BIG IDEA:
DEATH DOES NOT DOMINATE LIFE FOR THOSE WHO WALK WITH GOD
INTRODUCTION:
Last week I appreciated the opportunity to visit Jenny and attend Capitol Hill Baptist Church and
listen to Pastor Mark Dever. I happened to receive this week via email an article by him that
serves as a good introduction to our study today of Genesis 5.
Article by Mark Dever: How Not to Think About Death Like a Secularist
Allow me to introduce you to Secular Sam.
Secular Sam is very successful. He has a good job, a nice girlfriend, a beautiful apartment, a new
car, and excellent health. He’s humorous, intelligent, and personable. Secular Sam is also a
Christian, and actually quite an active one. He has an evangelical background (though he’s
chosen to leave behind some of the embarrassing bits of it), is theologically conservative, and
believes in the authority of Scripture.
Indeed, he’s even come to see Scripture as the most satisfying explanation for all kinds of
phenomena, from the origin of the world to the meaning of life. Sam, being a student of
Scripture, can realistically examine humanity’s sinfulness. He can even confute his secular
friends with historical evidence for the resurrection. He knows that all of life is under the
scrutiny of God’s Word—not just religion, but also business, philosophy, ethics, economics, and
law.
What is it, then, that makes Secular Sam so secular? Sam is secular because he expects to wake
up in his bed tomorrow morning. He’s never even heard of what his grandparents called the
“blessed hope.” Sam’s hopes and concerns, even about his own spiritual life, are all contained in
this seculum (the Latin word from which we get “secular”)—that is, this age and this life. Sam
assumes tomorrow will be just like today, which has some serious implications for the way
he thinks about today.
Christians should have in the front of their thinking “the blessed hope”
Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and
Savior, Christ Jesus”
1 Thess 4:17 “We who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air, an so we shall always be with the Lord”
DEATH DOES NOT DOMINATE LIFE FOR THOSE WHO WALK WITH GOD
I. (:1-8) THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LINE OF SETH –
SIN BRINGS DEATH – IMAGE OF GOD CONTINUES BUT MARRED BY SIN AND
DEATH
A. (:1-5) Tracing the History of Adam (#1) – Through the Line of Seth
1. (:1a) Structural marker – defining ten sections in the Book of Genesis
“This is the book of the generations of Adam.” Heb: toledot
Tracing the history of Adam through the line of Seth
Parunak: We now enter the third section of the eleven sections of Genesis, and the second to be
introduced by the formula, “The generations of X.”
As we saw at the outset, this expression introduces the family history of the character to whom
the previous section led up.
• 1:1-2:3 was prolog, describing the creation of the heavens and the earth.
• 2:4-4:26 was “the generations of the heavens and the earth,” the family history of the
planet in its earliest years.
• 5:1-6:8 now describes the family history of Adam, bringing us down to the next major
character, Noah, whose own family history then begins in 6:9 with the same heading.
This section in turn has three parts:
• 5:1-2, a short prologue pointing back to the previous sections (ch. 1-4)
• 5:3-32, a long genealogy ending in Noah’s sons
• 6:1-8, the intermarriage of the sons of God and the daughters of men, and God’s decree
of judgment, setting the stage for the next section (the flood)
2. (:1b-3) Sustained Blessings in Birth of Seth – Despite the Effects of the Fall
“In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He
created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the
day when they were created.
“When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a
son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.”
A big part of the blessing is enabling their procreation which will be chronicled in the
genealogies in this chapter.
Parunak: He named them, a new piece of revelation not made explicit before. Just as Adam
demonstrated his rule over the animals by naming them, so God’s naming of Adam indicates his
authority.
R. Kent Hughes: Image Bearers of God – unparalleled privilege and potential
– capacity to hear God’s Word
– charged to rule the earth in God’s stead
– possibility of an intimate spiritual relationship as children of God
Why did it take so long for Adam and Eve to bear another son??
3. (:4-5) Summary of Adam’s Life Culminating in Death
a. (:4) Long Life and Additional Offspring
“Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight
hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters.”
