Enoch: Genealogies and a Divine Perspective of Life (e)

 Genesis 5

 James R. Davis

Of late, family trees have held much interest to many. When we look at the genealogies of the Bible, they remind us of family trees. But the genealogies in the Bible don't get the time consuming attention that our family trees get. They have never been the best read portions of Scripture.

A story is told of an old Scots minister who was reading from the first chapter of Matthew's gospel. He started reading, " Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac beget Jacob, and Jacob begat Judah," and he looked on ahead and saw the long list of names to follow and said, "and they kept on begetting one another all the way down this page and halfway into the next." If we are honest, that is what most of us do with the genealogies of the Bible . . . we skip them.

The Scriptures will not let us forget that these genealogies serve a purpose. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (II Timothy 3:16).

A Mortal's Historical Perspective

Our history books only record one aspect of man's existence. The recording of secular history is much like a news broadcast that only presents one aspect of the story. News stories of this type are not always enlightening because it is the other aspects of the story that you haven't heard that gives you the information you need to arrive at truth.

There is a difference in secular history and biblical history. Secular history seeks to record humanity's accomplishments. History books record the different periods in humanity's past, the bronze age, iron age, the establishment of societies and of societal laws, the rise of the arts, etc. Our historical research seeks to define our existence as it traces our history through past accomplishments, discoveries and man's contributions to humanity.

The secular world defines our existence by the contributions of great men. Secular history seeks to define man's existence by tracing history through the lives of great men, royal families, kings, queens, czars, etc. These events and people that brought great things to pass supposedly define our existence, at least from a mortal's point of view. We look back and use the great men of the past as a template for our lives. We compare our accomplishments with theirs.

We are usually judged by the standards of those who have made great contributions to humanity such as the Washingtons, the Thomas Jeffersons or the Abe Lincolns, the Einstiens, the Edisons, etc. This leaves most of us feeling very insignificant. So we say to ourselves, "I will never be able contribute anything of great importance to our world." Or we get the impression that we are nobodies in the historical scheme of things. Most of us will never be listed in Who's Who, but God assures us that if we will walk with him we will be listed in the book of life.

Recently, my wife and I went to a museum exhibition of Alexander the Great in St. Petersburg, Florida. I thought the exhibit was wonderful. I walked through the museum and listened to the narration on cassette tape. The narrator pointed out how Alexander created a world empire. I listened as the narration all but immortalized his accomplishments. But as the narrator was narrating Alexander's life and accomplishments from a mortal's point of view, all I could think of was how God was using Alexander the Great to set the world stage for the coming of the Messiah. I could only think of how Alexander was part of Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream recorded in Daniel chapter 2. I thought of how God was using him to establish that third kingdom , the Hellenistic empire, which was represented by the brass stomach and thighs of that statue. Daniel said that the Hellenistic kingdom would rule over the earth. This was prophesied over 200 years before Alexander the Great.

As I listened to the tapes, nothing was said about how God was using him to spread the Greek culture and language into the entire world, setting the stage for the coming of our Messiah. Alexander unified the world with the Greek culture and language. The New Testament was originally written in Greek, which became the universal language of the world by the time Rome came to power. Alexander made possible the rapid spread of Christianity by unifying the world through the Greek culture and the Greek language. Alexander set the stage for Rome to become a world power after the Hellenistic period. Rome built transportation routes from all parts of the known world that led to Rome. The culture, language and routes of transportation unified the world and made possible the rapid growth of Christianity.

The narration said nothing of how Alexander the Great was part of God's plan to usher in the fullness of time. (Galatians 4:4) He never realized the purpose of his life from the eternal perspective. He never knew how close God was to him and how God was blessing his efforts for Christ sake and your sake. It was God who made what he did possible in his short life span. He didn't even live to enjoy the fruits of his labors. He died of a fever at 33. The narration told that Alexander the Great made a journey to Egypt to the temple of the Sun god because he wanted Amon-Ra the Sun god of Egypt to acknowledge him as his son.

The world refuses to see God's hand in the historical scheme of things. But this is the all-important perspective of history. Alexander's world empire rose and fell but God's kingdom and cause continues even until the present. In fact God's cause, kingdom and his people will continue through eternity.

