The Reign of Death
Notes
Transcript
Before we begin, I would like to remind you of a truth that we probably all know, but we need to be reminded of it from time to time:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.
When we come to Genesis 5, we may be tempted to skip over this passage because it just seems like a list of names and numbers, and it may be hard for us to see how this is relevant for us today. But God says it is relevant and useful or profitable for us to read and study so that we would know Him more and obey Him better.
text: Genesis 5
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness.
2 Male and female He created them, and He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them “man.”
3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.
4 And after he had become the father of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
5 So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh.
7 And after he had become the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
8 So Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
9 When Enosh was 90 years old, he became the father of Kenan.
10 And after he had become the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
11 So Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.
12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel.
13 And after he had become the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 So Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he became the father of Jared.
16 And after he had become the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters.
17 So Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.
18 When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch.
19 And after he had become the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 So Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah.
22 And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
23 So Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
24 Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he became the father of Lamech.
26 And after he had become the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
27 So Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son.
29 And he named him Noah, saying, “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.”
30 And after he had become the father of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
31 So Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
PRAY
Introduction
Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7 that “the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning” whereas “the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.”
We live in a time of great foolishness, don’t we? All around us people are partying, filling up their lives with all sorts of pleasures that this world has to offer, all the while ignoring the reality of their own mortality. And if we’re not careful, we can fall into this mindset as well.
How many of us would prefer to go to a funeral than a wedding or party? Yet Solomon says in that same passage, “It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.” Funerals are better for our hearts than parties, because they remind us of the brevity and seriousness of life.
Death is an uncomfortable topic for us as Americans, yet we cannot ignore it as we look at this chapter. We do everything that we can to avoid talking about or thinking about death, and yet as we see in this chapter, with one exception, everyone dies.
It will be our wisdom to pay attention to this reality so that we can live and die well.
First, we will make a few other observations from this chapter before centering in on the serious reality of death.
Man in the Image of God
Man in the Image of God
This chapter begins in Gen 5:1-2 with a repetition of some of the truths spoken back in Gen 1 regarding God’s creation of mankind. In Gen 1:27-28 we read,
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it…”
Now in chapter 5 we read the same truths stated in a slightly different way and order:
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness. 2 Male and female He created them, and He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them “man.”
God is the Creator, and man is a creature.
Man did not evolve but was created through the direct act of God.
Mankind is created in the image and likeness of God, meaning that God created humans for relationship with Him. People are to relate to God as sons to a Father and servants to a King. They are to represent Him by imitating His character and exercising His authority over the rest of creation. And only mankind is made in the image and likeness of God.
God made mankind in two distinct genders and blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. And in this chapter we see some measure of obedience to that command, often called the Creation mandate.
Every generation here (with the exception of Noah) is said to have had sons and daughters. If all or even most of their sons and daughters also had sons and daughters, we are talking about likely millions if not tens or hundreds of millions of people populating the earth by the end of the chapter, over the course of about 1500 years. That’s a detail to keep in mind when we get to the Flood in ch. 6.
God’s Image in Man Remains
God’s Image in Man Remains
We know already from Genesis 3 that Adam and Eve sinned and broke fellowship with God by their disobedience to His command. And yet, although the image of God in man has been marred or distorted in some measure, His image is retained not only in Adam and Eve, but also passed down through the generations, applying to every human being. God’s Image in Man Remains. Verse 3 says this:
3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.
Just as God made Adam as a son in His image and likeness, now together with Eve, Adam brings forth a son made in his own image and likeness. The order of the terms here is switched to make reference back to Genesis 1 and teach that God’s image is passed down through the generations of humanity. One commentary says this:
Genesis 1–11:26 (1) Adam, the First (5:3–5)
By referring to Seth as born in the “likeness” and “image” of his father, the genealogy shows the perpetuation of the divine image and blessing, which has its beginnings in the creation of mankind (1:26).
And so, God’s image remains in mankind and is passed down to every generation.
The Pattern in the Genealogy
The Pattern in the Genealogy
In each of the first 9 generations listed here, with minor exceptions, there are 6 elements mentioned in every generation.
Let’s look again at the first two, Adam and Seth, and observe the pattern:
3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 And after he had become the father of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
6 When Seth was 105 years old, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he had become the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 So Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
Birth and name - each one of course begins with the mention of their birth and name, with the exception of Adam who was created, not born. In some cases we have the expression “he had a son” and in others, “he became the father of” introducing the next generation.
Age at son’s birth - the 2nd factor in each generation is the age of the father at the birth of his son; Adam was 130 when Seth was born, and Seth was 105 when Enosh was born, etc.
Years lived after son’s birth - the 3rd factor mentioned is how many more years each man lived after the birth of their son; for example, Adam lived 800 additional years after Seth was born, and Seth lived 807 years longer after Enosh was born.
Other sons and daughters - the 4th factor in each generation is that besides the specific son in focus, they each had other sons and daughters, whether before or after the specific sons mentioned. Adam had other sons and daughters besides the ones mentioned, so did Seth, and every one of these generations down through Lamech.
