Genesis 5:3–29

When God made man (Genesis 1:26), He purposed it to be in His image, after His likeness. So He created him in His image, as Genesis 1:27 says twice. And we have already seen the difference: likeness resembles, image represents. This distinction is important to grasp, since it holds everywhere in Scripture. The "likeness" was the set of qualities matching God, such as no other nature on earth had. The image was man's place in presenting Him to others, a place not even the angels of heaven filled or could fill. But now that the head of the race was fallen, he "fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image." It was in his own likeness, not God's.

"Adam," Scripture says, "fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image." It was no longer in the likeness of God, but always in the image of God. For man, fallen or not, is in the image of God; sin destroyed the likeness... Suppose the crime depended on man keeping the likeness of God. Then someone could deny or justify murder: if a man were not like God, that unlikeness could excuse killing him. But murder is a crime against man made in the image of God. That image remains, fallen or not, so the guilt of murder stands beyond challenge.

It may seem strange that Seth was not born until Adam was 130 years old. But however much time passed, Adam could only bear a child in his own likeness and image. In measure this was still in God's likeness and image, though it had been spoiled by sin.

For our racial head we have to go back to Adam — and to Adam in his fallen condition. Only when fallen did he father sons and daughters. His fall came about by an act of sin, and that act produced a state of sin which spread through his very being. It changed his whole spiritual make-up so deeply that the change affected all his descendants. He could only father children "in his own likeness, after his image" (Genesis 5:3) — the likeness and image of a fallen man. Heredity of this sort is a terrible fact, and Scripture bears witness to it.

God made him a subject of grace, and he had and showed a living faith in a promised Saviour. But this was nothing natural; it was divine. And since it was not natural, nature had no power to pass it on. It was in no way hereditary. Adam could not leave or give his faith to Cain or Abel... Whatever was natural Adam could pass on; but nothing more. And since he, as a father, was in a condition of ruin, his son could only be in the same.

We get a nature from the first man by birth. In the same way we get a nature from the Second man by new birth. Once born, we share the nature of the first; once "born again," we share the nature of the Second. A newborn baby could never have done the act that brought Adam into a fallen condition, yet the baby shares his nature. In the same way a newborn child of God had nothing whatever to do with working out the perfect obedience of "the man Christ Jesus," yet shares His nature.

When Eve bore Seth she said, "God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." These words were no doubt prophetic. Cain the natural man had killed Abel the man of faith. Now God had appointed another godly offspring, so that faith should not die out from the earth.

Scripture does not tell us what children Adam had during this early time. It says only that "the days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters." How little this record says about the line of faith! Compare it with the striking picture the previous chapter gives of the world's rapid progress in everything nature counts worth living for.

In the Book of Chronicles, where God is recording His people, the Spirit refuses to bring in Cain, that wicked one, or his descendants, or even to mention them... We may ask in passing: how could that man be a link in the records of a chosen people? He walked away from the presence of God and became a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. Seth is the opposite. He is the substituted and appointed one, put in place of righteous Abel, whom Cain killed. With him the generations of men and their family lines begin again in Genesis 5.

Divine purpose is the key... It explains why the general genealogy leaves out every detail beyond the direct line of the chosen people — and above all beyond the line of the Messiah, God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many and however impressive by human standards, are simply merged into the "sons and daughters" they had.

Of the men of this generation the record notes only that they lived and died. Yet here, for the first time, we find every year of their quiet lives counted before God — something missing from the account of Cain's race. God shows interest in what holds no interest for man and adds nothing to the world's history.

It is useless for men to dismiss the long lives of the men before the flood, and after it too, though the years grew shorter... To say this goes against the known laws of physiology is only the refuge of narrow, ignorant unbelief. If God wished, He could reduce man's life from 900 years to 90 simply by changing the conditions. This is a question of fact, and His word vouches for it. There is no need to argue for the plain statements of Scripture. Man before the fall never ate from the tree of life, and once he had fallen, God drove him out so that he would not.

The chapter gives each of their ages. It also shows that the very great ages most of them reached let certain "holy prophets," named here, tell many later generations about the wonderful works of God. Before the flood, testimony was passed on by word of mouth. Adam and Methuselah were alive at the same time for over 240 years. Two things are certain: Enoch foresaw coming judgments, and the long life of his son Methuselah was itself a display of God's patience before that judgment by water fell. Methuselah died just before the flood.

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one man after another that "he died." So the ruin of everything here, as the fruit of sin, is set vividly before us. And right in the middle of this grim list of dying men, we read of one who did not die. "He was not, for God took him."

Those who judge only from what we see now are far from the truth. Man was made at the start to live. Death was sin's wages; it was not then a necessity of his body. God had provided the means to prolong his life if he obeyed, but took that means away outright when he fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an everlasting life of sin? So death is in no way a debt owed to nature but to sin. And here we hear its bell toll for each man, even for those who kept clear of Cain's evil way.

God threatened Adam with death on the day of his disobedience. Adam disobeyed and lived on to the age of 930 years. Was it, then, an empty threat? Not at all. The day he sinned he died, in the first sense of the word. He became completely separated and estranged from his Maker, "dead in sins." His physical death was put off, because that day the Lord brought death on some other creature or creatures of the garden and clothed the guilty sinners with their skins. Centuries later, physical death arrived.

It is not the end of existence. If it were, no reconciliation would be possible. Death is separation. First, separation from God Himself, the source of all life and happiness. Second, the breaking up of man's whole makeup: spirit and soul parted from the body.

He might live for hundreds of years and have sons and daughters. But in the end it must be recorded that "he died." "Death reigned from Adam to Moses." "It is appointed for man to die once." Man cannot get past this. Steam, electricity, and anything else within reach of his genius cannot disarm death of its terrible sting. He may produce the comforts and luxuries of life, but his own energy cannot set aside the sentence of death.

"He died" is the simple statement the inspired historian adds to the life of all but one named here… And the one exception to the common lot of man is no exception to the rule that no one can deliver himself from death. For we read, "he was not, for God took him." It was God's act, not Enoch's efforts, that kept his body from the grave.

The words "and he died" are repeated so many times in this chapter. They stand in striking contrast to the words "And He shall live," written about David's Son and Lord in Psalm 72:15.

Therefore the iron rule "and he died" does not apply to Christians. Even Genesis 5 points to this in the one exception we find there: Enoch, who walked with God and was taken away without seeing death.

Divine purpose is the key to both. It explains the mention that looks so bare, and also the fuller record in the cases of Enoch and Noah. It also explains why the general genealogy gives no details beyond the direct line of the chosen people, and above all beyond the line of the Messiah — God's salvation, a light of revelation for the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many or however great in a human way, are simply merged into the "sons and daughters" they fathered.

Seth is the substitute, the one appointed in place of righteous Abel, whom Cain killed. With him the generations of men and their family lines begin again in Genesis 5.

Many children may have been born between Abel and Seth, but the record passes them over in silence. Seth was the seed appointed to carry on the line of faith, in contrast to the line of Cain. That Seth was a man of faith we gather from the name he gave his son — Enosh, meaning mortal, weak.

They began to call on the name of the Lord in the awareness of their own weakness and helplessness. They realized that in themselves they were no more than a breath. So they called on Him who lives for ever, the LORD, the eternal I AM. They acknowledged Him as both the Source and the Sustainer of life. Cain's children showed pride and self-glory, if we may read Genesis 4:23-24 that way, while Seth's descendants showed humility and humbled themselves.

