“Genesis 5:1-17”

Thursday, October 24, 2019

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created. 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. Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh. Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan. Then Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died. Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel. Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared. Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“This is the book of the generations of Adam.” (verse 1) This is the second reference to the word “generations” or “towledah” (Hebrew), and the first of the seven genealogies in Genesis that begins with this term. “This remarkable chapter bridges the time-lapse between the Creation and the Flood, that is, from Adam to Noah… The great purpose of the chapter was not to give the age either of the earth or the human race when the flood came, but to trace the line of people who continued to honor God in those generations leading up to the Deluge.” (James Burton Coffman)

“In the day when God created man, He made them in the likeness of God.” (verse 1) This may sound like a redundant reiteration of Genesis 1:26-27, but the statement is very purposeful and forceful when used as the introduction for this genealogy. When God created Adam and Eve in His “likeness” and “image”, that was a “trait” that was passed on to all of their offspring. All people share a common beginning through the first parents, therefore we are all related physically. And, we all share spiritual ties in that all people are fashioned after the image of the Creator. The two great commandments of all Scripture are to love God above all else and love neighbor as self (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:37-40). Genesis 5:1 shows us why this is true and motivates us to love all people.

“He created them male and female, and blessed them and named them Man…” (verse 2) God created male and female and “blessed them” with the gift of intimacy in the marital union to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28). We see in the list of generations that follows that good and blessed commandment being fulfilled. God created man with the ability to also “create”, or better yet “procreate”, but He also “named them” to demonstrate His absolute sovereignty and authority over them and their (our) complete subjugation to and dependency upon Him.

Nahum Sarna observed about the pattern in this ancestry list the following: “There is a stereotyped pattern in the genealogy. For each personality, the age at which he first became the father of a son is noted, then the number of his remaining years, then the fact that he fathered sons and daughters, and, finally, the age when he died. The formula is varied in the case of the first and the last on the list, Adam and Noah, so that these constitute a literary framework for the entire list. The seventh, Enoch, is also singled out for special attention, meriting four verses instead of the three uniformly assigned to the other personalities.”

Concerning the long lifespans of our ancestors before the Flood, James Burton Coffman observed: “It must never be forgotten that between us and those dim yesteryears, there roll the vast waters of the mighty Deluge itself, involving not merely the inundation of the earth, but tremendous and cataclysmic changes that accompanied it. In short, the pages of God's book (the earth) have been disrupted and shuffled. If we knew all of the facts, we would have no difficulty with what the Holy Spirit has revealed on these pages. A physician called upon to examine Adam half an hour after he was created, or a wine-taster estimating the age of the wine that Jesus created in Cana, would doubtless have reached conclusions far different from the facts in the case, with reference either to the age of the wine, or of Adam.”

We will pick back up on this genealogy tomorrow – Please read Genesis 5:18-32.

Have a blessed day!

- Louie Taylor

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