While we don’t know whether Enoch was a gifted teacher, his impact on future generations is significant. Enoch is referred to in the New Testament more than any other ante-diluvian patriarch besides Adam and Noah. He is the seventh generation from Adam and in the direct holy line from Seth to Noah.

The direct decent or line

9/16/2013

15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died (Genesis 5:15-17).

Jared was one of the sons of Mahalalel and in Hebrew his name means to descend or come down. As we study these names, ever wonder why some were named in the biblical record and others were not? There were after all other children born during each generation. The answer lies in both the meaning of the names and in the documentation of the direct line of decent from Adam to Noah. The line of decent is the ante-diluvian (pre-flood) holy line that would ultimately provide the surviving remnant of God’s people.

About a name

9/15/2013

12 And Cainan lived seventy years and begat Mahalaleel: 13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died (Genesis 5:12-14).

As we continue to talk about the meaning of names, Mahalaleel means blessed by God or praises God. While there other instances were Mahalaleel is mentioned in genealogies and scant mention in extra-biblical records, not much in known about him. But if his name is any indication, he was a good man of God. The name is the identity and so being a child of God, by name, requires certain reciprocal actions, namely; praising God.

The meaning

9/14/2013

9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: 10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died (Genesis 5:10-11).

It may seem unnecessary or boring to go through all these genealogies but there are several purposes that God has for His people to know the genealogies. The genealogies are meant to illuminate and explain both past and future events. The genealogies, pre-flood and after, do not contain the names of all that lived but rather especially focus mostly on the holy line leading to Christ. Additionally, we loose some of the original meaning of names in the genealogies in the English translations. In the original language and context the names themselves conveyed meaning and perhaps sometimes when taken together provided a prophetic message. Enosh means frail and Cainan means sorrow. When we get to the end of this chapter to Noah we will see an interesting possible prophetic message when all the names from Adam to Noah are put side by side. Regardless of whether there are prophetic messages or meaning behind the names in the genealogies, God’s providence and hand guides the course of His people.

The substitute

9/13/2013

6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died (Genesis 5:6-8).

Seth was a son born to Adam and Eve after Cain Killed Abel. Seth would be the beginning of the holy line that would lead to Christ. The Hebrew word for the name Seth means substitute. So Seth was a substitute for the righteous Abel. As has always been the case, God provides for a faithful remnant to be His people.

The days of Adam

9/12/2013

3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth: 4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died (Genesis 5:3-5).

These genealogies are very interesting and they reveal several interesting facts. People lived a long time and they each had many children. There were likely very few genetic diseases as the gene pool would have been relatively uncorrupted. So the population on the earth very rapidly increased. It is also easy to see how the eyewitness accounts of Adam would have been told to many people who would have had an opportunity to know that Adam existed. Adam lived to within 125 years of Noah being born. So Noah’s Father (Lamech) may have actually known Adam.

The emphasis on God as creator

9/11/2013

1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created (Genesis 5:1-2).

This is a restatement (from Genesis 1 and 2) of the fact that Adam and Eve were created. They did not evolve from other organisms. These are God’s own words, repeated. They were repeated for a reason. God wanted Man to remember and acknowledge God as their creator. God does desire us to acknowledge Him as creator since without this acknowledgement there is no hope for relationship.

Created Through Him