For God, if He pleased, could easily reduce man's life from 900 years to 90 by changing the conditions. It is a question of fact for which His word vouches… What men have known since the flood is no argument against the far greater ages Scripture records before it.

How could a revelation that was still only spoken reach the family of Adam? Only by the long life that marked that early day. Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had received from God Himself, and Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac. These were facts and prospects, briefly stated, plain in meaning, and deeply important.

He might live for hundreds of years and have "sons and daughters". But at the last the record must say, "he died"… Man cannot get past this. Steam, electricity, and anything else within reach of his genius cannot take from death its terrible sting. He may produce the comforts and luxuries of life, but he cannot set aside the sentence of death by his own energy.

Death was sin's wages, not a physical necessity then. God had provided the means of prolonging man's life if he obeyed. But once man had fallen, God firmly cut him off from that means… So death is in no sense a debt owed to nature but to sin. Here we read its death sentence over each one, even over those who stood apart from the evil way of Cain.

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one man and another that "he died". This puts the ruin of everything here, as the fruit of sin, vividly before our eyes. Yet right in the middle of this bleak list of dying men, we read of one who did not die.

How sad, if this were all! It is not; this is only the first man. "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead."

How little Scripture says of the line of faith! Compare it with the striking picture the previous chapter gives of the world's rapid progress in everything that human nature thinks makes life worth living.

Cain's family make all the world's history. They build its cities, they promote its arts, they conduct its trade, they invent its pleasures and pastimes. But in all this Seth's family are not seen. The one generation call their cities after their own names; the other call themselves by the name of the Lord. The one do all they can to make the world their own, and not the Lord's; the other do all they can to show themselves to be the Lord's, and not their own. Cain writes his own name on the earth; Seth writes the Lord's name on himself.

The inspired writer gives the same short outline for each of these long lives... God's purpose is the key. It explains a record that looks so bare, and also the fuller note about Enoch and Noah. It also explains why details beyond the direct line are left out. The list follows the chosen people, and above all the Messiah — God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many, however distinguished in human eyes, the record simply merges into the "sons and daughters" they had.

Abel was a picture of Christ in His death. Seth is a picture of Him in His resurrection, and we read of Seth's line in Genesis 5. His resurrection brings in a new chosen line. Seth's son was Enosh, which means "frail man." This shows that when someone is born of God, he realises his own frailty and dependence. So at this time "people began to call upon the name of the LORD." In this new line of Seth we see the dependence of faith. It is not boastful. It is felt weakness that needs the grace of the Lord.

How else could a revelation that was still only spoken really reach Adam's family? Only by the long lives of those early days. Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had received from God Himself. Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac. These were facts and things to come, briefly stated, plain in meaning, and deeply important.

If God pleased, He could easily change conditions and cut a man's life from 900 years to 90. It is a question of fact, and God's word affirms it... One can also see how well the long lifespan of those days suited God's word of blessing to the first man and woman: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it."

This chapter says nothing about the God-fearing generations achieving great things on earth. They were pilgrims and strangers, waiting for better things... We learn from this that the Lord keeps a record of the lives, the work and the years of His people. His saints are in His hands.

Son of Adam and Eve, born after the death of Abel, and father of Enos. His name means 'appointed': God in this way continued the line of Abel, whom Cain killed, through the appointment of Seth. So Genesis 4:25-26 says, in connection with Seth, that "people began to call upon the name of the LORD." Right after that comes "This is the book of the generations of Adam," giving the family line through Seth and his descendants, with no mention of Cain and his descendants. From Seth the genealogy is traced to Noah, and the flood swept away everyone else. Genesis 5:3-8; Luke 3:38.

Seth is the man appointed instead of both Abel and Cain: God has appointed, in contrast with I have gotten, as Eve said of Cain. So now, Seth from God.

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one and another that "he died." This brings the wreck of all things, as the fruit of sin, vividly before us. Yet right in the middle of this dismal list of dying men, we read of one who did not die. "He was not, for God took him."

The fact is, those who judge only from present experience are far from the truth: man was made at the outset to live. Death was sin's wages, not then a necessity of the body. God had provided the means for prolonging his life if obedient, but firmly took that means away when he fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an everlasting life of sin? So death is in no way a debt owed to nature. It is owed to sin. Here we read its funeral bell even for each of those who kept clear of the evil way of Cain — the ancestors not only of Israel, but in due time of the Messiah. Of Adam, so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, it was alike said "he died."

...we can see reasons why the long lifespan of early mankind mattered beyond measure. They had a deep interest in a sure record of where the race came from, and of the earth and heavens. Higher still was to hear of the fall and its solemn results. Highest of all was to know that He, both the Creator and in moral relationship with man, had stepped in... revealing a suffering Deliverer, the woman's Seed, to destroy the enemy... God's revelation was still spoken, not written. How could it reach the family of Adam except by the long lives of that early day? For Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam passed on from God Himself, and Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac.

The inspired writer gives the same plain outline for each of these long lives, and that is all the more striking... Divine purpose is the key to both. It explains alike the mention which looks so bare, and the special record in the cases of Enoch and Noah. It explains why the general genealogy leaves out every detail beyond the direct line of the chosen people, and above all of the Messiah... The rest of their children, however many or however distinguished in a human way, simply merge into the "sons and daughters" they fathered.

First we read how Cain's seed developed — man in the flesh. Now we come to the birth of Seth, of whom Eve says, "another seed instead of Abel" (v. 25). Abel was a type of Christ in His death: Seth is a picture of Him in His resurrection, and we read of Seth's seed in Genesis 5... His resurrection introduces a new chosen seed. Cain clings to the first creation and seems to gain the most, but he must lose it all. What Christ has gained in resurrection is eternal.

The inspired writer gives the same simple outline for each of these long lives, and that makes it all the more striking. Only two lives stand out as exceptions, and each will get its own place. Divine purpose is the key to both the bare mention here and the special record of Enoch and Noah. It also explains why the wider family tree gives no details beyond the direct line of the chosen people — the line, above all, of the Messiah, God's salvation, a light for revelation of Gentiles, and glory of His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many or however distinguished in a human way, are simply merged into the "sons and daughters" they had.

His son's name, Enosh (in a day when names still had meaning), speaks of accepting the humbling truth about man's condition — Enosh, "frail man." And "then," we read, people "began to call upon the name of the LORD." God gets His place when man takes his. And it is always so.

Pride and self-glory marked Cain's descendants (if we may read Genesis 4:23-24 this way), but humility and a low view of self marked the descendants of Seth.

A Hebrew student pointed out long ago that the meanings of the first ten names in Seth's line run like this: 1, Man (that is, as God made him) — 2, Substituted — 3, Fallen man, subject to all evil — 4, One who laments — 5, The Illumination of God — 6, Shall descend — 7, Teaching (or dedicating, that is, Enoch) — 8, His death shall send — 9, The humbled — 10, Consolation. I know of no proof that this remarkable sentence was designed. But names were always given fitting meanings then, so it can hardly be doubted that it shows a striking likeness to the way the principles of redemption develop on a far larger scale.

They had a deep interest in learning where the human race came from, and the earth, the heavens and every creature in them. It mattered still more to hear of the fall and its solemn results. Most of all, it mattered to know that He who is both the Creator and in moral relationship with man had stepped in. And how could a revelation that was still only spoken reach the family of Adam, unless men lived the long lives of that early day? For Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam passed on from God Himself, and Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac.

