The Generations of Adam—Genesis 5

Show Notes

Rev. Jason Piland

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.

(Genesis 5:1 ESV

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Speaker 0: You're listening to a sermon from the pulpit of Redeem church, a Pc. In hudson, Ohio. For more information, visit us at redeem Ohio dot org. And

Speaker 1: This evening, if you have a copy of the Bible. You can turn to Genesis chapter 5, which is where we pick up in our study through the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter 5 this morning. And Genesis chapter 5 is introducing. It begins a new section in the book of Genesis.

It begins with this is the book of the generations of Adam. Similar phrase is used the generations of so and so is used throughout Genesis as a section break or maybe even a section header. Now we're not leaving the previous section behind altogether, because last time we we saw the negative gene of the of cain. And here we come to the positive gene of those descendants of the line of promise. So it's a new section looking at this line of promise.

And so as we read, we're going to read the entire chapter versus versus 1 through 32. So as we're reading Want you to listen for a pattern that develops is a a rep pattern that you will hear easily, but also pay attention to where the pattern deviate. Because those are certainly important. So we will read Genesis chapter 5. So here now the word of the lord.

This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God, male and female he created them. And he blessed them and named them man when they were created. When Adam had lived a hundred and 30 years, he father a son in his own likeness. After his image, named him Seth.

The days of Adam after he father Seth were 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters, Thus all the days of Adam that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. When Seth had lived a hundred and 5 years, he father Enoch. Seth lived after he father Enoch 807 years and had other sons and daughters, thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. When Enoch had lived 90 years, he father Keen. Enoch lived after he father Ken 815 years and had other sons and daughters.

Thus all the days of Enoch were 905 years, and he died. When Keen had lived 70 years, he father Mahal. Keen lived after he father Mah mahal 840 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Kin were 910 years, and he died. When Mahal mahal have lived 65 years he father Jared.

Mah mahal lived after he father Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus, all the days of Mahal were 895 years and he died. When Jared had lived a hundred and 62 years, he father Enoch. Jared lived after he father Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus, all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.

But Enoch had lived 65 years, he father. Enoch walked with God after he father Med 6 300 years. And had other sons and daughters, thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God. And he was not for god took him.

When Math mendoza had lived a hundred and 87 years, he father Lame, Med mendoza lived after he father Lame, hundred and 82 years and had other sons and daughters, Thus all the days of were 969 years, and he died. 7 Lam had lived a hundred and 82 years. He father a son and called his name Noah, saying, out of the ground that the Lord has cursed This 1 shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands. Lam lived after he father Noah. 595 years and had other sons and daughters.

Thus, all the days of Islamic were 777 years, and he died. After Noah was 500 years old, Noah father shi, him and Ja. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. What is the nature of the Christian life? That's the question this evening.

How would you describe it? How should a Christian live? I'm not simply asking what is the purpose and the goal of the Christian life. So we get easily answer to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. It's a wonderful start.

But what will the Christian life look like? The chapter I think in Genesis is deeply profound even though at first glance, it might, it might look like a boring repetition of names and ages. There's something wonderfully foundational being established here in this chapter. Because here, we see something like what normal life. Under the promises of God look like.

He starts by telling us This is the generations of Adam. It's about his family. It's about Adam's descendants. And this is a deliberate contrast as I mentioned earlier to the line of cain that was described in chapter 4 because here, we have the godly line. The seed of the woman as we as it was described in chapter 3.

These are the descendants of the promise. Of course, there's many other descendants named that these people had other sons and daughters. Were not focusing on them because this gene is narrowing in on the line of promise. Who the snake crusher would come from. It's following that particular line.

So the Christian life we see in this this chapter. It's marked by ordinary faithfulness. And I think we 3... We see 3 different aspects of faithfulness in this chapter. One's is gonna be looking back.

One's gonna be talking about living now and the next 1 will be looking for the third part will be looking forward. So let's first look at the looking back aspect. That aspect of faithfulness begins with looking back, as we're living in god's image. This is versus 1 and 2. We see the beginning of this is grounded in creation as we're to look back on who we are The faithfulness of the godly seed starts in the beginning.

Those who are godly have to begin with the question, who are we? And the story begins at creation. Humankind was made in god's image We are made to reflect God. We are made to glorify him. So he look back.