Genealogies Give Us A Divine Perspective

The Bible is different in its approach to history. When we read of Cain's descendants in Genesis 4, the Divine author just skims over the fact that Cain established cities, forged tools out of bronze and iron, that they were the inventors of the harp and the flute. It is not that these things do not contribute to man's existence. In fact, God has commanded us to have dominion over the earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:28) Cain's descendants made technological and cultural contributions. A modern day news reporter would have emphasized the technological, scientific and cultural accomplishments and contributions of Cain's family. These would have outweighed all other accomplishments.

When the Bible comes to Seth's descendants, their lives are described from the Divine perspective.

Genesis 4:25-26
Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.

We read on in Seth's genealogies until we get to Enoch.

Genesis 5:22-24
And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Then you come to Noah.

Genesis 6:5-9
The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-- men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-- for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Noah built the first ship, although Noah's attention and focus is not on the ship. It is amazing that as Christians we do not brag about our forefather Noah being the first ship builder. We never mention it because that's not what is important to us. That is not what defines Noah for us. His attention was drawn to saving man. What defines Noah for us is what faith is all about and it is about our WALK WITH GOD. He found favour with God. If modern newscasters were there they wouldn't have started telling the other side of the story until they were chin deep in water. Then they would mumble something like; "Well maybe there is more to this story than meets the eye." It is the other side of the story that puts  Noah's life and our lives in perspective. The Divine author interprets history for us from the eternal perspective. It is that eternal perspective that defines our existence. If history books could be written from the viewpoint of eternity, they would all be rewritten. And yet, is this not what the Bible is doing?

The Bible's record of humanity's past is from a divine perspective. It passes over what humanity thinks to be significant stepping stones to man's existence and traces humanity through its ancestral genealogies. These genealogies are important because they connect us to one another and ultimately they connect us to God through his creative works. This helps man with the questions: Where did I come from? What am I doing here? Where am I going? This gives meaning to our existence. Secular history's approach leaves a cloud of uncertainty hanging over humanity concerning these questions.

When you come to Seth's descendants a distinction is made between Cain's descendants and Seth's descendants. Seth's descendants began to call on the name of the Lord. As you continue to trace Seth's descendants you trace them through the floodwaters and on to Abraham in Genesis 12. Then God promises Abraham that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. The Divine Author traces Abraham's descendants through the Old Testament all the way to Jesus Christ. The unique thing is that when you get to Jesus Christ in the book of Luke, Luke begins to trace Jesus Christ's genealogy backwards from Joseph through Abraham on to Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (Luke 3:23-37)

This is important for the Christian, for when you come to the book of Galatians, Paul indicates that all those who have been baptized into Christ are Abraham's seed. So our connection to Jesus Christ in baptism actually connects us to the spiritual seed of God's people all the way back to Seth whose descendants began to call on the name of the Lord. It shows us that we are descendants of Adam, who was a son of God, and that makes each Christian a child of God. It places each of us in God's Who's Who listing. There is something unique about being listed in God's Who's Who, it doesn't have such a dead ring to it.

The amazing thing is that when we become Christians we connect with all those mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 who the writer places in the God's Who's Who.

Heb 11:32-12:2
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

When we look at life from the eternal perspective, we have a great cloud of witness that surround us through the lives  they lived while on earth. While they were living they were cheering us on. They were living lives that would encourage us to receive something even better than they had. And together with us they were and will be made perfect. God shows us that they made the really lasting contributions to mankind. It was their walk with God that made our history possible. Seth's descendants saved humanity by walking with God.

The World Is Not Our Judge

We are so concerned about how the world judges us. It is not the world that sits in judgement of God's people. It is God's people who judge the world.

The Bible genealogies deal with many that lived and died but sometimes you read about a person in a genealogy and the Bible stops and describes how the man lived. Seth's descendants serve as an example.

Genesis 4:25-26
Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.

The Bible says Seth's descendants began to call on the name of the Lord. As you read the genealogy of Seth, it continues in the normal fashion until you get to Enoch. Then Moses writes, "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." (Gen 5:21-24 NIV)

Jude 1:14-20
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.

