Genesis 5
McGeeCHAPTER 5THEME: Final chapter of Adam’s biography; the thrilling story of Enoch; the genealogy of Enoch to NoahIn the first section of the Book of Genesis (chapters 1-11), we have world eventsfirst the Creation, then the Fall, and now the Flood in chapters 5-9. In chapter 5 we have the book of the generations of Adam through Seth. Cain’s line has been given to us and is now dropped. It will be mentioned again only as it crosses the godly line. This is a pattern that will be set in the Book of Genesis. In one sense, chapter 5 is one of the most discouraging and despondent chapters in the Bible. The reason is simply that it is like walking through a cemetery. God said to Adam, “…For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen_2:17), and they all died who were the sons of Adam. Paul says, “For as in Adam all die …” (1Co_15:22).
Genesis 5:1
FINAL CHAPTER OF ADAM’S BIOGRAPHY"And blessed them, and called their name Adam"not the Adamses, but Adam. He called their name AdamEve is the other half of him. “The book of the generations of Adam.” This strange expression occurs again only in the beginning of the New Testament, and there it is “the book of the generation of Jesus Christ.” There are these two books, as we are already seeing that there are two lines, two seeds, and they are against each other. The struggle is going to be long between the line of Satan and the line of Christ, the accepted line. The line which we are following now is the line through Seth, and it is through this line that Christ will ultimately come.
Genesis 5:3
When Adam was 130 years old, how old was he? In other words, when God created Adam, did He create him thirty years old or fourteen or forty-five? I do not knowanything would be speculation. And if He created him that old, was he that old? And of course God could create him any age. May I say, this answers a lot of questions about the age of the earth. When someone says that certain rocks are billions of years old, they just do not know. Maybe when God created them, He created them two or three billion years old. The important thing here is that when Adam had been here 130 years, he begat a son in his own likeness. Adam was made in the likeness of God, but his son was born in his likeness.
Genesis 5:4
Now we start through the graveyard. Adam begat sons and daughters, “and all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years"and what happened? “And he died.” In verse Gen_5:8 we read what happened to Seth. He died. He had a son by the name of Enos, and what happened to him? In verse Gen_5:11 we are told that he died. But he had a son, and Cainan was his son. And what happened to old Cainan? In verse Gen_5:14 we find that he died too. He had a son, Mahalaleel, and what happened to him? In verse Gen_5:17 it says he died. But he had a son, and his name was Jared, and, well, he died too (v. Gen_5:20).
Genesis 5:21
THE THRILLING STORY OF ENOCHBut before he died, Jared had a son by the name of Enoch. And then did Enoch die? No! He did not die. This is a dark chapter, but here is the bright spot in it.
Genesis 5:22
This is one of the most remarkable things, that in the midst of death one man is removed from this earth. It is said of Enoch that he “walked with God.” This is quite remarkable, by the way. Only two men are said to have walked with God. In the next chapter, we find that Noah also walked with God. These were two antediluvians, and they walked with God. There are actually only two men in the Old Testament who did not die. One of them is Enoch, and the other, of course, is Elijah. Enoch is one of the few before the Flood of whom we have any record at all. We are told that he did not die but that God took himhe was translated. What do we mean by translation? Translation is the taking of a word from one language and putting it into another language without changing its meaning. Enoch was removed from this earth; he was translated. He had to get rid of the old body which he had. He had to be a different individualyet he had to be the same individual, just as the translated word has to be the same. Enoch was taken to heaven. We read that Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah, and after that he walked with God. I do not know what the first sixty-five years of his life were. I assume that he was like the rest of the crowdthis was a very careless period, moving now into the orbit of the days of Noah. But when that little boy Methuselah was born, Enoch’s walk was changed. That baby turned him to God. My friend, sometimes God puts a baby in a family just for that purpose, and if that baby will not bring you to God, nothing else will.
For three hundred years after that he walked with God, and he begat other children, sons and daughters. “And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years"that is how long he was on this earth, but he did not die. It does not say, “And then Enoch died,” but it says, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” The only way I know to describe this is the way a little girl described it to her mother when she came home from Sunday school. She said, “Teacher told us about Enoch and how he walked with God.” Her mother said, “Well, what about Enoch?” And the little girl put it something like this: “It seems that every day God would come by and say to Enoch, ‘Enoch, would you like to walk with Me?’ And Enoch would come out of his house and down to the gate, and he’d go walking with God. He got to the place that he enjoyed it so much that he’d be waiting at the gate of his house every day. And God would come along and say, ‘Enoch, let’s take a walk.’ Then one day God came by and said, ‘Enoch, let’s take a long walk. I have so much to tell you.’ So they were walking and walking, and finally Enoch said, ‘My, it’s getting late in the afternoon, I’d better get back home!’ And God said to him, ‘Enoch, you’re closer to My home than you are to your home; so you come on home with Me.’ And so Enoch went home with God.” I do not know how you can put it any better than that, my friend. That is exactly the story that is here. I think that all the great truths here in Genesis are germane. In my judgment, this is the picture of what is to come; here is the Rapture of the church. Before the judgment of the Flood, God removes Enoch.