Cain's line pushed forward; they built cities and made inventions. This chapter says nothing about the God-fearing generations achieving great things on earth. They were pilgrims and strangers, waiting for better things. In the fourth chapter the word "die" is not mentioned… Eight times in the fifth chapter we read "and he died." One did not die. We learn from this that the Lord keeps a record of the lives, the work and the years of His people. His saints are in His hands.

Death was sin's wages, not a physical necessity at the start. God had given man the means to prolong his life if he obeyed, but took that means away outright when he fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an endless life of sin? So death is in no way a debt of nature, but a debt of sin. Here its funeral bell tolls for each of these men, even though they stood apart from the evil way of Cain — the ancestors not only of Israel but, in due time, of the Messiah.

His son's name, Enosh (in a day when names still had meaning), shows us man accepting the humbling truth about his own condition — Enosh, "frail man." And "then," we read, "people began to call upon the name of the LORD." God gets His place when man takes his. And it is always so.

Adam's grandson was given the name Enosh, which means frail, crumbling, failing man. Such a man is open to every ill in soul and body, and to death as the certain end… They felt that their own resources were nowhere near enough, and that they depended on the mercy of God.

The inspired writer gives the same simple outline of these long lives, and that makes it all the more striking… God's purpose is the key to both. It explains the mention that looks so bare, and it explains the special record in the cases of Enoch and Noah. It also explains why the general genealogy gives no details outside the direct line of the chosen people, and above all of the Messiah, God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many or however distinguished in a human way, are simply merged into the "sons and daughters" they had.

Cain's line pushed forward, built cities and made inventions. This chapter says nothing about the God-fearing line achieving great things on earth. They were pilgrims and strangers, waiting for better things. Chapter 4 never uses the word "die"… Eight times in chapter 5 we read "and he died." One man did not die. We learn from this that the Lord keeps a record of the lives, the work and the years of His people. His saints are in His hands.

To argue that such long life goes against the known laws of physiology is only the refuge of narrow and ignorant unbelief. If God pleased, He could easily change the conditions and bring man's life down from 900 years to 90. This is a question of fact, and His word stands behind it.

How else could a revelation that was still only spoken reach Adam's family in any lasting way, except through the long lives of that early day? Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had heard from God Himself. Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac. These were facts and things still to come, put in few words, plain in meaning, and of the deepest importance.

Death was the wages of sin. Back then it was not a necessity of the body… So death is in no way a debt we owe to nature, but a debt we owe because of sin. Here its bell tolls for each of these men, even though they kept clear of Cain's evil way. They were the ancestors not only of Israel, but in time of the Messiah. Of Adam, and so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalalel and Jared, the same words are used: "he died." Now that man is a sinner, death is the one event that comes to all in the world we see. In the world we do not see there will be another event, more solemn still. "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Heb. 9:27).

How sad it would be, if this were all! But it is not; this is only the first man. "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times we read of one man after another that "he died." This brings the ruin of everything here, the fruit of sin, vividly before us.

Those who judge only by what they see today are far from the truth. God made man at the start to live. Death was sin's wages, not then a physical necessity. God had given him the means to keep his life going if he obeyed. When he fell, God took that means away. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an everlasting life of sin? So death is in no way a debt owed to nature but to sin. Here we hear its bell toll for each of these men, even though they stood apart from the evil way of Cain. They were the ancestors not only of Israel but, in time, of the Messiah. Of Adam, and of Seth, Kenan, Mahalaleel and Jared alike, the same was said: "he died."

In a day when names still had meaning, his son was called Enosh — "frail man." The name shows they accepted the humbling truth about man's condition. And "then," we read, "people began to call upon the name of the LORD." God gets His place when man takes his. And it is always so.

The inspired writer gives the same simple outline of each of these long lives, and that makes the record all the more impressive. Two exceptions occur, both very notable, and each deserves proper attention in its place. The general line is all that now comes before us. Divine purpose is the key to both. It explains both the bare mention given to most, and the special record given to Enoch and Noah. It also explains why the record leaves out every detail beyond the direct line of the chosen people, and above all of the Messiah, God's salvation. The rest of their children, however many or however notable in a human way, are simply merged into the "sons and daughters" they fathered.

God's revelation was still only spoken. How could it reach the family of Adam except through the long lives that marked that early day? Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam passed on from God Himself. Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac. These were facts and things to come, said briefly, plain in meaning, and deeply important.

In Genesis 5 we see the judgment pronounced in Eden carried out on Adam and his descendants down to the days of Noah. The inspired historian adds the simple statement "he died" to the close of the lives of all but one man named there... The chapter mentions one exception to the common lot of man. But it is no exception to the rule that no one can deliver himself from death. Of Enoch we read, "He was not, for God took him." It was God's act, not Enoch's effort, that kept his body from the grave.

The inspired writer gives the same simple outline of these long lives. Two exceptions occur, of a most notable character... Divine purpose is the key to both. It explains the mention that looks so meagre, and the special record in the cases of Enoch and Noah. It accounts for the omission of all details in the general genealogy beyond the direct line of the chosen people, and above all of the Messiah. He is God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel. Their other children, however many, and however distinguished in a human way, simply merge into the "sons and daughters" they had.

If we turn back to 1 Chronicles 1, the opening three verses give us one of the wonderful sentences of Inspiration. It is a sentence containing ten proper names and not a single verb. The names are these: Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. Dr Kitto has pointed out something remarkable. Translated word for word and read in order, these ten names form this sentence in English: Man, Appointed [or Replaced], Miserable, Lamenting, The God of Glory, Shall descend, To instruct, His death sends, To the afflicted, Consolation. So the very names of the patriarchs before the flood would be a standing testimony to the world.

I know of no evidence that this remarkable sentence was designed. But people always gave names with fitting meanings in those days. So it can hardly be doubted that it shows a notable likeness to the way the principles we find in redemption develop and progress on a far larger scale.

It mattered greatly to them to have the origin of the human race confirmed, along with that of the earth and the heavens and every creature in them. Higher still was it to hear of the fall and its solemn results. Highest of all was to know that He who is both Creator and in moral relationship with man had stepped in. He acted as righteously as He acted graciously, revealing a suffering Deliverer, the woman's Seed, to destroy the enemy... And how could a revelation that was still only spoken reach Adam's family, except by the long lives of those early days? For Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had passed on from God Himself, and Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac.

The fact is, those who judge only from present experience are far from the truth: man was made at the start to live. Death was sin's wages, not a physiological necessity at first. God had provided the means of prolonging his life if he obeyed, but firmly took that means away when he fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an everlasting life of sin? Death is therefore in no way a debt owed to nature but to sin. Here we read its death-knell for each one, even for those who kept clear of Cain's evil way. They were the ancestors not only of Israel but in due time of the Messiah. Of Adam, and so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalaleel and Jared alike, it is said "he died."

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one man and another that "he died." Remarkably, right in the middle of this dismal catalogue of dying men, we read of one who did not die. "He was not, for God took him."

The inspired writer gives the same simple outline for each of these very long lives, and that makes it all the more striking. Two exceptions stand out, and each deserves attention in its place... God's purpose is the key to both. It explains the record that looks so bare, and it explains the special account kept of Enoch and Noah. It explains why the general genealogy leaves out every detail outside the direct line of the chosen people, and so above all of the Messiah, God's salvation, light for revelation of Gentiles, and glory of His people Israel. Their other children, however many or however notable in human terms, are simply folded into the "sons and daughters" they had.