Total years lived - the 5th thing mentioned in each generation is the total number of years they lived. Adam lived 930 years total, Seth 912 years, and of course the longest living man here was Methuselah who made it to 969. All of them short of 1000 though. Less than a day as far as God is concerned. Just a vapor’s breath.
Then he died - the last phrase repeated in each generation, with one major exception, is that he died. We see it there in v. 5 and again in 8, “and then he died.” With the exception of Enoch, this is the end of all of them.
Sin’s Consequence of Death
Sin’s Consequence of Death
As we mentioned at the beginning, it is wise for us to take time to consider this serious reality of death. It is a reality that we all must face, unless the Lord comes back during our lifetime.
That phrase “and then he died”, repeated 8 times in this chapter is a horrible reality.
Death is not part of God’s good creation. The world is not supposed to be this way. I think this is one reason that Jesus is said to have gotten so deeply moved or even angry in John 11 when His friend Lazarus died. Death is an intruder in God’s good world.
Death as the Consequence of Sin
And death has intruded into God’s creation because of sin.
God had told Adam,
17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
True to His Word, God dealt the punishment of death for sin, although He graciously delayed the timing of physical death, giving them time to respond to His promise of grace.
Paul confirms in Romans that death is in the world because of sin:
12 … Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin…
Death Passed to All Men
And Adam’s sin didn’t affect him alone. The guilt of his sin and the tendency toward sin was passed down to each generation. That same verse says in full,
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.
Hebrews tells us that it is appointed to man to die - and dozens of generations have gone before us testifying to the awful reality of death.
Jesus Has Conquered Death by His Death
But death will not have the final word. We get a hint of that in the story of Enoch as well as in the prophecy spoken by Noah’s father Lamech.
But as we’ve looked at before, Hebrews 2:14-15 reminds us of Jesus’s victory over Satan, sin, and death by His own death on the cross.
14 Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Death is not the end of the story, and for those who trust in Jesus, we are freed from slavish fear of death because of the promise of eternal life with Christ.
We Still Die, as a testimony to the exceeding sinfulness of sin
And yet, unlike Enoch, we are not spared the pain of physical death. Physical death remains as a reminder for us of the awful consequences of sin due to the exceeding sinfulness of sin.
Someday, death will be no more
But we also have the promise that someday death will be no more. When God makes all things new, we read in Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more death.
4 ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Christ has already removed death’s sting through His death and resurrection, and someday He will triumph over death completely.
And, of course, we have one man in Genesis 5 who breaks the monotonous refrain” then he died, then he died, then he died.”
Enoch Walked with God
Enoch Walked with God
We have the story of Enoch in v. 18-24
18 When Jared was 162 years old, he became the father of Enoch.
19 And after he had become the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 So Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah.
22 And after he had become the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
23 So Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
24 Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, because God had taken him away.
Enoch and Elijah are the only two men in the Bible that we know of who didn’t ever die. The Bible also tells us that this will be the experience of those Christians who are alive when Jesus returns.
What is clear is that it is the exception and not the rule for people to escape death.
What happened to Enoch? Verse 24 simply tells us that he was no more or he was not because God had taken him away.
And we might conclude that this is simply a different way of expressing his death, except that the NT interprets it clearly to us:
5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
The author of Hebrews concludes that Enoch did not see death - he did not die. And of all the other righteous men in Scripture, the only other one to experience this blessing was Elijah in 1 Kings 2.
But even more remarkable about Enoch is the phrase that is repeated twice about him in these verses. In v. 22 and then again in v. 24 it tells us that Enoch walked with God.
Can you imagine what kind of close relationship Enoch had with God after walking with him for 300 years? We can probably all think of people who have walked closely with the Lord for 30, 40, or 50 years (perhaps a grandparent or former pastor or teacher).
And even some of you have been walking with Him for dozens of years, and you can look back on the progress you’ve made in godliness and holiness in that time. You know God way more now than you did when you first believed, and you trust Him and love Him and obey Him better too.
You’re also keenly aware of how far you still fall short of His glory, and yet, by His grace you are closer to Him and more like Him than you used to be.
Can you imagine now multiplying that by 5 or 10 or 20 times? Enoch is said to have walked with God for 300 years. All the while also having a family, including many sons and daughters.
Only one other man in the Bible is also said to have walked with God in the same way. In Genesis 6:9 we read that Noah walked with God. Only these two men are reported to have had this particular kind of relationship with God.
And what does it mean to walk with God?
Other people such as Abraham, Isaac, and Hezekiah are reported to have walked before the LORD, implying a great level of submission to His authority, but Enoch and Noah walked with God. To walk with God implies a deep level of friendship and communion and intimacy in the relationship. And the verb structure in Hebrew shows us that this was a repeated, regular activity for these men. It was a regular part of their daily lives to spend time with God and enjoy close friendship and fellowship with Him.
How about us? Can we walk with God like that?
