Adam's Line

Adam’s line begins with a new son. Seth was the beginning of the chosen seed that Yahweh would use to carry out His plan of redemption. One would think that Satan had succeeded when he eliminated both Cain and Abel from the kingdom of Yahweh on earth, but Yahweh restored His plan through the birth of Seth who would keep the kingdom going (Gen 4:26). From Seth’s line will come Enoch and then Noah (see Adam to Noah family chart).

In Gen. 5 is the repetition of the phrase “and then he died.” The Bible uses repetition and patterns in order to make a point. But why is this significant? If we know that people die, then obviously everyone dies. This phrase is even more relevant in light of Gen. 5 being the only genealogy in the Bible that mentions the death of the people listed; all the others just state how long they lived or nothing at all. The serpent in Gen. 3 said that Adam and Eve would not die if they ate of the fruit of the tree, and in chapter 3 they did not seem to die. But by emphasizing everyone’s death, the author makes the point that Yahweh was right and the serpent was wrong. Likewise, the reader begins to realize by this point that death is a lot more than the soul being separated from the body. This only happens because of the much greater death that did happen immediately: humanity’s separation from Yahweh.

However, there is also a break in the pattern: “Enoch walked with God and then he disappeared because God took him away” (Gen. 5:24). What interrupts this inevitable death that humanity is condemned to face? Walking with Yahweh. To walk with Yahweh is the same as to be blameless (Job 1:1) and to walk in the light (1 Jn. 1:7). This phrase has the idea of one who is righteous and morally pure, and when they do sin, they repent of it quickly. The point is not that all who walk with Yahweh will be raptured but that Enoch’s rapture is a powerful testimony to the fact that one can escape death in the fuller sense of the word (eternal separation from Yahweh) by living in obedience to Yahweh. There is hope after the sin and fall of humanity. But since it is impossible to live in perfect obedience, there is the means of the animal blood sacrifice (Gen. 3:21) to demonstrate one’s repentance. Here is the beginning of the gospel message. One must live an obedient life to Yahweh by faith (but one cannot do this perfectly) and offer blood sacrifices in repentance by faith (but these are not totally sufficient for sin). This foreshadows and points to Jesus who will be the ultimate and sufficient sacrifice, which will enable humanity to live righteously under His atoning blood.