Genesis 5-The Man Who Walked with God-Enoch
Wednesday September 7, 2005
Genesis: Genesis 5-The Man Who Walked With God-Enoch
Lesson # 23
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 3:15.
This evening we will study Genesis 5, which contains the genealogy of Adam as well as the story of Enoch.
Genesis 5 begins the third major section of the book of Genesis and concludes in Genesis 6:8 and deals with the genealogy of Adam and in particular the line of Seth, which is the line of the “Promised Seed” (Gen. 3:15) who is Jesus Christ.
Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
The first major section was the prologue contained in Genesis 1:1-2:3 and the second major section was contained in Genesis 2:4-4:26.
Each of these sections is marked by the noun toledhoth (pronounced: toh-led-aw) (tw{dl@w{T), “generations” and is always used in a transitional sense meaning it is never used as a conclusion to what precedes but rather it is used as an introduction to what follows.
Genesis 5:1, “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made (`asah, “modeled”) him in the likeness of God.”
“This is the book of the generations of Adam” does “not” refer to the preceding events but rather to the genealogy that follows and this is indicated by the noun toledhoth, “generations.”
This genealogy of Adam is “vertical” because it shows descendancy from Adam through Seth to Noah and contains ten individuals.
Please be aware of the fact that Biblical genealogies do “not” name every person in the line but only those who were prominent figures in the eyes of God.
The purpose of the genealogy recorded in Genesis is “not” chronological but rather to trace the thread of the promised Redeemer, the Seed, Jesus Christ.
The Cainite genealogy in Genesis 4 contains seven generations (from Cain to Jubal) whereas the Sethite genealogy in Genesis 5 has ten (from Adam to Noah).
Both lists end with three sons coming from the final name on the list (Jabal, Jubal, Tubal-Cain (4:20-22); Shem, Ham and Japheth (5:32).
In each list only one man spoke-Lamech in the Cainite list (4:23-24) and a different Lamech in the Sethite list (5:29).
The Cainite Lamech was taunting the curse (4:24), whereas the Sethite Lamech was moaning under the curse and looking for comfort from his son Noah (5:29).
The genealogy of Adam in Genesis 5 is also “linear” since it establishes continuity over stretches of time without narrative and is used to demonstrate that Noah is the legitimate descendant of Adam through Seth and that his ancestry was in the line of the Promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ who would defeat sin and Satan.
The names in this genealogy of Adam or record of his descendants are those sons who turned out to be in the line of the Promised Seed, Jesus Christ.
The human nature of Jesus Christ would come from the line of Seth and not the line of Cain.
Genesis 5:1, “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made (`asah, “modeled”) him in the likeness of God.”
Also, the phrase “the book” is first mentioned in the Old Testament whereas “the book” is first mentioned in Matthew 1:1, “the book of the generation of Jesus Christ.”
Thus, the “first” book in the Old Testament tells us of the first Adam whereas the “second” book speaks of the origins of the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:47).
Three facts are emphasized in the record of the ten antediluvian patriarchs in Genesis 5:
(1) God was preserving and recording the divinely ordained line of the Promised Seed, with the appropriate genealogical and chronological data.
(2) God’s command to Adam to be fruitful and multiply was being obeyed since the record states that each one in the line had sons and daughters.
(3) God’s curse was also in effect, since he man died even though living hundreds of years.
Genesis 5:2, “He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.”
Genesis 5:1-2 refer back to Genesis 1:26-28.
Genesis 5:3, “When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth (name means, “substitute”).”
“He (Adam) became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image” means that Adam passed down his sin nature to his son Seth through copulation with Eve.
According to Romans 5:12-19 and John 8:31-36 everyone person born into the world receives the imputation of Adam’s original sin in the garden, thus making them physically alive but spiritually and qualified for grace, which is for the unworthy and undeserving.
“Seth” is the proper noun sheth (jv@), which is pronounced shayth and means, “appointed one, one given for a set purpose” and expresses Eve desire that he would replace Abel.
Genesis 5:4, “Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:5, “So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.”
Genesis 5:6, “Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh (“weakness”).”
Genesis 5:7, “Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:8, “So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.”
Genesis 5:9, “Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan (“smith”).”
Genesis 5:10, “Then Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:11, “So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.”
Genesis 5:12, “Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel (“Praiseworthy is God”).”
Genesis 5:13, “Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:14, “So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.”
Genesis 5:15, “Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared (“descent”: first one to not live nine hundred years).”
Genesis 5:16, “Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:17, “So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.”
Genesis 5:18, “Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch (“dedication, commencement”).”
Genesis 5:19, “Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:20, “So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.”
Genesis 5:21, “Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah (“When he dies, then it [the Flood] shall be sent”).”
The fact that Enoch named his son Methuselah indicates that God gave Enoch a prophecy of the coming judgment of the great Flood.
God had promised Enoch that it would not come as long as Methuselah lived, which was 969 years, which is more than any man in history.
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
Genesis 5:22, “Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Enoch made God’s Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews 11.
Hebrews 11:5, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”
Enoch’s faith expressed itself by his obedience to the Word of God, which testified that he lived a life that was pleasing to God before being taken off planet earth.
“Enoch” is the proper noun chanokh (Ew{nj&) pronounced khan-oke, which means, “dedicated one, dedication, commencement.”
Enoch was a prophet of God and preached the gospel in times of great apostasy.
Jude 14, “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones.’”
Jude 15, “to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
This is a prophecy of Christ’s 2nd Advent, which comes 7 years after the Rapture of the church.
Enoch was also in the line of Christ according to Luke 3:37 and was 7th in descent from Adam in the line of Seth (Jude 14; cf. 1 Ch. 1:3) and he lived halfway between Adam and the Flood.
The phrase “walked with God” refers to the fact that Enoch had intimate fellowship with God.
Genesis 5:23, “So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.”
Genesis 5:24, “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”
It does not say that he walked with God prior to the birth of Methuselah but rather after his birth.
This child was used by God to change his life.
Remember all children are a gift from the Lord.
Psalm 127:3-4, “Behold, children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.”
“Took” is the Qal perfect form of the verb laqach, “to forcibly snatch or steal away, forcibly remove.”
God forcibly removed Enoch off planet earth and this the Lord Jesus Christ will do this to the Rapture generation of the church.
1 Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
Nearly 25 centuries later, another prophet, Elijah, was taken up into heaven without dying (2 Ki. 2:11).
It is significant that Enoch prophesied about midway between Adam and Abraham, and Elijah about midway between Abraham and Christ, and that both Enoch and Elijah ministered in times of deep apostasy.
Genesis 5:25, “Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech (“powerful, conqueror”).”
Genesis 5:26, “Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:27, “So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.”
Genesis 5:28, “Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son.”
Genesis 5:29, “Now he called his name Noah (“rest”), saying, ‘This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.’”
Genesis 5:30, “Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Genesis 5:31, “So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.”
Genesis 5:32, “Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem (“name”), Ham (“dark”), and Japheth (“fair”).”