January 7, 2013
Central Truth
From the time of Adam, God already set into motion His plan to redeem us.
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. (Genesis 5:1)
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man 1 5:2 Hebrew adam when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. 19 Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God 2 5:22 Septuagint pleased God; also verse 24 after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, 3 5:24 Septuagint was not found for God took him.
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son 29 and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief 4 5:29 Noah sounds like the Hebrew for rest from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” 30 Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Upon reading Genesis 5, did you think, "This is what I was afraid of when I decided to read the Old Testament?" When I received my Journey assignment, I'm pretty sure they changed my passage -- I don't remember signing up for this!
The truth is that a list is only boring if it doesn't apply to you. Reading through this list, I realized that this is my family tree, and it's yours, too. We're all descendants of both Adam and Noah. Last week, I got on ancestry.com to see what else I could find out about my family history -- until I saw it cost money. Genesis 5 is ancestry.com for free.
This genealogy reminded me that:
We're all in the same family, so why don't I treat all people like family?
My name will appear in someone's genealogy. What will people remember about me?
Being human is terminal. The word "die" appears eight times in this chapter. I will die (or be caught up like Enoch, but I'm not counting on it). Am I laying up treasures in my bank account or in heaven?
My life on earth is just a blip in comparison to eternity. These people's lives were just a longer blip than mine will be. Why do I prioritize my life like I'll be here forever?
We're all people that God loves.
We're born "in the likeness of" Adam, born with an inherited sinful nature. From Seth to Noah, every person listed in Genesis 5 inherited that desire to sin. That explains a lot of things for me! This chapter reveals a God who has already set a plan in motion to redeem us from slavery to our sinful nature and the death penalty it carries. This genealogy was already heading toward Jesus Christ.
I am so consumed with things that don't matter. I live for this world too much and worry too much about what people think and not enough about what God thinks. The Word of God and the souls of men are the only things that will endure for eternity and are the only things worth investing my life in.
1. Who is one person from a previous generation who has influenced your life for Christ? How are you being intentional to influence the next generation?
2. Do you live as if you have all the time in the world? What is one thing you can do this week that relates to your Father's business?
3. How do you want to be remembered? To see what your life is reflecting, ask a friend, "What is the main thing you would remember about me?"
4. What are you investing your life in? Are you seeking earthly treasure or heavenly treasure? Do I spend more time on Facebook or in The Book?