That God has created. God has made us in his image. And we as God's creatures, we have his stamp of authority. Because it's through us that God demonstrates his kings ship over all of creation. The stamp of authority demonstrates that we are dependent people.

We are not autonomous. We are not the king of the universe. We bear witness to the king of the universe because we are made in his image. So going back to creation. This is a creation where God's image is pure and un unidentified.

It's all very good, like all of creation This is what we were made for. We made for a state of righteousness we were made for us in a state of glorify god with all of our b. In a world that is filled with his glory. Humankind would be committed to thoroughly pursuing god glory and reflecting his goodness from all of creation, how wonderful it is to be made in god's image that we can do these things that we can praise him. That's It's a child of the nineties, I grew up with Toy story.

The blockbuster hit of my childhood was formative in every every child's life of of my generation. And Andy, as you remember is the boy who owned all of the toys. And what did Andy do on the feet of these toys. He signed his name. He wrote Andy, noting all of these toys belong to him.

And I remember that that moment of of of... Loneliness and abandonment that woody he felt in the first movie. And what did he do? He went back to look at the bottom of his shoe and he remembered his a special relationship with annie. He remembered who he was, who he belonged to he had a special status.

So the question is, do you look at the stamp of God upon you and realize you are made in his image. You bear his stamp of authority. Any question about who we are, what were to do, What is good? Howard to act must start with this must look back to what God has done in creation and making you and I in his image. We are his image bearer.

We cannot understand ourselves. If we do not first know, we are created by him and for him. So every choice we have. Every ethical decision must begin with this reality that you must know who you are before a good god by looking at creation. By looking at his stamp upon you as being made in his image, by looking back at creation.

Do you see yourself with this dignity? Do you understand that you have this now calling As God's image bearer, you have a divine stamp upon you, you were made for him. So the Christian life begins looking back. Creation. Back at whose we are, living as God's image.

And so second, we live a life of faithfulness by now living now as we're living in a sinful world now. The beauty of creation. Pristine, wonderful world it that was created by God quickly comes to a halt as we see in verse 5, and we've gone through the episode of the fall in chapter 3. So we know this. But chapter 5, or verse 5 here in chapter 5, it comes to a halt.

As we see all the days of Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. That was a threat of disobedience. If you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die and we see... The curse here upon humankind. We see death, apparent.

We see a sinful world. Death is not a part of God's creation. But because of sin, we see the realities of sin in the fall how it's affected everything. Ultimately, it means we will die if Christ. And We see here 9 complete generations.

9 I'm beginning with their with their birth and then to their death. And of these 9 complete generations, all of them with 1 exception which will come back to. All of them end with the conclusion and he died. Over and over. The drum beat of this passages, and he died.

He's made in the image of God, and he died, and he died over and over and over humankind lives in the shadow of death. You and I, we live in the shadow of death. Death is coming. Death is approaching Because of sin, we will die. Has that reality hit you?

That the loved ones that are around you will not... Be here forever. I know many of you have had deep grief from death. You know the pain of death in other's lives. You...

Yourself has have have have had close brushes with death. How does it refocus you? How does this reality of death that you are a finite creature now subject to the fall and death, how does that change you? How does that affect you? It should focus us on what is ultimate.

And that's exactly what it does here as we compare this gene with the gene in chapter 4. As we compare these 2, I think we see some stark differences. You remember chapter 4 it's cain line, the descendant of of the serpent, the evil line, and how is their line, described It's all about cultures. It's all about worldly accomplishments and worldly priorities. And these things are not in and of themselves wrong or bad.

These are good things. We're called to engage in these things, but that's all that's mentioned about these people. That is the most important thing about them. Was their music or their ability to to to work with metals? Their ability to shepherd the flock.

That is the greatest thing named about them. That's all that can be said about them. But when we come to chapter 5, and this godly line, it's different. We see the years that they lived. We see that the child that they had that would carry on the line of promise.

We see god's faithfulness generation after generation as we see more and more trusting in those promises of god. And, yes, we see their death. Now, 1 thing that may be confusing about this... This gene in chapter 5, is it... Some of the names are the same as that in chapter 4.