Dr Kitto has pointed out that these ten names literally translated in order form the following remarkable sentence in English: Man, Appointed [or Replaced], Miserable, Lamenting, The God of Glory, Shall descend, To instruct, His death sends, To the afflicted, Consolation. So the very names of the patriarchs before the flood would be a standing testimony to the world.

It is useless for people to run down the long lives of those before the flood, and the shorter but still long lives after it... To argue that this goes against the known laws of physiology is only the refuge of narrow-minded and ignorant unbelief. If God pleased, He could change the conditions and easily bring human life down from 900 years to 90. It is a question of fact, and His word vouches for it.

We can see reasons why such a long span of life mattered beyond measure in the early history of mankind. It was greatly in their interest to have the origin of the human race confirmed, and the origin of the earth and the heavens and every creature in them. It mattered more to hear of the fall and its solemn results. It mattered most of all to know that He who is both the Creator and in moral relationship with man had stepped in... revealing a suffering Deliverer, the woman's Seed, to destroy the enemy... And how could a revelation that was still only spoken reach Adam's family, if not through the long lives that marked those early days? Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam passed on from God Himself, and Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac.

It is not safe to lean too much on a chronology worked out from the ages this chapter gives for these patriarchs. It is easy to do it, and to make the years from the creation of Adam to the flood come to 1,656. But the Greek version of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint, made about two centuries before the time of our Lord... differs from the Hebrew. It gives Adam's age at Seth's birth as 230, and his later years as 700. The same pattern runs through the next four patriarchs and Enoch too, so this at once adds 600 years to the total.

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one and another that "he died." So the ruin that sin has brought on everything here stands out clearly. Remarkably, right in the middle of this dismal list of dying men, we read of one who did not die. "He was not, for God took him."

The fact is, so far from the truth are those who judge only by present experience, that man was made at the start to live. Death was sin's wages, not then a physical necessity. God had provided the means of prolonging his life if he obeyed, but took that means away decisively when he fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an everlasting life of sin? So death is in no way a debt owed to nature but to sin. Here we read its funeral bell over each man, even those who stood apart from the evil way of Cain… Of Adam, so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, it was alike said "he died."

To say it goes against the known laws of the body is only the refuge of narrow-minded and ignorant unbelief. For God, if He pleased, could easily change the conditions and cut man's life from 900 years to 90. It is a question of fact for which His word vouches.

God's revelation was still spoken, not written. How could it reach the family of Adam, except by the long life that marked that early day? Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had passed on from God Himself. Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac. These were facts and prospects briefly stated, of plain meaning, and of deep importance.

The inspired writer gives the same simple outline of these long lives, and that makes it all the more striking… Divine purpose is the key… It explains why the general genealogy leaves out every detail beyond the direct line of the chosen people, and so above all the line of the Messiah, God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory of His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many, however great in a human way, simply merge into the "sons and daughters" they had.

Dr Kitto has pointed out something remarkable. Translate these ten names word for word, in order, and they form this sentence in English: Man, Appointed, Miserable, Lamenting, The God of Glory, Shall descend, To instruct, His death sends, To the afflicted, Consolation. So the very names of these fathers before the flood would be a standing testimony to the world.

This chapter repeats the words "and he died" so many times. They stand in striking contrast to the words "And He shall live," said of David's Son and Lord in Psalm 72:15.

Here we find the record of the seed of Seth. It stands in striking contrast with the record of Cain's descendants in the previous chapter. They were progressive. They built cities and made inventions. This chapter says nothing about the God-fearing generations achieving great things on earth. They were pilgrims and strangers, waiting for better things... We learn from this that the Lord keeps a record of the lives, the work and the years of His people. His saints are in His hands.

A student of Hebrew pointed out a curious fact long ago. The meanings of the first ten names in Seth's line run in order like this: 1, Man (that is, as God made him); 2, Substituted; 3, Fallen man, subject to all evil; 4, One who laments; 5, The Illumination of God; 6, Shall descend; 7, Teaching, or dedicating — that is, Enoch; 8, His death shall send; 9, The humbled; 10, Consolation. I know of no evidence that this remarkable sentence was designed. But in those days names were always given with fitting meanings, so it can hardly be doubted that it shows a striking likeness to the way the principles of redemption unfold on a far larger scale.

It mattered greatly to them that the origin of the human race be witnessed to, along with the origin of the earth and heavens and every creature in them. It mattered more to hear of the fall and its solemn results. Most of all, it mattered to know that He who is both Creator and in moral relationship with man had stepped in, graciously revealing a suffering Deliverer, the woman's Seed, to destroy the enemy. And how could a revelation that was still only spoken reach Adam's family effectively, except by the long lives of that early day? Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had heard from God Himself, and Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac.

At the start man was made to live. Death was sin's wages. It was not then a necessity of his physical make-up. God had provided the means to prolong his life if he obeyed, but took that means away decisively once he fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, could there be than an everlasting life of sin? So death is in no way a debt owed to nature, but to sin. Here we hear its bell toll for each of these men, even though they stood clear of Cain's evil way — the ancestors not only of Israel but, in time, of the Messiah. Of Adam, and so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalalel and Jared, the record says the same: "he died."

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one and another that "he died." So it sets before us in vivid terms the wreck of everything here as the fruit of sin. Remarkably, right in the middle of this dismal catalogue of dying men, we read of one who did not die. "He was not, for God took him."

How sad, if this were all! But it is not; this is only the first man. "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead."

God's purpose is the key. It explains both the account that looks so bare and the special record kept for Enoch and Noah. It also explains why the general genealogy gives no details outside the direct line of the chosen people, and so above all outside the line of the Messiah, God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many or however distinguished in a human way, are simply merged into the "sons and daughters" they fathered.

The names of ten generations translated give a startling revelation. In them we read the faith of the godly generations before the flood, and what they were waiting for.

Mahalaleel — The Blessed God... Jared — Descends.

It was greatly in their interest that the origin of the human race be reliably recorded, and the origin of the earth and heavens too, and of every creature in them. Higher still was it to hear of the fall and its solemn results. Highest of all was to know that He, both the Creator and in moral relationship with man, had stepped in — in a way as righteous as it was gracious — revealing a suffering Deliverer, the woman's Seed, to destroy the enemy... And how could a revelation that was still only spoken reach Adam's family, except by the long lives of that early day? For Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had heard from God Himself, and Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac.

You can also see how much the long lifespan of those days helped in carrying out God's word of blessing to the first pair: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

A sad chime sounds all through the earlier list: "and he died." It never sounds once in the later list, even though everyone named in chapter 11 did in fact die. Chapter 5 has one striking exception, Enoch, who "walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." Human life ran so long in those days that it was all the more moving to say of each man, apart from that one exception, "and he died."

Cain's family make all the world's history. They build its cities, they promote its arts, they conduct its trade, they invent its pleasures and pastimes. But in all this Seth's family are not seen. The one generation call their cities after their own names; the other call themselves by the name of the Lord. The one do all they can to make the world their own, and not the Lord's; the other do all they can to show themselves to be the Lord's, and not their own.

Death was sin's wages, not then a physical necessity. God had provided the means for prolonging man's life if he obeyed; but He took that means away outright when man fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an everlasting life of sin? Death therefore is in no way a debt owed to nature but to sin. Here we hear its bell tolling for each even of those who stood apart from the evil way of Cain — the ancestors not only of Israel, but in due time of the Messiah. Of Adam, so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, it was alike said "he died."

He might live for hundreds of years, and "beget sons and daughters"; but in the end the record must say, "he died." "Death reigned from Adam to Moses." "It is appointed for man to die once." Man cannot get over this. He cannot, by steam, or electricity, or anything else within reach of his cleverness, take away death's terrible sting. He cannot, by his own energy, set aside the sentence, though he may produce the comforts and luxuries of life.