Remember God’s charge to mankind to be fruitful and to procreate and to fill the earth and seek
to have dominion over it
A lot of children born and rapid population growth during this patriarchal period – marked by
very significant patriarchs
b. (:5) Inevitable Ending
“So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years,
and he died.”
Establishes the pattern we are going to see for the subsequent generations
Significant phrase that dominates this chapter – at the end of the record of every patriarch’s life –
no matter how many years they lived; no matter how many offspring; no matter their
accomplishments …. “and he died”
This short solemn note of finality still resonates down through the ages with us today;
No matter what type of summary will be written about our life … from a worldly perspective it
will end with the brief capstone: “and he died”
Death is inevitable – apart from the return of Jesus Christ
B. (:6-8) Tracing the History of Seth (#2) —
“And Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh. 7 Then Seth
lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had
other sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years,
and he died.”
Continues the pattern established by his father Adam that we are going to see from generation to
generation
Parunak: The question is, are we justified in adding these up to get a strict chronology (as did
Bishop Ussher to get creation at 4004 BC)? Or might there be gaps that could yield a much more
distant creation, closer to the requirements of modern anthropology?
Problem of Age of Earth – how to treat these genealogies?
Possibility of gaps … but no reference to that here … probably best to treat it as it is presented;
Introducing gaps does not give enough time to alter the conversation over the age of the earth …
so what is the advantage of that conjecture??
Thomas Constable: The careful recording of the age of each man when he fathered the next man
in the list strongly suggests that this list is complete
II. (:9-20) THE DEPRESSING REPETITION OF THE CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH
— DEATH IS INEVITABLE
A. (:9-11) Tracing the History of Enosh (#3) (fragile, frail)
“And Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan. 10 Then Enosh lived
eight hundred and fifteen years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other
sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he
died.”
B. (:12-14) Tracing the History of Kenan (#4)
“And Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel. 13 Then Kenan
lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had
other sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years,
and he died.”
C. (:15-17) Tracing the History of Mahalalel (#5)
“And Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared. 16 Then Mahalalel
lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other
sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five
years, and he died.”
D. (:18-20) Tracing the History of Jared (#6) (servant)
“And Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. 19
Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had
other sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two
years, and he died.”
III. (:21-27) THE UNIQUE BLESSING FOR THOSE WHO UNIQUELY WALK WITH
GOD –
GOD’S GRACE BRINGS LIFE
A. (:21-24) Tracing the History of Enoch (#7) (dedication)
“And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch
walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he
had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixtyfive
years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”
Significant break from the repetitive pattern – no death recorded for Enoch –
Cf. Elijah who was taken up to heaven alive by God – 2 Kings 2:1-12
Not a typical designation of an ordinary saint
he “walked with God” – follows after what we learned about the godly line of Seth at the end of
chap. 4 where they began to call upon the name of the Lord – builds upon that foundation
Significance of this being the 7th in the line of 10 generations detailed here
365 years – full year of days – representing fullness of privilege
Note that both Enock and Lamech were names that cropped up in the ungodly line of the seed of
the serpent recorded in chap. 4:18
Lamech was number 7 in the ungodly line – by way of contrast
Illustration – Earl Weaver: Speaking to an outspoken Christian on the team = Pat Kelly –
“I would rather you walk with the based loaded.”
What does “walking with God” involve?
1. Faith = the NT commentary on this phrase
Parunak: Moses writes that Enoch “walked with God,” but Hebrews follows the LXX in
replacing “walked with God” with the expression, “pleased God,” not a bad paraphrase.
