GOD’S TIMELY MESSAGE OF WARNING

RETURN TO SYLLABUS

GENESIS 5

Lesson #15

GOD’S TIMELY MESSAGE OF WARNING

• Memory: Learn Old Testament book names from 1 Kings to Proverbs
• Read Gen 5:1-5 Review of Gen 1-4
  • “this is the book of the generations…” (1)
  • This phrase is used only 2 times in the Bible, here, in Gen 5, and in the New Testament referring to the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Mat 1:1). Other places in the Old Testament, genealogies are given, but not with this phrase.
  • What is the significance?
    • Remember that Adam was a prefigure of Jesus Christ, who is called the second or last Adam in 1Cor 15:45-47. Adam is the natural head of the race of man while Jesus Christ is the spiritual head.
    • Therefore, both Adam’s genealogy and that of Christ’s begin with the same phrase.
      • Notice that both Adam and Eve before the sin of chapter 3 had only one name, Adam, which means = mankind. (2)
      • Eve was given a separate name after the sin in Gen 3, indicating a break in their unity of spirit.
• Read Gen 5:6-32 – Seth’s line — 10 generations of godliness
  • Remember that when Adam and Eve sinned, death was the consequence. In this chapter, we see the consequence of death progress through the generations of both Cain and Seth.
  • However, in the middle of death is a bright spot of promise.
    • [1] Seth means = “appointed”
    • [2] Enosh means = “another mortal”
    • [3] Kenan means = “habitation”
    • [4] Mahalalel means = “the blessed God”
    • [5] Jared means = “shall descend”
    • [6] Enoch (the 7th from Adam) means = “dedicated to teach”
    • “He walked with God” =
      • Implied in this sentence is reconciliation with God.
        • He was reconciled to God in a close relationship because of his faith.
        • Read Heb 11:5-6
        • He pleased God because of his faith
      • Implied is a corresponding nature. He had conformed himself to the nature of God.
      • Implied is a moral fitness. God does not walk out of the way of holiness.
      • Implied is a surrendered will. The above three implications cannot be accomplished without surrendering your will to God.
      • Implied is spiritual communion on a daily basis.
        • He began to walk with God at his son’s birth.
        • Evidently Enoch had a miraculous experience with God just before the birth of his son. God showed him that something very important was to come on the earth because he named his son, “The year that I die, it shall come” (Methuselah). That very important event was Noah’s flood.
    • “God took him” (24) =
      • Enoch did not go through death, but God snatched him from the earth to heaven. Why?
        • Enoch was a prophet with a far-reaching message:
        • Read Jude 1:14-15
        • Bible prophecy has 2 fulfillments (called the law of double reference). There is a relatively immediate fulfillment and a much later fulfillment.
        • The meaning of his son’s name pointed to the worldwide flood of Noah’s time.
        • This is the first fulfillment of Enoch’s prophecy.
        • His message was the coming punishment of the wicked that would come in the flood. (Jude 1:15)
        • However, there will be a judgment on the wicked before the second coming of Christ during the 7 year tribulation period yet to come upon the earth.
        • Like Noah’s flood, God will take the righteous out of the world at the rapture of the church.
        • This will occur just before judgment falls on the ungodly of this world.
        • It is similar to Enoch’s situation where he was taken out of the world before seeing death and before the judgment of the flood.
        • Read 1The 4:16-17 The rapture
        • Read Mat 24:37-39 Jesus refers to his second coming as being like the days of Noah before the flood.
    • [7] Methuselah means = “the year that I die, shall come or bring”.
      • This refers specifically to Noah’s flood because the year he died, the flood came.
      • He lived 969 years. The life span during his period of time was about 900 years.
      • Did you ever wonder why he was the one person in the Bible who lived the longest?
        • His long life demonstrates God’s long-suffering mercy to delay the judgment of the flood until the last minute. (1Pet 3:20)
        • Besides the length of Methuselah’s life, God also waited for the length of time it took Noah to build the ark.
    • [8] Lamech = a difficult name to translate. It may mean = “captive”. This name appeared in Cain’s line as well. Lamech from Cain was captive to sin and violence. Lamech in Seth’s line may indicate he felt captive to the sinful nature and by faith named his son “rest” in hope that God would deliver mankind.
    • [9] Noah means = “rest”
      • Notice the mention of the Gen 3:17-18 curse in the earth (5:29).
      • Noah’s salvation from the flood indicates to us the peace and rest that comes to the people of God amidst a flood of sin and trouble.
    • [10] Shem means = “report” or “renowned”.
      • Ham means = “black” or “sunburned”
      • Japeth means = “enlargement” or “widespreading”
      • We will deal with these three sons and their names later in Genesis.
• Review:
  • If you add together the meanings of the names from Seth to Noah, you have a prophetic message given by God.
  • “[man is] appointed a mortal habitation [but] the blessed god shall descend teaching [that] his death shall bring [to the] captive, rest.”

Homework

Genesis 6:1-8

• Application of Gen 5:
  • How would you characterize your walk with God in comparison to Enoch’s walk with God?
  • What can you do to make your walk with God a closer one? (Be specific)
• Preparation for Genesis 6:
  • Read Gen 6:1-8
    • From what we have seen in the book of Genesis, how much light of the nature of God and of truth, do you think the people had before the flood?
    • There are several difficult parts in this section, one of which refers to the identity of the sons of God and the daughters of men.
      • For background, read
        • Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7 Jude 1:6 2Pet 2:4 Mat 22:30
      • Who do you think the sons of God and the daughters of men were (Gen 6:2,4)?
      • What do you think it means when it says God did “strive” (3) with man, and that God “repented” (6-7) that he had made man?
      • Make a list of the characteristics of the times in which Noah lived. (Also include in your list vs. 11 and 12).
• Memory work: Old Testament book names from Ecclesiastes to Amos