Scripture Introduction
The most basic definition of the word, “theology,” is the study of God. I have many theology books, wise and thoughtful writings explaining who God is and what he requires of us. In none of those will you find a genealogy. Yes, some comment on the Bible’s genealogies, but none present a list of names and how long people lived as an insight into the nature of God and mankind. Genealogies are hard to read or appreciate; and as I will soon remind you, they can even be hard to pronounce. Speaking of Genesis 5, Old Testament professor, H. C. Leupold, said, “Not every man would venture to use this chapter as a text” (in loc., 248).
So why does God devote so many lines to listing the descendants of Adam to Noah? One reason, I believe, is to draw our attention to the importance of people.
When pastors talk about theology, we are sometimes abstract and impersonal, as if discussing a physics problem rather than a friend’s letter. But when God commissions his theology, he tells us of his friends who lived out their faith. Yes, in the Bible we learn of predestination and divine sovereignty and the doctrines of grace. But even the finest points of theological precision are written into the lives of actual men and women, and boys and girls who lived and played on this planet. God cares about people. And today God introduces us to ten generations of Adam’s descendants, “the beginning of… a godly line,” families preserved by grace in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.
[Read Genesis 4.25-5.32. Pray.]
Introduction
Jesus seems convinced that the power of the Holy Spirit in his people is such that when we are transformed by his grace, the world around us will be affected. I get that from listening to his sermon in Matthew 5.13-16: “You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
One of the elders I served with in Omaha reminded us of this teaching by asking if we were more like thermometers or thermostats. Thermometer Christians are common: we measure the falling spiritual temperature of the surrounding culture and alert everyone to coming frost. But God offers us the power and truth to be thermostats, controlling the climate with our light and heat.
But we are not always successful, are we? The pressures of this life, the lusts of our hearts, and the lies of Satan tempt us, and we too often concede, so that our failures may outnumber and overwhelm our victories. I grow discouraged about influencing this world for Christ, and worry how much it influences me. Paul dealt with this very problem in Philippi.
Philippians 2.12-16: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life….”
The solution is simple: 1) obey God, 2) trust God, 3) have a godly attitude, and 4) make your goal, not this life, but another. Nothing fancy, just be blameless and without blemish, though the world around you is crooked and twisted. Then we will be thermostats. But it is easier to say than do. It helps me to know that we are not the first to feel the adverse pressures of the world.
John Calvin, (preaching in the 1500s), “Believers live on earth intermingled with the wicked; they breathe the same air and they enjoy the same soil. And [at the time Paul wrote] they were even more intermingled, inasmuch as there could scarcely be found a single godly family that was not surrounded on all sides by unbelievers. So much the more does Paul stir up the Philippians to guard carefully against all corruptions. The meaning is this: ‘You are, it is true, shut up among the wicked; but nevertheless, remember that you are, by God’s adoption, separated from them. Let there be, therefore, in your life, conspicuous marks which distinguish you. And let this consideration stir you up the more to aim at a godly and holy life, that we may not also be part of the crooked generation, involved in their vices and contagion.’”
Each of us faces the challenge of living in this world without being conformed to it. 500 years ago, John Calvin’s congregation faced the same challenge; 2000 years ago, so did the church in Philippi, and 6000 years ago, so did Adam’s descendants. We are not the first, nor will we be the last, to feel the pressure of worldliness. But let us not despair; instead, let us see in Genesis 5 how God preserves a people standing in stark contrast to the way of Cain, the way of unbelief, the way of rebellion. First, notice that…
1. Godly People Walk with God In Ungodly Cultures (Genesis 5.21-24)
If we hear these verses without remembering the line of Cain, we might think that the life of faith was easy in the early days of the earth. But note well, godly Enoch was seventh in descent from Adam through Seth: 1) Adam, 2) Seth, 3) Enosh, 4) Kenan, 5) Mahalalel, 6) Jared, and 7) Enoch.
So what? Notice who was seventh from Adam on Cain’s side: 1) Adam, 2) Cain, 3) Enoch, 4) Irad, 5) Mehujael, 6) Methushael, and 7) Lamech.