And, no. It's not the same people in both lines. They just weren't all that creative with names, I I suppose. So enoch and and Lawmaker, these are different men in both lines. And the emphasis on chapter 5, is that they are living in light of god's promises.

And it doesn't mean they weren't engaged in cultural activities. It doesn't mean they weren't involved in music and and and and poetry and the arts and and all kinds of other wonderful things, but it means that those were not the most important things about the Godly line. They weren't of ultimate importance to them because they lived in light of God's promises. And they waited it. In the line of Adam, the godly line, the seed of the woman, we see them passing down from generation to generation the promises of god.

They were content to live in light of God's promise. That he would send 1 to crush the serpent. They were content to wait upon God because they knew God would be the 1 who would have to do this. They were content to be boring ordinary believers. They were content to simply bear God's image as a witness to him in a simple world to reclaim the promises of God and wait upon him.

What's the most important thing that could be said about you and your life, to Remember in high school, we had to sit down in 1 of our bible classes and say, what would you want to be written on your Gravestone? What should be said about you. What do you want to be left when you when you're gone? What do you want your children and your grandchildren to say about you? Would you rather be recorded?

Like a descendant of cain? With all the fun and all the culture and all the excitement and all the accolades, Would you rather be 1 of the Godly the descendants of Adam? Do you want cultural accolades or do you want we're... Or and worldly achievements or do you want to be seen as the 1 who is a faithful follower of Christ by his grace. Faithfully serving others, teaching Christ's word to the next generation.

Gene in chapter 5 frankly is pretty boring compared to chapter 4. Chapter 4, we see all kinds of interesting things that the people were engaged in. But the boring chapter 5 as a blessed boring. It's a normal ordinary faithfulness of God's people who are fixed on him as their first priority and are satisfied and content in him alone, But there's 1 exception to this pattern of death, and that's Enoch. I'm sure you've heard of the story of Enoch.

First 21 when Enoch had lived 65 years, he father Mendoza, Enoch walked with God after he father Med 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch for 365 years. Verse 24, Enoch walked with God, and he was not. For God took him. Twice it said he walked with God.

And this a phrase that's only used here, and then in the next chapter about Noah. Nowhere else subscriptions to talk about us walking with God. It talks about us walking before God. We're walking in God's presence, but here it's with God. It's not simply talking about a...

It's not a general statement about his personal h, walking before God and faith. We have a sense that at all of these in this line were were faithful believers. We saw at the end of chapter chapter 4, at that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord. The public worship. God's people were worshiping together.

They were they were trained upon God. So this is something more than just a simple statement of his faith in his his faithfulness in and and and and following God. I think what's happening here is this is some kind of intimate relationship a special relationship between God and enoch. And I think likely it means that Enoch was receiving some kind of special revelation from God. He had a special and endowment had a a special office.

As a profits because we see Noah similarly had was an extraordinary profit who had received special revelation from God, which we'll get to in some weeks time in chapter 6. So I think, like Noah was a prophet. We see enoch here is a profit. 1 who proclaimed the promises of God, 1 who had a special revelation from God that we would love to know more of. What was this that he was proclaiming in his day?

But in the midst of this ordinary family lineage, we come here to the seventh generation. It was the seventh. It's not accidental. There's 1 man who god designated a special for some reason, but it's for the sake of his people. A prophet to carry god's message a fresh.

And a new to his people. And the verse 24 as extraordinary ministry comes to a conclusion. Enoch Walked with God and he was not for God took him. Conclusion that it seems like only elijah shared with anybody else in all of human history, where they did not die the normal human death. These few words here certainly don't answer all the questions that we have about what would this mean?

What does... Look like. But we have the book of Hebrews that we read from earlier that's that's confirming to us, Enoch did not die. It's But instead, god directly translated him from this world into his presence. An extraordinary thing.

Amazing thing. I would love to know what this was like what this means. But I think it shows us 2 things. First, I think it demonstrates his extraordinary calling. Like Elijah.

As as a prophet of god. His extraordinary calling and demonstrated this man had a particular role in Gods for history. Also, this is a witness to all of the faithful line. But all of those who who believe in god's promise. And and and what what it's saying I think is this, God's promises do not end at death.

Think of it this way. It is as the faithful generations were coming and going. As God's people were were dying. As they were as they were looking to him in faith. Question arises, is that the end?