They needed a reliable account of where the human race came from. It mattered even more to hear of the fall and its solemn results. It mattered most of all to know that God, their Creator, had stepped in to reveal a suffering Deliverer, the woman's Seed, who would destroy the enemy. How could a revelation that was still spoken reach the family of Adam effectively, except by the long life that marked that early day? For Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had passed on from God Himself. Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac. These were facts and prospects briefly expressed, plain in meaning, and deeply important.

The inspired writer gives the same simple outline of these long lives, and it is all the more striking for that. God's purpose is the key. It explains the mention that looks so thin, and also the special record in the cases of Enoch and Noah. So the general genealogy leaves out all details beyond the direct line of the chosen people. It keeps above all to the line of the Messiah — God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel. The record merges the rest of their children, however many or however distinguished in a human way, into the "sons and daughters" they fathered.

In 1 Chronicles 1 the opening three verses give one of the wonderful sentences of Inspiration. It holds ten names and not a single verb: Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. Translated in order, these ten names form a remarkable sentence in English: Man, Appointed [or Replaced], Miserable, Lamenting, The God of Glory, Shall descend, To instruct, His death sends, To the afflicted, Consolation. So the very names of these early fathers would be a standing testimony to the world.

Enoch blossoms out in the middle of the genealogy that records death. He shows the presence of that life which triumphs over the very presence of death.

Therefore the iron rule "and he died" does not apply to Christians. Even in Genesis 5 this is indicated by the one exception we find there — Enoch, who walked with God and was taken away without seeing death.

There is a striking contrast with the record of the Cainites in the previous chapter. The Cainites were progressive, built cities and made inventions. Nothing is said of the God-fearing generations in this chapter accomplishing great earthly things. They were pilgrims and strangers, waiting for better things. In the fourth chapter the word "die" is not mentioned. Nothing is said of the duration of the life of Cain and his seed. Eight times in the fifth chapter we read "and he died." One did not die. We learn from this that the Lord keeps a record of the lives, the work and the years of His people. His saints are in His hands.

If we turn back to 1 Chronicles 1, the opening three verses give us one of the wonderful sentences of Inspiration. It is a sentence containing ten proper names and not a single verb. The names are these: Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. Dr Kitto has pointed out what these ten names mean when translated in order. They form this remarkable sentence in English: Man, Appointed [or Replaced], Miserable, Lamenting, The God of Glory, Shall descend, To instruct, His death sends, To the afflicted, Consolation. So the very names of the patriarchs before the flood would be a standing testimony to the world. Methuselah's name in particular was a warning message to the sinners of his day. Enoch the prophet, whose own name marked him out as one able "to instruct," named his son in words that foretold a coming judgment. That judgment would "descend" after his death. The very year Methuselah died, the flood came.

Adam — Man; Seth — Set; Enos — Frailty; Cainan — Deplorable; Mahalaleel — The Blessed God; Jared — Descends; Enoch — Teaching; Methuselah — Death sent away; Lamech — Powerful; Noah — Rest, Comfort.

He was the seventh from Adam, as Jude tells us, and we can check this in Genesis 5. He was number seven counting through the line of Seth, the line that kept faith alive in the days before the flood. When Eve bore Seth she said, "God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." These words were doubtless prophetic. Cain the man of flesh had killed Abel the man of faith, and God had now appointed another godly seed by which faith should not perish from the earth. The seventh man on that line of faith was the outstanding man of the line. In him faith shone out with special brightness.

How could a revelation that was still only spoken reach Adam's family, except through the long lives of that early day? Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam passed on from God Himself. Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac. These were facts and prospects said in few words, plain in meaning, and deeply important.

Those who judge only from what we see today are far from the truth. By nature, man was made at the start to live. Death was sin's wages, not a physical necessity back then. God had provided the means to prolong his life if he obeyed. But He took it away from him outright when he fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an endless life of sin? So death is in no sense a debt owed to nature, but to sin. Here we read its death-knell for each of these men. That includes those who stood apart from the evil way of Cain, the ancestors not only of Israel but in due time of the Messiah. Of Adam, and so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, it was alike said "he died."

The one exception to the common lot of man forms no exception to the rule that no one can deliver himself from death. Of Enoch we read, "he was not, for God took him." It was God's act, not Enoch's effort, which kept his body from the grave.

The inspired writer gives the same simple outline of these lives so prolonged... Divine purpose is the key. It explains both the mention that looks so meagre and the special record in the cases of Enoch and Noah. It also explains why the general genealogy gives no details beyond the direct line of the chosen people, and so above all of the Messiah. He is God's salvation, a light for revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many or distinguished in a human way, are merged into nothing more than the "sons and daughters" they fathered.

The opening verses of 1 Chronicles 1 give a sentence containing ten proper names and not a single verb. The names are these: Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah... translated in order, these ten names form a remarkable sentence in English. It runs: Man, Appointed [or Replaced], Miserable, Lamenting, The God of Glory, Shall descend, To instruct, His death sends, To the afflicted, Consolation. So the very names of the patriarchs before the flood would be a standing testimony to the world.

It mattered greatly to them to have sure witness to the origin of the race, and of the earth and heavens, and of all creatures in them. Higher still was it to hear of the fall and its solemn results. Highest of all was to know that He, both the Creator and in moral relationship with man, had stepped in... revealing a suffering Deliverer, the woman's Seed, to destroy the enemy... And how could a revelation still passed on by word of mouth reach the whole family of Adam, except by the long lives of that early day? Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam passed on from God Himself. Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac.

The Cainites pushed ahead, built cities and made inventions. This chapter says nothing about the God-fearing generations achieving great things on earth. They were pilgrims and strangers, waiting for better things. The fourth chapter never mentions the word "die." It says nothing about how long Cain and his descendants lived. Eight times in the fifth chapter we read "and he died." One did not die. We learn from this that the Lord keeps a record of the lives, the work and the years of His people. His saints are in His hands.

Death was the wages of sin. Back then it was not a necessity built into the body. God had provided the means for prolonging his life if he obeyed, but took that means away from him outright when he fell. For what greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an everlasting life of sin? So death is in no way a debt owed to nature but to sin. Here we read its bell tolling even for those who stood apart from the evil way of Cain... Of Adam, so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, it was alike said "he died."

How sad, if this were all! But it is not; it is only the first man. "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead." The devil had the power of death. Christ in grace submitted to death, but death could not hold Him, and His death brings the devil to nothing.

Josephus and certain Arabian writers, quoted by Hottinger, claim to give details about the men listed here. Their claims are not worth repeating, because they have no real authority. The inspired writer gives only the same simple outline of these long lives, and that is all the more striking... Divine purpose is the key. It explains why the general family line leaves out every detail beyond the direct line of the chosen people, and so above all of the Messiah — God's salvation, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of His people Israel. The rest of their children, however many or however distinguished in a human way, are simply merged into the "sons and daughters" they had.

At the outset God made man to live. Death was the wages of sin; at that time it was no physical necessity. God had provided the means to prolong man's life if he obeyed, but took that means away when he fell. What greater misery, or moral contradiction, than an everlasting life of sin? So death is in no way a debt of nature but of sin. Here we hear its bell toll for each man, even for those who kept clear of the evil way of Cain... Of Adam, so of Seth, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, it was alike said "he died."