Enoch was of the same generation, and lived about the same time as Lamech! Lamech, who lived to please himself; Lamech who first practiced polygamy; Lamech who promised vengeance without mercy should anyone, man or boy, even scratch him. Lamech was a gang lord and mafia boss rolled into one. And, in a few more years, the whole earth will be so corrupt with wickedness and violence that God grieves making mankind, and destroys all except eight souls. Enoch walked with God in a rottenly ungodly culture.
Enoch walked with God. Here was a friend of God, a faithful man who kept in step with the Spirit. Enoch loved the ways of the Lord; every situation in life reminding him that pleasing God was the way to happiness. When Enoch sinned, he refused to rest until he returned in repentance and faith, and resumed his walk by God’s side. Here was a man persistently endeavoring to open himself to God’s inspection and correction, and to throw off everything which hindered his race of faith. Enoch was after God’s own heart, and eager to give his heart to the Lord.
Dr. Allen P. Ross, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, notes: “To walk with God is to open to him all our purposes and hopes, to seek his judgment on our schemes of life and idea of happiness—it is to be on thoroughly friendly terms with God. But these things were not made easy to Enoch. In evil days, with much to mislead him, with everything to oppose him, he had to cleave to the path on which God walked by faith and diligent seeking (as the Epistle to the Hebrews says), often left in darkness, often thrown off the track, often listening but unable to hear the footfall of God or to hear his own name called upon, receiving no sign, but still diligently seeking the God he knew would lead him only to good.”
And while the world ran away, Enoch drew so close that God took him directly from earth without death—something which happened only twice in the history of mankind. Amazing!
But why did God record this? Surely not to make us jealous of Enoch’s spiritual strength, nor discouraged at our weakness. Instead, these verses remind us that the faithful life is lived in the midst of a fallen world.
There is a saying: it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. That is a fine enough slogan, but which is easier? Could it be that we are sometimes better at complaining about evils around us than counteracting them? Is it not easier to lament the corrosive effects of fallen culture than to live a salty life? But Enoch proves culture is not an omnipotent force which we cannot resist. He walked with God while the world rebelled.
We have a friend whose daughter married a man as he neared the end of seminary training. As this dad walked his daughter down the aisle, he was giving her away in marriage. But it was different for him than for most dads. Because he knew that in a few short months, this young couple would begin church planting in a Muslim country where Christians are commonly persecuted. He knew he would not see his daughter very much, and he would miss most of the growing up of his grandchildren. Yet he has no regrets. Why? Because he walks with God in an ungodly culture.
Is it possible that when we dream about affecting the culture with our faith, we hope to so change the world enough that we and our children can be godly without pressure or persecution? If our hope is to calm the world so that we can enjoy its comforts, then we are not walking with God. Paul told Timothy, “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse” (2Timothy 3.12-13). None are exempt; Enoch suffered for his walk with God in the midst of an ungodly culture.
2. Godly People Call on the Name of Jehovah in Ungodly Times (Genesis 4.25-26)
If we were to strategize about how God would have us impact the world for Christ, we might quickly pass over our worship and focus on our witness. After all, to a culture deeply in love with itself and at war with God, desperately needs Christians serving as salt and light.
Must we witness? Absolutely! We must go into your workplace, your extended families, your neighborhoods, and into every place of influence—God gives you the privilege of demonstrating his power and speaking of his hope.
But before we go, our hearts must be fully set upon the Lord. God makes known, not how great we are, but how great is Christ in us, the hope of glory. In Genesis 4.26, the mark of the godly line is first worship, calling on God. Devotion to the Lord must precede service for the Lord.
Matthew Henry: “Now men began to worship God, not only in their closets and families, but in public and solemn assemblies…. The worse others are the better we should be, and the more zealous.”
Are we zealous to call upon the name of the Lord? Are we fervent in worship, not simply going through the motions, but stirring up our souls to passionate enthusiasm and devotion? Of course we all fail, we all have days when we are distracted and our hearts are divided. But do we have days when we succeed? Do we even want them, or do we prefer a lukewarm religion, where none could ever criticize our enthusiasms? When Moses describes the faithful line, he begins by noting their worship, that they called on the name of Jehovah God.
3. Godly Line is Made of Sinners (Genesis 4.26-5.3)
I sometimes feel that godliness is best reserved for spiritual giants. How do we fight discouragement, when we are worn down and weary of trying to do good? Four truths hinted at in these verses encourage perseverance.
