Genesis 5:1-32

When I read the genealogies, it always amazes me how much attention to time God records for us about these men.  There is a lot of information about how long they lived but not much information about how these men lived.  This genealogy records for us the descendants of Adam through Seth up until the time of Noah.  Here are a few tidbits that I gleaned from this chapter.

MAN REPRODUCES AFTER HIS LIKENESS: God makes it clear that Adam was created in the image and likeness of God and that Adam’s children were then born with that same likeness.  All human beings are image bearers of the almighty God.  We are uniquely gifted by God for the purpose of glorifying Him.  Adam and all of us have this same resource and responsibility.

MEN HAD CHILDREN LATE AND LIVED LONG: It is amazing to think that these men lived at least into their sixties before having children and many of them well into their hundreds.  Then they lived hundreds of years after that.  These life spans would contribute to a large population on the earth over a short period of time.  This also indicates that prior to the flood; there was something about the earth’s climate and makeup that was conducive to long life.  I believe that the earth was covered with a canopy of water which was in the atmosphere that produced a stable and uniform climate as well as served as a filter system from the sun’s harmful rains.  They also didn’t eat French fries and ice cream or bacon, so their diet was helpful to prolong their lives as well.

ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD: Enoch is the only person about whom we are given extra information.  We learn that he walked with God in a special way and that he was taken by God.  We don’t know how he was taken; if this was some sort of rapture like Elijah of what exactly this was but we do know that He had a special relationship with God and that this was recorded about him.  Our reputations will follow us for many years after we are gone and we should all make it our goal to have this same thing be said of us that we walk with God.

 NOAH’S EARTH WAS 1565 YEARS OLD: If you take the ages of each man when he had his first child, and add them all together it comes up to 1,565 years.  Since Noah didn’t have children until he was 500, that means that Adam only died about 100 years before Noah was born.  We don’t know this but is seems that Noah’s boys may have been triplets since they all seem to have been born at the same time but that may not be the case.  At any rate, I think it is interesting that we know how old the earth was prior to the flood.

SIN CAUSED MEN TO DIE: The consistent commentary about all of these men is that they lived, had children and then they died.  The wages of sin is death and we see that with the exception of Enoch all the men died.  Death is the reality of all men because sin is the reality of all men.  We must trust Christ so that we can be prepared for that day when we will stand before God.