He might live for hundreds of years and have "other sons and daughters." But in the end the record must say, "he died." "Death reigned from Adam to Moses." "It is appointed for man to die once." Man cannot get past this. Steam, electricity, and everything else his genius can reach will never disarm death of its terrible sting.

Adam at the end of his nine hundred and thirty years' life on earth was no better than he was just after the fall. Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years. His nature was just as corrupt at the close of his life as it was on the day he was born. So time counts for nothing here. Nothing can change a nature. What man really needs is a new one.

At that time God made man's life long, and that took the place of a written word. We can see His wisdom in it. At the flood, life was cut in half. It was cut in half again when the earth was divided up among the peoples.

God's revelation was still spoken, not written. How could it reach the family of Adam, except by the long lives of that early day? Methuselah lived to tell Shem what Adam had passed on from God Himself. Shem lived to repeat it all to Abraham and Isaac. These were facts and things to come, said in few words, plain in meaning, and of the deepest importance.

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one and another that "he died." Sin has wrecked everything here, and the chapter puts that before us in vivid terms. Yet right in the middle of this dismal list of dying men, we read of one who did not die. "He was not, for God took him."

How sad, if this were all! It is not so, however; this is only the first man. "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead."

Genesis 5 is "the book of the generation of Adam," a chapter over which the shadow of death is apparent in the often repeated expression "and he died" — a shadow universal in its effects, and one which the power of God, the living God, alone can remove. It is a blessed thing to read in such a chapter that "Enoch walked with God … and God took him." By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death (Hebrews 11:5).

His name was the same as that of Cain's son, the man the world's first city was named after. "Enoch" means "dedicated." So we may say of the one that he was dedicated to the world, and of the other that he was dedicated to God. Eternity will show which had the better part.

There seems to be a suggestion in the next verse that the dawn of the new life in Enoch happened at the same time as the birth of his son Methuselah. One can easily understand how this might be. Births and deaths are alike solemn family events, and the Spirit of God can use them to turn the heart to things eternal.

Happy are the parents who can walk with God as they walk the floor with a crying, restless infant. Those dreaded night watches become heavenly talks with their best and dearest Friend. You will find the silent house, when everybody else is asleep, is just the place where your Lord and you can walk together undisturbed.

To "walk with" implies companionship. If you saw me going down the street in conversation with someone, the suggestion would be that I enjoy his company. God values this in His people more than anything else. … While others were busy making a name and a place for themselves here, building their city and perfecting their crafts, "Enoch walked with God." The presence of God and communion with Him meant more to his heart than anything a sin-cursed earth could give.

How much is involved in these three words, "walked with God"! What separation and self-denial! What holiness and moral purity! What grace and gentleness! What humility and tenderness! And yet what zeal and energy! What patience and long-suffering, and yet what faithfulness and uncompromising decision! … It is not merely living by rules and regulations, nor laying down plans of action, nor making resolutions to go here or there and do this or that.

He was no recluse or dreamy mystic, for the record is that "Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters." He entered into ordinary human life. He knew all the usual trials and troubles, as well as the joys of bringing up a family. … Despite that, he walked with God — not by fits and starts, but with steady persistence for three centuries! A wonderful walk — the longest walk on record.

Look at the prophecy of God's long-suffering wrapped up in the meaning of Methuselah's name. It meant "when he is dead it shall be sent" — that is, the flood. Nobody has ever lived longer than he did. He was older than Adam with his 930 years, and older than Jared with his 962 years. He even outlived his own son Lamech, who reached 777. That great age stood as a witness to God's patient compassion, to His unwillingness to judge. … In the end God's patience came to a close. Methuselah died. That year the flood came.

Genesis 5:22 seems to hint that new life dawned in Enoch at the very time his son Methuselah was born. It is easy to see how this could be. Births and deaths are both solemn family events. The Spirit of God can use either one to turn the heart to eternal things.

As Enoch walked with God, his activities came under Divine control. He had the happy privilege and responsibility of keeping in touch with God. That way he could know His thoughts and understand His ways. Then God ordered his life and path, for it was His to show the direction and set the pace. God led the way, and Enoch was at His side, led by Him with understanding. His walk was not like a dog's, faithfully following his master's steps, because Enoch was given a wonderful grasp of God's mind and purpose, as Jude's letter makes plain.

This is where faith begins, whether for Enoch or for ourselves. It leads us to the knowledge that GOD IS, and that is something very different from believing that there is a God. Even today, many people cannot explain how everything came to exist without assuming a God of some kind, somewhere. But that is reason, not faith. Only faith puts us into the presence of the LIVING GOD. He knows, He sees, He acts, He makes Himself known, and He even rewards those who seek Him with all their heart. In days when all thought of the living God was fading from people's minds, Enoch by faith had the living God before him. He sought Him with all his heart, and so he found Him. There began that remarkable walk with Him, which lasted three hundred years.

Enoch did not live in an easy day. Jude tells us that ungodliness was everywhere in Enoch's time... But he walked with God — he walked with God! He sensed in his heart that God wanted his company. And God so worked in his heart that Enoch answered God's own desires as he walked with Him. He didn't walk with God casually; he didn't walk with God now and then; he didn't walk with God for a few moments; he walked with God for hundreds of years. He didn't go into a monastery to do it, for we read in Genesis 5:22 that "Enoch walked with God … and had other sons and daughters."

Enoch, in a day when there was no Scripture, walked with God. For 300 years he walked according to the mind of God. Such a walk makes very little noise in the world... It was a very quiet, very unshowy walk. At every step it simply asked, "Where is God in this step?" Did the people of that day ask, before they put a foot down, "Is God in it?" No — it appears that Enoch walked alone with God. He had a set of thoughts and ways peculiar to himself, but the same as God's.

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one and another that "he died." This sets before our eyes the wreck of everything here, which is the fruit of sin. What a remarkable thing: right in the middle of this dismal list of dying men, we read of one who did not die.

If we had to choose which of the patriarchs before the flood should live a long life of witness, we should have said, "Enoch of course, Enoch is the man. He is the man who walks with God; he is the man who bears unswerving witness." We should have been wrong. Enoch was taken in early life. Look at Methuselah — 969. Enoch has 365 years and he is gone. The very man we want is gone!

If Genesis 5 had not given us such full details about the ages of the patriarchs when they died, we might have pictured Enoch at 365 as a worn-out old man looking for his grave. But we can hardly do that. Human life then was about ten times as long as it is now. So Methuselah's life matches that of an old man today who misses being a hundred by a few years. And Enoch's comes to about 36 and a half years — the age when a man is in the prime of his strength. Death clearly threatened him while he was young, and God snatched him away so that death should not take him as its prey.

Standing aloof from the corruptions of his day, he warned men of a judgment which should surely come. By the force of truth he was a stranger in the world. His way was contrary to that of other men. But he pleased God whom it was alone his care to please. Thus he lived and worked, holding patiently to a better hope than that of far-extending earthly days, until he ceased at the noontide of his natural life (Gen. 5:23). He was not found. Men sought him.

Enoch was without doubt the one outstanding man of faith before the flood, yet he lived by far the shortest life. If the arranging had been left to us, would we not have ordered it otherwise? We often see believers of godliness and gift taken away fairly early in life... Meanwhile another, who has never stood out for godliness or service, and who is more of a drag on his fellow believers, is left to a very old age! We all tend to treat this as strange, and we feel like questioning the wisdom of God's ways.

Ever since sin entered it has looked as though our Lord is fighting a losing battle. His greatest servants go when most needed, yet He will bring victory out of what looks like defeat. We have an immensely great Lord, One who is big enough to bring about glory all along the line. Consequently He can do with very small servants.