2. Friendship/Fellowship – there is an intimacy here; takes us back to the pre-Fall
garden experience where the Lord walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening
John 15:14 “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
3. Faithfulness – for Jesus – this meant completing the mission and the work the Father
had given Him to do
1 Cor. 4:2 “It is required in stewards that one be found faithful … or trustworthy”
Cf. Jude 14; Enoch was frustrated by the ungodliness all about him. Prophecied about the return
of Christ and the coming judgment
Importance of serving as a preacher of righteousness to his generation – which was wicked and
ungodly as we will see in chap. 6
The rest of the world was living like Secular Sam – remember in the days of Noah people
expected their life of debauchery to just continue on so that they could party the next day like
they had the previous day – sort of like the infield at the Preakness Stakes yesterday
Timing: God took Enoch about halfway between Adam and the flood
Brian Borgman: In this man’s life, life itself was the last word; not death; no grave stone
DEATH DOES NOT DOMINATE LIFE FOR THOSE WHO WALK WITH GOD
B. (:25-27) Tracing the History of Methuselah (#8) – Unique Old Age (the man of the
spear)
“And Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of
Lamech. 26 Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he became
the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of
Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.”
Youngest antediluvian had the son who lived the longest
Lamech died before Methuselah died – very interesting
Died in the year of the Flood
Parunak: Individual Lives.—Why would people live so long in these early years?
Two answers.
1. After the flood, ages decrease dramatically. This suggests that the efficient cause of the long
lives lies in antediluvian climate and environment; perhaps the waters stored up in the heavens,
released at the flood (the so-called “vapor barrier” theory), reduced UV and cosmic radiation
reaching the earth, thus retarding aging processes.
2. The telic cause is no doubt God’s merciful desire that Adam be able to communicate widely to
his posterity the history of the garden, his sin, and God’s promise. He could personally have
taught all of his descendants down through Lamech (see chart on the handout). The knowledge
of God in these first two millennia was not handed down through countless generations, but
known at first or second hand from those who actually experienced the foundational events.
[plus you have depletion of gene pool over the years – mankind not getting stronger but weaker;
Impact of the curse of sin took some time to fully pervade every aspect of man’s nature]
IV. (:28-32) THE HOPE ANTICIPATED IN THE LINE OF NOAH –
GOD’S PROMISE BRINGS HOPE
A. (:28-31) Tracing the History of Lamech (#9)
“And Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years
, and became the father of a son. 29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one shall give
us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the
LORD has cursed.” 30 Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became
the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech
were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.”
Adds a significant editorial comment in vs. 29 — name Noah means rest
Man looking for rest from his work (relief from the curse, comfort) – understanding the curse
that the Lord put upon the ground and its impact on the difficulty of providing for the physical
needs of our family
Expression of messianic hope
Bob Deffinbaugh: The contrast spiritually between the two lines is obvious. It can easily be
illustrated by the two ‘Lamechs’ of chapters 4 and 5. Lamech (the son of Methushael, 4:18) of
Cain’s lineage was the initiator of polygamy (4:19). Worse than this he was a murderer who
boasted of his crime (4:23) and made light of God’s words to Cain (4:24).
The Lamech of chapter 5 (the son of Methuselah and the father of Noah) was a godly man. The
naming of his son revealed his understanding of the fall of man and the curse of God upon the
ground (cf. 5:29). It also indicated his faith that God would deliver man from the curse through
the seed of Eve. I believe Lamech understood that this deliverance would specifically come
through the son God had given him.
777 – attracts notice to evil Lamech’s vengeful claim uttered in chap. 4
B. (:32) Tracing the History of Noah (#10)
“And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and
Japheth.”
Borgman: Not the ultimate seed of the woman
Will be used to bring salvation to the line of Seth – it gets down to just 8 people
Shem – name, reputation
Ham – disgraced son, father of many of the enemies; synonymous with Egypt
Japheth – to extend, to enlarge
CONCLUSION:
Is our life today no different than that of Secular Sam? Do we get up every day expecting just to
live out one more day like yesterday until we are inevitably confronted with death …
Or is our life characterized by the phrase “walking with God”
– Walking in faith
– Walking in friendship/fellowship – involving an intimacy
– Walking in faithfulness
The ungodly actually walk in fear of death – whether they acknowledge it or not … it is
appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment (Heb. 9:27)
Heb. 2:15 “and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their
lives”
DEATH DOES NOT DOMINATE LIFE FOR THOSE WHO WALK WITH GOD