The Generations of Adam
Genesis 5:1-32
The human race, like the book of Genesis began with great privilege, a great purpose and great promise. In Genesis 1 God created the heavens and the earth, ordering and filling them by His word for His glory. Everything was very good. Mankind was the pinnacle of God’s creation: made in the image and likeness of God, given dominion over the earth and its creatures, and blessed to multiply and fill the earth. In Genesis 2 we saw man and woman in the garden of Eden in perfect harmony with God, with each other and with nature.
Then came the fall of mankind into sin in Genesis 3. The first pair of humans disbelieved God’s word, disobeyed God’s command, and destroyed the harmony they had with God, with each other and with the world God had made. Their sin brought death to the human race, first spiritual death which eventually would bring physical death. In Genesis 4 sin multiplied so that the first physical death came by wicked Cain murdering his righteous brother Abel. Cain was unrepentant and went out from the presence of the Lord to build a godless society through his descendants. As Moses concludes his account of the line of Cain it all looks rather gloomy for mankind.
But this dark picture was not devoid of hope because in contrast to the line of Cain, God raises up a new line through Seth. As we saw at the end of Genesis 4 Moses writes,
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 4:25-26).
Building on these hopeful verses Genesis 5 introduces a new section in the narrative, the second of the ten toledots, the ten “These are the generation of” divisions in Genesis. This section runs from Genesis 5:1 to Genesis 6:8. It is called the generations of Adam because it traces the genealogy from Adam through Seth down to Noah and his sons.
As we saw last time, what is clear and a matter of emphasis in the text is that these two genealogies, that of Cain and that of Seth, are more than merely a list of descendants. They represent two trajectories of human life, one ordered by unbelief and rebellion against God and the other ordered by faith and the knowledge of God. Adam’s genealogy here in Genesis 5 passes over Cain to begin with Seth. Here we find a succession of believers who called on and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
With a couple of exceptions, not much is said of these men or their achievements, except that they had children, lived so many years, and died. The line of Seth reminds man of his mortality. But through Enoch, it also shows the hope of eternal life for those who walk with God. Also, it was through the line of Seth that God raised up Noah, and through him came Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and, eventually, Jesus Christ.
Moses wrote these words to the Israelites who were poised to enter and conquer Canaan. The Israelites were prone to rebel and return to Egypt or to join the idolatry and immorality of the pagan nations around them. In Genesis 5 Moses is showing them their godly heritage in the line of Seth, and a pattern to follow as they face a godless culture. His words are just as practical for us as they were for ancient Israel. We, too, live in a pagan world that tempts us to forget the shortness of life and join its progress without God. The exhortation to us today is: walk with God!
With that introduction let’s look at Genesis 5. First we see,
1. The Purpose God created for Mankind (Gen. 5:1-5)
1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. 3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
I don’t want you to miss what a striking thing it is that Adam — the one who broke God’s commandment in the garden, who fell into sin, and who brought death upon himself — Adam has a genealogy! This is by the grace of God alone. Isn’t it striking as well that when Moses introduces Adam at the head of this genealogy his rebellion is not mentioned? Given what we learned about the sin of Adam in Genesis 3 and the corruption that spread upon the earth through his son Cain in Genesis 4. We might expect a negative account. But in fact, instead of reminding us of Adam’s sin, Moses reminds us that “God created man … in the likeness of God.” Adam is introduced to us here as God’s special creature, made in his likeness, and blessed of God. This section has the aroma of God’s grace.
Genesis 5:1-2 take us back to Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” Moses remind us of God’s purpose for mankind. We are created to bear the image of God. And this verse is reminding that sin has not reversed the purpose of God. People, male and female, still bear the image of God. Sin has marred God’s image, but sin cannot remove it.
These verses remind us that we were created in relationship. God created mankind in His image to relate to Him, to know Him, to reflect the likeness of God. He created them male and female to live in relationship. Though sin damages the relationship between husband and wife, God’s purpose in marriage has not changed.
Similarly, as the image of God has not been obliterated by sin, neither has the blessing and calling of God been abrogated. Genesis 5:2 says, “He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.” Moses reminds us of God’s blessing upon mankind. God intended for them to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.” Sin has not reversed the purpose of in creating mankind.
2. The Death that sin brings against Mankind (Gen. 5:3-27)
The whole structure of Genesis 5 reminds us of God’s good creation in Genesis 1. Just as there was distinct pattern to Genesis 1, there is a pattern to Genesis 5. If you read through Genesis 5 the phrase that jumps out at you is what? “and he died.” The repeated phrase in Genesis 1 was “it was good.” When God created the heavens and earth, everything was good. It was good, good, indeed very good. But now not everything is not good. Man sinned. The wages of sin is death. And so the phrase that is repeated is, “and he died”, “and he died”, “and he died”.