Genesis 5:27
THE GENEALOGY OF ENOCH TO NOAH-102AdamSethEnosCainanMahalaleelJaredEnochMethuselahLamechNoahShemArphaxadSelahEberPelegReuSerugNahorTerahAbramIsaacJacob-102AGED-102AdamCr-102SethB130-102EnosB235105-102CainanB32519590-102MahalaleelB39526516070-102JaredB46033022513565-102EnochB622492387297227162-102MethuselahB68755745236229222765-102LamechB874744639549479414252187-102AdamD93080069560553547030824356-102EnochTr857752662592527365300113-102SethD912807717647582355168-102NoahB821731661596369182-102EnosD90581574568045326684-102CainanD910840775548361179-102MahalaleelD895830603416234-102JaredD962735548366-102ShemB869682502-102LamechD96477759593-102MethuselahD96960098-102The Deluge60098-102ArphaxadB602100-102SelahB63713535-102EberB6671656530-102PelegB701199996434-102ReuB731229129946430-102SerugB763261161126966232-102NahorB793291191156126926230-102TerahB822320220185155121915929-102PelegD940438338303273239209177147118-102NahorD941439339304274210178148119-102NoahD950448348313283219187128-102AbramB450350315285221189130-102ReuD46836833330323920714818-102SerugD49139135632623017141-102TerahD52542539036020575-102ArphaxadD53843840337388-102IsaacB550415385100-102SelahD56843340311818-102ShemD60043515050-102JacobB44516060-102AbrahamD4601757515-102EberD4647919-102IsaacD180120-102JacobD147EXAMPLE: Noah (vertical list) was born when Methuselah (horizontal list) was 369 years old. Methuselah lived longer than Adam. These two men, Adam and Methuselah, pretty well bridged the gap between creation and the Flood. According to our genealogy, this man Methuselah could have told Noah everything from the creation of the world. I personally feel that we have a gap in the genealogy given here. We know that in the opening of the New Testament the genealogy that is given of the Lord Jesus leaves out quite a few, and purposely so, because there is an attempt to give it in three equal segments. Certain ones are left out, but you will notice that it follows through accurately.
I am sure that this genealogy is accurate, but the important thing is that we may have a gap here that would account for the fact that man has been on this earth a great deal longer than we have supposed. This is something I do not care to go into because it is quite an involved subject. Scripture is not clear right here. Why isn’t it? Because God is not anxious to insist upon that. What He is trying to get over to us is the religious, the redemptive, history of mankind on this earth. The name of Methuselah means “sending forth.” Others believe that Methuselah meant: “When he is dead, it shall be sent.” What will be sent? The Flood. As long as Methuselah lived, the Flood could not come. The very interesting thing is that according to a chronology of the genealogy of the patriarchs (shown on the preceding page), the year that Methuselah died is the year that the Flood came. “When he is dead, it shall be sent"that is the meaning of his name. Why did Methuselah live longer than any other person? God kept him here just to let mankind know that He is patient and merciful. God will also wait for you, my friendall of your life. Peter speaks of the long-suffering of our God: “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1Pe_3:20). As we continue down through the rest of this chapter, each man is mentioned and then his death.
Genesis 5:31
It is the popular theory in the world, blindly accepted by men, and the conclusion, I think, of all philosophy, that human nature is inherently and innately good and that it can be improved. The whole program that is abroad today is that, if we will just try to improve the environment of man and his heredity, he can really be improved. Communism and socialism seek to improve man. Arminianism means that man can assist in his salvation. Modernism says that man can save himself. In other words, salvation is sort of a do-it-yourself kit that God gives to you. Some of the cults tell us that human nature is totally good and that there is no such thing as sin. What does God say concerning man? God says that man is totally evil, totally bad. That is the condition of all of us. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom_3:10). That is the estimate of the Word of God. If you will accept God’s Word for it, it will give you a truer conception of life today than is given to us by others. Here is mankind, and we are following a godly line now. Where is it going to lead? Is it going to lead to a millennium here upon this earth? Are they going to come to Elysian fields and establish Utopia? No. The very next chapter tells us that a Flood, a judgment from God, came upon the earth.