There is a very striking difference between God's inspired records of His people and all human biographies. The first can truly be called "much in little." Many of the second can just as truly be called "little in much." The story of one of the Old Testament saints covers 365 years. It is summed up in two short clauses: "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." How brief! And yet how full, how complete! How many volumes would a man have filled with the record of such a life? And yet, what more could he have said? To walk with God covers everything that could be said of anyone.

Once, and but once, in the days before the flood, a man had walked with God 365 years of life, and then, without seeing death, been removed to heaven to walk with Him there. That life of Enoch, on which the shadow of death had never fallen, might suffice to show the possibility.

Enoch was the first sample of being taken up to heaven, and he remains the lasting type of it — a real removal to heaven, quietly done, with no sign beforehand and nothing to prepare for it in events or prophecy. This was a special honour to Enoch, and the pledge of what all God's people called to heaven will enjoy: those still alive when the Lord comes.

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one and another that "he died." So the ruin of everything here, the fruit of sin, is set before us. Yet right in the middle of this grim list of dying men, we read of one who did not die.

The one exception to the common lot of man is no exception to the rule that no one can deliver himself from death. Of Enoch we read, "He was not, for God took him." It was God's act, not Enoch's effort, which kept his body from the grave.

These few words hold a world of meaning! "Walking" means not rest but activity, of mind or of body. Enoch's activity of mind — his talk and his communion — and his activity of service too were "with God." Before Adam fell, the Lord God had walked with him in the garden, as Genesis 3:8 implies. Enoch, however, lived in a scene of growing corruption and violence. God could no longer walk with him as He once did in an unfallen creation, so Enoch walked with God. He knew God Himself. In God's things he lived and moved and had his being.

He was no recluse or dreamy mystic. The record is that "Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters." He entered into ordinary human life. He knew all the usual trials and troubles, as well as the joys of bringing up a family. Despite that, he walked with God — not by fits and starts, but steadily, for three centuries! A wonderful walk, the longest walk on record was that!

Genesis 5 records no ups and downs. No failures, and no brilliant successes. Just this short but full sentence: "Enoch walked with God." It shows a quiet, steady purpose — a holy life lived apart from a world under judgment. Hebrews 11:5-6 shows us it was a life of faith, of seeking God diligently.

It is what we may call a technical term. It has to do with personal presence on earth. So we read of Enoch's removal to heaven, "he was not, for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). He was no longer on earth, but in the other world. Again, when Jacob was asked to let Benjamin go down to Egypt, he cried out, "You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin" (Gen. 42:36).

They were after him. But just before the blow could fall, "he was not, for God took him." God did not step in for Abel: that man was commended as righteous, and then died a martyr's death. He did step in for Enoch. This man greatly displeased the men of his age, but he pleased God so much that God took him into His presence, beyond the reach of his enemies. We may sum up his story by saying that he walked with God, he witnessed for God, and he went to God.

What a plain sign God gave in that great but simple fact! It went far beyond the ordinary experience of undoubted saints. It showed that heaven was to be the home of those He loves on earth — the heaven of His presence, where time and change are unknown, to say nothing of sin and sorrow. … Enoch was the first sample of being taken to heaven, and he remains its lasting picture: heavenly in reality, and done in silence, with no sign beforehand and no preparation in providence or prophecy.

Take the naming of his son, Methuselah. The name means "He has sent his death." It shows that Enoch understood judgment must come, and end things as they were around him. Methuselah's name was, indeed, a prophecy, and implied that when he died the flood would come, which it did in the very year of his death.

The name Methuselah means, "When he is dead it shall be." Enoch gave his son this strange name so that he would be a sign to everyone that judgment was coming. As long as Methuselah lived, judgment would not come. When Methuselah died, the whole world would know that judgment was near. Methuselah lived to be the oldest man this world has ever known. Why? Because God was not willing that any should perish, and He waited, and waited, and waited, for men to repent. He waited for men and women and children to come into the ark to be saved.

Dr Kitto has pointed out that these ten names, translated word for word in order, form this remarkable sentence in English: Man, Appointed [or Replaced], Miserable, Lamenting, The God of Glory, Shall descend, To instruct, His death sends, To the afflicted, Consolation. So the very names of the fathers who lived before the flood would be a standing testimony to the world. Methuselah's name in particular was a warning message to the sinners of old... One cannot help noticing that after the name of the oldest man this world ever saw, God wrote "and he died."

The chapter gives not only their ages, but the very great ages most of them reached. That let certain "holy prophets," named here, tell many later generations about the wonderful works of God. Before the flood, the testimony came by word of mouth. Adam and Methuselah lived at the same time for over 240 years. One reading of the name that Enoch gave his son Methuselah is, "At his death the breaking forth of waters."

Lamech, the son of Methuselah, named his son Noah, which means "rest." Whatever Lamech had in mind when he spoke about Noah, his words were prophetic, because God inspired them (v.29)... We may be sure that Lamech did not know how this would happen. The rest that was coming depended on Noah's long years of work building the ark. So the great work of the Lord Jesus in His sacrifice of Calvary is the basis of rest for the believer.

Even in Noah's father, Lamech, though he speaks devoutly about God, we can see decline. Is he not, even in his name, sadly linked with Cain's line? He is another Lamech, a "strong man" — not an Enosh, who humbled himself before God.

Little is said of Adam's line through Seth. They lived many days on the earth. They had sons and daughters, besides the one who carried on the line. And they died... In Methuselah's case it might have seemed that man was, as a rare exception, going to reach a thousand years. But no. God has kept that for the reign of the Last Adam. He will make it good all through His world-kingdom as the rule, not the exception, for those who welcome Him when He appears to reign in righteousness.

Look again at the prophecy of God's patience wrapped up in the meaning of Methuselah's name. It meant "when he is dead it shall be sent" — that is, the flood. No one has lived longer than he did. He outlived Adam with his 930 years, and Jared with his 962 years, and even his own son Lamech with his 777 years. Methuselah's great age was a standing witness of God's patient compassion, of His unwillingness to judge. What light this throws on His blessed nature! Elsewhere we read that He "endured with much patience vessels of wrath" (Romans 9:22).

One reading of the name Enoch gave his son is, "At his death the breaking forth of waters."

Noah's grandfather was named Methuselah. Methuselah's father was Enoch, who preached this solemn sermon: "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment" (Jude 14-15). The name Methuselah means "when he is dead it shall be." Enoch gave his son this strange name as a sign to everyone that judgment was coming. As long as Methuselah lived, judgment would not come. When Methuselah died, the whole world would know that judgment was near. Methuselah lived to be the oldest man this world has ever known. Why? Because God was not willing that any should perish, and He waited, and waited, and waited, for men to repent. He waited for men and women and children to come into the ark to be saved.

Genesis 5, in giving us a list of these, presents some very striking facts. It gives us their ages. And the very great ages most of them reached let certain "holy prophets," named here, testify to many later generations about the wonderful works of God. Before the flood the testimony came by word of mouth. Adam and Methuselah lived at the same time for over 240 years.

At length God's patience came to an end. Methuselah died. That year the flood came. The awful blow fell. God's long-promised but certain judgment on the world was carried out.

Run your eye over chapter 5. You find a revealing record of man's weakness, and of how death rules over him. He might live for hundreds of years and have "other sons and daughters." But in the end the record must say, "he died." "Death reigned from Adam to Moses." "It is appointed for man to die once." Man cannot get over this. No power he invents — steam, electricity, anything else within his genius — can take away death's terrible sting.