As I read Genesis 5:6-20 listen for the repeated emphasis on death.
6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. 7 After he begot Enosh, Seth lived eight hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died.
9 Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. 10 After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and had sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died.
12 Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. 13 After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived eight hundred and forty years, and had sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.
15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. 16 After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years; and he died.
18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died.
For the moment, let’s skip the exception and pick up in Genesis 5:25-27,
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
Death is everywhere. You can’t escape its grim reality. God’s word is always true. Satan is a liar. God said, “… in the day that you eat of it [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil], you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:17). Satan said, “You will not surely die!” (Gen. 3:4). Genesis 5 shows who was right. God’s warning was no idle threat. The repeated phrase, “and he died” sounds like a funeral bell, tolling eight times throughout the chapter (Gen. 5:5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, and 31).
It is surprising to me how many of the sons and daughters of Adam live their lives today without giving thought to their mortality. One thing that is certain, we will all experience death, unless the Lord returns. The last words concerning our life on this planet will almost certainly be, “and he died”. How important it is for us to square with this reality and to live our lives in light of it. And not only should we live our lives in light of the fact that we will experience physical death, but also in light of the fact that after we die we will stand before our Maker to give an account.
But here is the good news. Sin can’t eradicate the people of God. Yes, because of sin in this world, people die. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Always has been, always will be. But God has not put the whole human race to eternal death. By God’s grace sin has not eradicated mankind.
And sin cannot eradicate the people of God. God has always had a remnant of those who by grace call on His name, believe His promises, and obey His word. Boiled down to its essentials, Genesis 5 is a genealogy of ten men starting with Adam and ending with Noah. The ten generations span the time from Creation to the Flood. Here are ten men who lived by faith in a time of increasing unbelief and widespread secularism. When we read the story of Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah, we are reading more than a dusty list of ancient names. These ten men stand before us as giants of the faith, men who refused to follow the prevailing cultural trends of their day. In a world rushing headlong toward judgment, they followed the way of the Lord and passed on a heritage of faith. When the writer of Hebrews 11 wanted to list the heroes of faith, he took two names from this list—Enoch and Noah.
If this genealogy just recorded that each man lived, had some children, and died, it would be a bleak picture. But in the middle of this dismal pattern, there is a bright exception, Enoch and,
3. The Hope God offers to Mankind (Gen. 5:21-24, 29-32)
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Twice in these four verses Moses says “Enoch walked with God.” Later this will also be said of Noah (Gen. 6:9). To “walk with God” speaks of an intimate relationship with God. Remember that in Genesis 3, God came walking in the garden in the cool of the day calling for Adam. It implied that God often walked with man in the garden. It was always God’s purpose that man would walk with God. The phrase indicates a closeness and an obedience. Walking suggests going with God in the same direction.
If this were the only passage in the Bible about Enoch, what characterized his life and what actually happened to him might be a mystery. But the New Testament writer of Hebrews gives us an inspired commentary on these verses.
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:5-6)
Enoch’s testimony was that he pleased God. He believed God. He walked with God by faith. God-pleasing faith literally believes that God is—that God has revealed Himself as the sovereign God of creation and the loving God of redemption. Because Enoch bore the image of God he could hear and respond to God’s word. And he did believe. It is the same today. God is pleased with those who wholly believe what God’s word declares about Him. Enoch also believed in the judgment of God. Enoch believed God “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). That’s the positive side of God’s judgment. Enoch also believed the negative side. Jude, in his New Testament epistle writes,
“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 1:14-15).
And Hebrews also clears up the destiny of Enoch. It tells us what Moses meant when He said, “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Hebrews 11:5 makes it plain that “Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death.” With Enoch the death bell did not sound. We do not know how this happened, but we know that Enoch was taken up from this earthly life and transposed to life eternal without seeing death. This foreshadows the New Testament promises of Christ’s return—that “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).
Here is the truth. Sin cannot silence the promise of God. We have the opportunity to walk with God just as Enoch did. He believed the promise of God to bring a redeemer and we believe the promise of God that Jesus Christ is our redeemer. A the redeemed we “we walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7) we “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8) because “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13).
Lamech had this faith and hope as well. In Genesis 5:29 he says about his son Noah, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.” Lamech knew full well the devastating effects of sin and the curse. But sin could not eliminate the hope that God would send one who “will comfort us.” That hope would come though the line of Lamech’s son Noah and his son Shem. Ultimately that line would lead to the savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ who would die on the cross for our sins and be raised from the dead to give live to all who believe. When you turn in repentance from your sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, you begin a walk with God that, like Enoch, will take you all the way to heaven.