Yes! Although our earthly lives will be much shorter than Enoch’s and Noah’s, we can enjoy a great deal of intimacy in our relationship with God during our lives here. How do we walk with God?
I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but read your Bible. Spend time listening to God’s voice in God’s Word. Pay close attention to the things He has said. When you read or listen to Scripture, you are hearing the voice of God speak to you! It is an amazing thing.
Read your Bible, study it, memorize it, meditate on it, talk to others about it. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly! This is the best way for you to get to know God, and the more you know Him, the more you will trust Him and love Him, and the better you will obey Him. Read your Bible!
But also pray. Listen to His voice, but make your voice heard to Him as well. Talk to Him about anything and everything. Talk to Him about what you read in His Word. Talk to Him about the situations you’re facing in life. Praise Him and thank Him for who He is and what He has done for you. Ask for His help to live the way He wants you to. Talk to God. Pray.
Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.
If that’s not already a regular habit in your life, I plead with you to make it a habit. Walk with God.
This is something that pleases God. Look again at Hebrews 11:5
5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
This author’s conclusion is that by walking with God, Enoch pleased God. And therefore He concludes that Enoch was a man of faith, because,
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Walking with God is a matter of faith; and faith takes hold of the reality of who God is and the reward that God gives. To have faith is to believe that God is who He says He is and does what He says He will do. If you will believe those things, you honor God, and God is pleased.
So this is what it looks like to live a life of faith - walk with God.
Lamech, Noah, & Longing for Rest
Lamech, Noah, & Longing for Rest
There is something else that stands out near the end of this chapter. At the end of the chapter we have an expression of the hopeful longing that God will restore humanity to the Rest that has been lost because of sin.
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he had a son.
29 And he named him Noah, saying, “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.”
30 And after he had become the father of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
31 So Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
I would commend for your study a contrast between this Lamech and the one of chapter 4, the descendant of Cain. Clearly Moses is drawing our attention to this contrast both by the fact that they have the same name, as well as the use of the number 7. Cain’s descendant Lamech boasted of being avenged 77 times; Seth’s descendant Lamech lived 777 years.
But we want to especially focus on the word spoken over his son Noah. It’s unclear if this is being spoken as a prophecy or simply as a longing or wish that Lamech is expressing. Either way it’s significant. He names his son Noah (which means “rest”), and says,
“May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.”
As a result of Adam’s sin, God had cursed the ground, so that work was now difficult and toilsome, and perhaps this was even getting harder and harder by the generation.
Lamech expresses hope in God’s promise of the seed of the woman who will crush the serpent’s head and deliver mankind from sin and death and so restore the world to the rest it had at the beginning.
He is expressing faith in God’s promise! In fact, that’s what this whole chapter is about. God is at work fulfilling His promise regarding the seed of the woman. That seed wouldn’t come as quickly as Lamech hoped. It would still be another 3000 years before the ultimate Seed came.
Maybe, like me, you wish that we had more information about the people here. Or you wonder why none of the other million people or so of this period receive any mention at all. Wouldn’t you love to know more about Enoch? Wouldn’t it be amazing to learn what Methuselah’s life was like? But this is all we have.
And one reason that we’re not given more information about these people or information about other people is that the main point of Gen 5 is to trace the seed of the woman through these 10 generations from Adam to Noah. It’s about faith in the promise of God.
This genealogy as well as the ones in Genesis 10-11 show us that the seed of the woman is the seed of Noah and the seed of Abraham. God is at work fulfilling His promise.
One other note that may help us trust the truthfulness of the accounts we have in Genesis is the overlap between the lives of these men mentioned here.
If you do the math, Adam was alive until Lamech was 56. Noah’s father Lamech would have likely known his great, great, great, great, great, great (6 greats) grandfather Adam, which means that Lamech could have heard from Adam himself what the Garden of Eden was like and how Adam and Eve sinned and all of those earlier stories. Because of the overlap, these stories were not passed through many generations before being written down. And Noah’s son Shem, at the end of this chapter, was still alive during the lifetime of Abraham. So the truthfulness of these stories is not in question. This is reliable and trustworthy and historically accurate information we have here. You can trust your Bible!
Application:
Application:
This is a story of Death and Life. We are reminded here of the seriousness of sin and how its just punishment is death. And we also deserve to die because of our sin. The wages of sin is death. Because of Adam’s sin and your own you have earned death. But that verse goes on, doesn’t it?
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Death is not the end - there is life after death, and for those who embrace Christ Jesus the Lord by faith, there is eternal life with God - perfect, restored fellowship. Perfect enjoyment of God’s rest forever.
And those who are on the path toward eternal life will live by faith, like Enoch, Lamech, and Noah here - walking in close fellowship with God through His Word and prayer, trusting the promises of God, and building our lives on the solid foundation of His Word.
Like the godly men mentioned in this chapter, we must live by faith so that we can die in faith:
13 All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
That’s your goal - die in faith. Trust the promises of God right up to your last breath. And to do that, you must live by faith now.
Live by faith so that you can die in faith.
PRAY