Are they just in the grave? And we're just waiting for the next generation. Fact that Enoch did not die and directly is translated into heaven. It demonstrates to all of God's people the death is not the end. Enoch is is a forte of what all of us are going to have is the presence of god in our flesh.

It's a testimony to all people that god is still working beyond the grave. And for us, it is helpful. It it is a an encouragement to us. To see there's hope beyond death. This is the first 4 4 of what eternal life will be like.

A body that no longer is in the grave, but a body and a soul that is reunited and that is in god's presence. So it teaches us that even for those who die, death is not the end. God will raise body up from the from the dead. And the certainty of death for every generation does not mean that God's creation and red dim designs are not. Relevant.

And God's dim purposes are not being worked out. So we see this extraordinary end to this man's life. Testifying to us in our normal ordinary boring lives that god is still at work even though we go to the grave, we can trust God and his promises, and he will not only destroy the serpent. Make all things right, but he will redeem us. We will be resurrected from the grave and enjoy his presence forever and ever.

Enoch stands to show us all of these things. And so we can now live in a sinful world knowing death is to come, but death will not have the final say. The red redemption promises of God are still at work and Christ will store all things. And so that brings us to the third, aspect of a faithful christian life, and that's looking forward. Looking forward and living with hope, aspect This gene ends and verse 32, naming Noah as 3 sons.

And like the end of chapter, ford did after the gene there, it ended with the 3 sons there as well. But noah himself as we go back a few verses, himself, he's actually another deviation from the standard pattern. I wanna read versus 28 29 again. When Lam had lived a hundred and 82 years, he father a son and called his name, Noah, saying out of the ground that the Lord is cursed. This 1 shall bring us relief from our work, and from the painful toil of our hands.

He's trusting in god's promises. Lam was confident that God would fulfill his promise to crush the serpent and to give us people relief from the curse of sin. And and notice how he describes the the the normal ordinary life. He says it needs relief. It's a it's a life needing relief from our work, and from the painful toil of our hands.

Relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands. He understands life as hard and difficult. He's not simply gru here. He's just not in a bad mood gru and hoping that things are gonna get better 1 day. He has a mindset.

That understands the creation understands the beginning and realizes where we are today, it's not how it was meant to be. The world as it existed here in Genesis 5, and the world as it exists today in 2024 is not how God made it to be. And so we see Lam, the father of Noah, Lam is yearning for it to be made right. And knowing god his promised to make all things right, and he he knows it so strongly that he names his son. That God's gonna provide rest from all of this.

God's is gonna provide deliverance from the toil of our hands. God is going to do it. He's waiting for a deliver. He knows God is going to make all things right. He knows that the way he's living now is not matching up with how god created the world to be.

And so He knows he needs a deliver. We need a deliver. This world is filled with thorn and. Our lives are filled with frustrations because it does not work how it should Relationships are hard. Work with our hands is hard.

Everything we do is hard. It's not supposed to be that way. And for Law, this drove him to hope in the Lord. It drove him to say, I know God is going to fix it. And I'm going to name my son because I'm trusting in the Lord.

And Noah ended up not being the 1 who ultimately delivered, but we do see that Noah, had a particular role to play in demonstrating to the world God's dim purposes. He's a picture of Christ in deliverance from the flood, as no 1 was the 1 who got called to build the ark and in that arc, put 2 of every animal. And the red d line was put in that arc. God preserved the red dim flying. God preserved the seed of the woman in that arc through the flood of judgment on the world.

This is a picture of Christ. In Christ, we are saved from the flood of judgment upon the world. We saved from the judgment that is necessary for our own sin. Because of Christ, because of what he has done for us. Noah is a picture of Christ, and so we see this beautiful description of what noah was going to do.

He's anticipating the coming Christ. He couldn't do it himself. He's the picture of the 1 who is coming, to give us the relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands. This 1 has come though. Jesus Christ has come.

He has come and delivered us from that although we still stand in the same place as Islamic. The work's not complete. We still have hope. We still look forward to God finishing and fulfilling all of his promises. And so this what drove Lam is what continues to to to drive the Christian.