In his case it might have seemed that man was exceptionally going to reach a millennium. But not so. That is reserved for the reign of the Last Adam. He will make it good throughout His world-kingdom. There it will be the rule, not the exception, for those who welcome Him when He appears to reign in righteousness.

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one man after another that "he died." Sin has wrecked everything here, and the chapter puts that wreck in front of us. Remarkably, right in the middle of this dismal list of dying men, we read of one who did not die. "He was not, for God took him."

Genesis 5 is one of the most solemn chapters in Holy Scripture. It is a chapter of death. Eight times over we read of one and another that "he died." Sin has wrecked everything here, and the chapter makes us see it. Remarkably, right in the middle of this grim list of dying men, we read of one who did not die: "he was not, for God took him."

The sorrowful chime sounds all through the earlier list: "and he died." It never sounds once in the later one, though in fact everyone named in chapter 11 did die. Chapter 5 has the one striking exception of Enoch. Human life lasted so long in those days that it was all the more moving to say of each of the others, "and he died."

Look at the prophecy of God's long-suffering wrapped up in the meaning of Methuselah's name. It meant "when he is dead it shall be sent" — that is, the flood. None have lived longer than he. He was older than Adam, who lived 930 years, and older than Jared, who lived 962. He even outlived his own son Lamech, who lived 777 years. Methuselah's great age was a standing witness of God's long-suffering compassion, of His unwillingness to judge.

The witness was himself affected by his testimony. His soul felt the weight of it. So he named his son Methuselah, which means "After he is dead it shall be sent." Are our souls influenced by the testimony we carry today?

At length there came an end to God's long-suffering. Methuselah died. That year the flood came. The awful blow fell. God carried out His long-promised and certain judgment on the world.

Methuselah lived on down here, and he knew that as long as he lived the judgment could not fall. He watched his grandson Noah through 600 years of life. He heard the solemn announcement of the judgment. He saw the ark being made ready to save the lives of Noah's whole household. Then at last he, the oldest man who ever lived, passed from this scene and prepared the way for the judgment to come. The 969 years of Methuselah's life are a mighty voice crying aloud to those who have ears to hear.

In his case it might have seemed that man was going to reach a thousand years, as an exception. But no. Life that long belongs to the reign of the Last Adam. He will make it good throughout His world-kingdom as the rule, and not the exception, for those who welcome Him when He appears to reign in righteousness.

The words "and he died" come again and again in this chapter. They stand in striking contrast to the words "And He shall live," written about David's Son and Lord in Psalm 72:15.

Today, if a person lives to be 100, we think him very old. But he must die. How about Methuselah? Of him also it is written: "He died." Would you like to live to be 969 years old? Many people would. Would they like to die then? No. Death is man's enemy. Nobody likes to die, but in this world all except two men have died: Enoch and Elijah.

The record says little about Adam's line through Seth. They lived many days on the earth; they had sons and daughters, besides the one who continued the line; and they died. That silence gives great weight to everything else the record says.

Lamech, the son of Methuselah, called his son's name Noah, meaning "rest." Whatever Lamech was thinking when he spoke about Noah, his words were prophetic. God inspired them (v. 29)... We may be sure that Lamech did not know how this was to be done. For the rest that was to come depended on Noah's long years of labour in building the ark. In the same way the great work of the Lord Jesus in His sacrifice at Calvary is the basis of rest for the believer. The curse of sin has spoiled the earth for us. But the work of Christ has brought in eternal blessing above the level of earth, and it gives rest to weary hearts. Of course Noah's work is only a very faint picture of this.

Noah means, as we have seen, "rest" or "comfort." His father Lamech gave the name in faith that God's comfort would come through him. The hope was well founded. In Genesis 8:4 the ark rested — literally "Noahed" — on the mountains of Ararat. In verse 21 of the same chapter, "the LORD smelled a sweet savour," literally "a savour of rest," or Noah. In each case the root is the same. It shows how truly God answered the faith seen in the name. He gave rest in a scene of ruin, and declared that the sacrifice was the basis of it.

When we reach Noah, the tenth from Adam, the history expands again... His father Lamech acknowledged that the earth was under the curse of God, and he expected that his son would bring rest or comfort. This he did by building the ark at God's command, carrying a few — eight souls — into a new world.

You do get relief in a way afterwards. So Lamech named his son Noah. He said, "This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which Jehovah has cursed." It does not say the curse was taken away; but there was comfort concerning it... The curse is not gone; but its effect was lessened.

Even in Noah's father, Lamech, we can detect a decline, though he speaks about God with reverence. Is he not, even in his name, sadly linked with Cain's line? He is another Lamech, a "strong man," not a man humbling himself before God. It is striking, too, that like his namesake in Cain's line, he also has his memorable saying...

Lamech's prophecy was true, then, about the "comfort" God had in store for man. It was false only in one thing: he applied it to a generation still alive, and the judgment cut them off before the blessing came.

Enoch's prophecy (Jude 14) spoke of judgment. It will have its answer, its full answer, when the present course of things is closing and the day of the Lord comes to convince the ungodly. Lamech's prophecy (Genesis 5:29) spoke of rest. It will be made good later. First the day of the Lord carries out the judgment; then the presence of the Lord brings its restoration and refreshing.

The word first appears on the lips of Lamech as he named his son — Noah. What he said in Genesis 5:29 shows that he was feeling the sorrows of a cursed earth. He looked forward to something in which he could find rest or repose. That is what the name Noah means. Sadly, the world in Noah's day had not changed morally; it could give no comfort to the hearts of men.

Whatever Lamech's thoughts were in what he said about Noah, his words were prophetic, for God inspired them. Noah would "comfort us" or "give us rest from our works and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed." We may be sure Lamech did not know how this would happen. The coming rest depended on Noah's long years of work in building the ark.

Enoch speaks openly of the Lord's coming with tens of thousands of His saints. A heavenly portion only sharpens the sense of coming judgment on all. Lamech was given, though more dimly, to see in Noah the pledge of comfort for the earth, after the judgment of the living has done its work.

It does not say the curse was taken away, but there was comfort concerning it... In the garden Adam did not toil to get food. He ate the seed, and the animals ate the grass. Once he was driven out, he had to work hard for his food — "by the sweat of your face." After the flood, seed-time and harvest are certain, and farming has a kind of blessing on it: not the curse gone, but man comforted.

What suited then was a burnt-offering, of a sweet savour, or savour of rest... Now came, it would seem, the fulfilment of Lamech's word in calling his son Noah: "This same shall comfort us concerning our works and concerning the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed." Only Christ coming in power will remove the curse. In the meantime Noah brought relief and comfort for man in his toil.

The prophecy spoken over Noah was this — "This shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed." This introduced Him as the remover of the curse from a corrupted earth. So He is the rest of those under sentence to eat of it and till it with pain and sweat... Here we see Christ, the true Noah, Heir of the new earth. In that day, as we read, "no longer will there be anything accursed," and all things in it are given into His hand.

Like his namesake in Cain's line, this Lamech also has his memorable saying. The Lamech of Cain's line says he will go unpunished for his wrongdoing, arguing falsely from God's patience. This Lamech, on the very eve of judgment, speaks of comfort to a generation soon to be swept away by the flood... His prophecy was true, then, about the "comfort" God had in store for man. It was false only in applying it to a generation whose survivors the judgment cut off before the blessing came.