3.1. Remember the frailty and weakness of your nature
I’m sure that Cain mocked Seth, something like, “Watch out for me, ‘brother.’ Abel was a weakling, and those who call on God get in trouble.” So Seth named his firstborn, “Enosh,” which means, “weak, frail, faint,” and he called on God. Rather than cower, he gloried in the weakness.
Do you feint at the thought of being godly at your office? Do you worry about the trouble you would face if you stood up for the name of Jesus in your classroom? Do you fear witnessing to family members? Seth reminds us that we should feel overwhelmed, for the enemy is great. But we do not despair, for God’s power is made perfect in weakness.
3.2. Remember the honor and glory of your beginnings
We are not animals, but image-bearers of the King, the culmination of creation, a masterpiece made by the hand of God. We must value that image by longing and laboring for a culture appropriate and appreciative. We may not be indifferent to a culture sliding into the way of Cain. The love of Christ compels us to persevere in godliness, for we are the salt and light for a corrupt and dark world.
3.3. Remember the deceitfulness and wickedness of your heart
Lest we vainly imagine that others should see our good works and glorify us, Genesis 5.3 reminds us that the children of Adam no longer retain the purity of likeness to God with which we began. Adam fathers Seth, not in the pristine image of God, but in his own (now fallen) image. Thus our sad condition apart from God’s grace: dead in sin, depraved of soul, and damned in eternity.
So how does remembering such bad news help us persevere? By pushing us away from our rags of self-righteousness into the robe of the righteousness of Christ, the only hope for lasting victory!
3.4. Remember the grace and mercy of God
God does not wipe out mankind and create a new race again in his image. Instead, he picks up the broken pieces of our lives, and works into us the image of his very own son. We do need not super-spirituality to be of the line of Seth. In fact, the first qualification is one we all meet: we must be weak, frail sinners. To that, we add only one other. We must believe that God saves those who humble themselves under his mighty hand.
The descendants of Cain were sinners; the descendants of Seth were sinners. The difference was not their sin, but their solution. Cain felt weak in the face of sin, crouching at the door of his heart and ready to attack. So he found every way he could to show his strength – he killed his brother, ran away from God, and started his own city and culture. Seth also felt weak in the face of sin, so he found every way he could to show God’s strength – he called on the name of the Lord, ran to the shelter of his arms, and depended in his power. He owned his weakness and trusted God’s grace and mercy. Will you?
4. Godly Line Focuses on Another Life
Reading this chapter, we are surprised by the long lives of the pre-flood people. For example, Adam lived 930 years and was still alive when Noah’s father Lamech, was born. But remember, we were supposed to live forever. In fact, after Cain killed Abel, it was another 800 years before the messengers cried out: “Adam died yesterday.” And on that day, no one cared how long he had lived; they stood amazed that he had died. Now note this amazing event: Lamech’s first son is born after Adam’s death, and Lamech names him, “Noah,” which sounds like the Hebrew word for “rest.” Lamech looked at the death and destruction around him, he saw the corruption and violence of the earth, and he placed his hope in God’s provision of eternal rest and joy.
People in the godly line focus on the life to come. They lay up treasures in heaven, not here on earth. They seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. They build their lives on the rock, which is submission to the Word of King Jesus. Like Hebrews 11 tells us of Abraham, they have their hopes set on a different city, one whose builder and maker is God.
5. Conclusion
Henry Morrison served 40 years in Africa as a missionary. When he returned to America for retirement, it was, by chance, on the same steam ship as Teddy Roosevelt. When they arrived in New York, a cheering crowd met the ship. Morrison thought they were welcoming him home.
Everyone on the ship was forced to wait until Roosevelt was off; by the time Morrison disembarked, no one remained on the dock. Not one person welcomed him home. He was terribly disappointed; he expected some recognition for 40 years of service. Then his wife reminded him: “Henry, you are not yet home.”
When we imagine that this world is our home, we are tempted either to despair at the small success we have in changing the culture, or to compromise in order to find comfort here. Those who trust in Jesus live godly lives in this world, full of hope and confidence and joy, because we labor for one who is building a new city, an eternal home. Let us fight the good fight of faith, against worldliness and ungodliness, for we know that our labor in Christ is not in vain.