We look to God for him to fulfill his promises. It's amazing. Math, 969 years. Blows my mind. I can't imagine, but it's like to live for that long.

Can you imagine living for 969 years? With the pain and the suffering and what you would experience in all of those years. How would you die sane at 969 years old? By hope in God. By knowing him by being by resting completely and solely in his promises, taking them seriously and knowing God is at work.

I think it should be noted here. That Lam would have known his father Enoch when he walked with God, 1 who was ultimately taken directly to heaven Lam would have known his grandfather. If my math is right for the first 48 years of his life. He would have heard the ministry of Enoch. Enoch who was proclaiming the promises of God who is reminding God's people that God is at work.

God has not abandoned them. So sitting under the ministry of his grandfather, Enoch. Lam says, yes. I believe in this god of promise that he will send the snake crusher that is through this line. It is through this gene of at which we are apart.

God is going to conquer. Satan and restore us all. So I think I like to think at least, that Lam names his son, Noah out of the ministry of his grandfather, Enoch, who bore witness to the promises of God and called him to faith and trust in him. And Islamic did. I think we see here though.

The Christian life is first 1 of reflection and praise and and waiting as we have hope, not just a a wish thinking for the future, but a sure expectation of the future. We can reflect and praise and wait. The Christian life is not first 1 of doing. Yes, We do many, many things. And as James says, faith without works is dead.

So we do many things, but first we sit. In reflection, and praise and waiting and hoping. Because if we're not thinking and reflecting and hoping mu over the promises of God thinking about my life in light of eternity, thinking about me being made in the image of God, knowing my, my death is is is certain. If we miss this, if we don't do this, we're missing a major part of the calling of a Christian. I'm reminded of Paul's instruction to Timothy.

Timothy was supposed to to pray. To pray for the kings and all that are in high position. So pray for the governing governing authorities. Why? To make it a christian nation?

No, why do we pray for them that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life. For Godly and dignified in every way. Ordinary, boring, faithfulness of the Christian. Who sets their eyes on the hope of Jesus Christ, who yes does many things, but first, we sit in the promises of God. And this reflecting and meditating on God will help us ask the question, Why do I do what I do?

What propel me to do this? Is it for my own glory, am I following in cain line of desi worldly accolades of desi all the the attention upon myself, my own glory were him. I doing this for my savior story. My creator glory, the 1 whose image I bear. My life about me was about him in his glory.

I think we see in this chapter a profoundly simple picture of the Christian life. It's We look back. We remember who's we are. We remember that we were created by God with the stamp of his image. We live now in this sinful world, knowing our purpose to honor God and to be faithful to him, and we look forward.

Knowing the hope that we have that Christ has come and he will come again to redeem all things. And so, we said. We find ourselves in a very very similar situation to the patriarch of old. Yes, they didn't know Christ in his person in work yet. They maybe expected his coming and his atonement and his renewal of all things to be done all at 1 time.

But now we realized he came once. To a tone for our sins, to do everything necessary for our salvation, but yet we still wait for the final redemption of all things. So we stand like the patriarch waiting and hoping. For this way of living only makes sense when we can trust this God. When we're actually trusting him when we have faith in him and his promises that he will restore all things that he will forgive the sin of sinner when we look to Christ.

He is a god who will not turn away. A god who will not turn any away who come to him. Who graciously receives any who call upon him. So being secure in Christ, calling upon him, knowing our status as sons and daughters of God we have a down payments of the better things to come. As a holy spirit himself and dwell us and enables us to live this ordinary.

Faithful, Christian life, not to my glory, but to the glory of our try God. The name of the father and the son in the holy spirit. Let us pray. Oh, gracious God, we ask that we would be found faithful to you in response to your faithfulness to us, may we live all of our days to your glorious praise. And we not be like those in the line of cain who only know how to live for themselves, but in light of knowing our sin.

Knowing the certainty of death that awaits us. May we grasp completely, wholly upon Jesus Christ. Knowing we stand in his merit alone. And may you enable us to love you our creator and love our neighbors as ourselves with this posture. This posture of humility, a posture posture of grace, posture of hope and waiting for the return of our savior.

May we be found faithful until that day, Christ's we pray. Amen.

Speaker 0: Thank you for listening. For more information or to connect with us, visit us. At redeem Ohio dot org.