Jude tells us that the world before the flood was judged by how these godly men walked with God. The Divine newscaster shows us the other side of the story. And it is this side of the story that reveals the truth. It is not what we accomplish in the areas of science, technology, and the arts that will make a difference in the world; it is how we live that makes the difference. The beautiful part about this is that you can choose to make a difference by living different, by becoming a godly seed through Jesus Christ.

There is an eternal dimension to life, there is also an eternal accounting with God. It was Enoch's walk with God that judged the antediluvians. Enoch's walk gave them an eternal dimension of existence. The Hebrew writer describes how Enoch defined that eternal dimension. "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God." (Hebrews 11:5)

There was no resurrection before the flood. Enoch was the closest thing that the antediluvian world had to a resurrection. Enoch was the only one that pointed others to the eternal dimension of life as God took him straight to heaven without him having to die. What a statement that made to the world in which he lived. That should have told them the rest of the story. Enoch was saying there is more to life than meets the eye.

Enoch walked with God. Jude says that he preached judgement to the world by his walk with God. He preached judgement not only in the words he spoke but also in the life that he lived. Noah's greatest accomplishment was that he built the ark to provide for man's salvation and in doing that he judged the world. These men made positive contributions to society by the lives they lived. It was their lives that set the standard and judged the world. Just as Enoch was active in proclaiming the news of salvation to the antediluvian world Christians today play a significant role in God's plan. Our lives warn others of the judgement that is to come. Paul indicates that Christians today will pass judgement on the world: "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?" (1 Cor 6:2)

Paul Describes Our Walk with God

God traces our heritage back to truly great men who preserved humanity through their godly deeds. Those godly men judged the ungodly world. Paul indicates that Christians today will pass judgement on the world: "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?" (1 Cor 6:2) We pass judgement on the world by how we walk. The Bible describes that walk.

Paul says that those who walk with God have renewed minds. It is this renewed mind that passes judgement on the world. Paul says Christians are those who stop stealing and work with their own hands that they might have to give to those in need. These people speak truth with their neighbors. People who walk with God do not burn with anger that ultimately ends in violence. They are people who speak wholesome talk that builds others up. Those who walk with God get rid of bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander and every form of malice. They are kind compassionate and forgiving. (Ephesians 4:17-32)

Philippians 2:14-16
Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

It is this humble walk with God that defines our existence and our importance. Those who walked with God are the ones that left us a heritage. If it were not for them, all genealogies would have stopped at the flood. Isn't it really amazing that the preserving element in the world is not our technology, science and culture. It is how we live. Jesus says his followers are the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13) That means that they are the preserving element of our existence. They always have been.

Enoch said, "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jude 1:14-15)

Enoch preached to those who lived before the flood who did ungodly things in ungodly ways. In other words they chose to do what was evil in the face of God. They knew what was wrong but they thumbed their noses at God in the face of his judgement and committed their ungodly acts anyway. Those acts defined their existence until the flood and after the flood they ceased to be. All the technological, scientific, and cultural contributions they made to their society was of no benefit in the end. It was a lost world, not a lost world that we read about in modern day science fiction books. It was truly lost in that it ceased to exist because it was overwhelmed by the judgement of God in a flood of water.

We can connect to all the great men of God in the past in Jesus Christ. We can make the same contribution to the world that Enoch made. We simply must walk with God.

 Conclusion:

Once my wife renewed her prescription for her eyeglasses. The optician adjusted the glasses but when she put the glasses on everything was distorted. They finally did some adjustments on the glasses that helped her see more clearly. But imagine for a moment that someone gave you a pair of glasses that inverts everything you look at. You see everything upside down. Sometimes that's the way life looks from our perspective. It is only when we look at life from the eternal perspective that everything is right side up.

If you are wandering through life wondering: Where did I come from? What am I doing here? Where am I going? Then this divine perspective gives you insight as to how you need to connect to Jesus Christ and thereby connect with God's Who's Who and get you name written in God's history book and it is called the book of life.

All you have to do is choose to walk with God. God says that each of us can make a contribution to society by how we live. You no longer have to feel insignificant; you can identify personally with all the great men of God by simply walking with God. In fact you can become one of Seth's descendants.

 Mark 16:15-16
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Gal 3:26-29
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.