The Line of the Messiah

THE PATRIARCHS' LIVES

 

 

Moses is focusing on one point in the whole book of Genesis.

Who will carry the line of the promised seed of the Messiah

Promised by God in the garden

 

God has promised to bring salvation to the world through a seed, a seed He has chosen.

 

And when that seed arrives, God would have provided a complete genealogy from Adam to the Messiah to ensure that we can trace the Messiah’s claim. Those genealogies are then demonstrated in Luke and Matthew.

 

Gen. 5:3 “When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

In v3, Moses emphasizes that this child was born in the likeness and image of Adam. The words likeness and image are important here.

 

First the word for likeness in Hebrew is demuth, which means in the pattern of – an exact replica. Like we cut a dress as per a pattern, it will follow the exact measurements and shape.

 

And the word for image is tselem and means in the appearance of – in the likeness of a main subject.

 

What do we mean by pattern here? It is the sin nature of Adam. The same sin nature of Adam is being printed on all his children. So, Adam’s children shared Adam’s nature. And the children have the same appearance of the father, as we would expect.

 

But glance back to v1 and notice how Adam himself began.

Gen. 5:1 “This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.”

 

He was created in the likeness or pattern of God. What pattern was that? Holiness, perfection, goodness, not knowing sin. In that respect Adam was the exact pattern of his daddy. The same nature.

 

Now as we saw in v3, Adam “fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image”. This is the effect of sin playing out in creation. So, our children are not made in the likeness of God anymore, they are born in our likeness, which is sinful, separated from God. That perfect, sinless image left when Adam sinned in the garden.

 

So, Moses reminds us here that the generations that came from Adam shared Adam’s nature not God’s nature, save Christ alone. We are all being created in the image of Adam. By faith, through grace, God is able to take that pattern we are born with that came from Adam and grant us a new spirit and a new nature so that we might be restored to the likeness of God.

 

This is why Paul says:

1 Cor. 1:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

 

Paul is telling us that in our natural state of sinfulness, we have nothing in common with God. Looking through the lens of Scriptures, man lived a long life in the beginning of time but progressively declined and today they do not. Especially after the flood (watch my blog).

 

We know that Adam and Eve were created in perfection. There was no sin in them. They had a body that had no limits. They could carry on indefinitely. Secondly, we also know that death was not the original design for the body. Death was not a necessity. Thirdly, the decree of God after sin is that everything will wear down and return to dust. We can see it in our physical body, how it wears out as we age and through generations.

 

Enoch – a picture of the Church

Let us look at a very interesting observation of Moses in v23:

 

Gen. 5:23 “Thus, all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

 

What is the purpose of this record?

 

Enoch is taken as he reaches 365 years. A year is 365 days and he lived for 365 completed years and then God took him. The word “took him” in Hebrew is laqach and means “received” or “caught” or “took away”. The meaning is clear, Enoch did not experience death. Why is this important?

 

To get a proper answer we must look at other clues of Enoch’s age and his position in the generation line. And also, we will read that soon after Enoch departure, God sends the judgement of the flood on earth. Enoch is seventh in Seth’s line. And Enoch’s life is recognised as a picture of a man living in faith and walking with God.

 

Heb. 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”

 

Enoch was pleasing to God and God took him away before the judgement on earth.

 

This reminds us of what the New Testament tells us, that once a completed number of years is reached, the Church will be removed from the earth. Enoch becomes a picture of God’s mercy in removing the believer before the earth in preparation for the pouring out of judgement. In Enoch’s day, the judgement was water. But 2 Peter 3 says, the future judgement will be fire.

 

Gen. 5:25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years and became the father of Lamech.

Gen. 5:26 Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters.

Gen. 5:27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

 

Enoch’s son, Methuselah, outlived his dad and other human being, as he lived the longest at 969 years. His name means “when he dies, it shall be sent”. According to the genealogies in Genesis, the year Methuselah died was the same year that the flood came upon the earth. Enoch declared in his son’s name, a prophetic message warning of the coming judgement.

 

He literally made his son the poster boy and wherever he goes, his name is telling everyone: “When I die, it will be sent. When I die, you will be in trouble. When I die, it is coming.” And he lived for 969 years, telling the message to all the generations. Maybe people stopped believing him. Just like Peter said that the people will mock and say that you have been saying this for so long and it never happened.

 

We notice that NOT one of the men in the line of Messiah dies in the flood.

 

All of them died naturally prior to the flood, Enoch was raptured, and Noah was rescued. God will spare the righteous as He brings judgement to the unrighteousness as we see next time as the Scriptures unfolds the story of Noah.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for the comfort and the confidence to know that you will never confuse the righteous with the unrighteous as You prepare to bring judgement. We would prefer that there would not be any need for judgement. That all would come to know you. But we know from Your Word that this would not be the case. And we take comfort that by grace You have called us out to be your witness. We take comfort Father that we still have time to be Your messenger for an opportunity for grace. Let us take full advantage of that opportunity for whatever time remains so that we may be effective in calling others to know you. And we pray Father that the Church will continue to be a beacon of truth of Your Word and a source of mercy and grace for many. We know Father that it pleases you. Give us an opportunity to be rewarded for our faith and service and obedience. Father it is your heart to see people serving in that way. We pray in Jesus’ name.

Bibliography: Genesis 5.pages (versebyverseministry.org)