Genesis 5: ...and then he died
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| Photo credit: kalhh | Pixabay |
It is said that there are two things that are inevitable - death and taxes. Genesis 5 doesn't talk about taxes.
Genesis 5 is given over to a genealogy, which traces a line from Adam to Noah, which is where the next significant part of the narrative will take place. Genealogies are repeatedly built up over the course of the Bible, culminating in Jesus. Matthew tracks the line from Abraham to Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17), in order to emphasise the link between God's promise to Abraham that many nations would be blessed through his offspring. Luke, however, starts with Jesus and follows the line all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38), emphasising not only Jesus' humanity, but also that, as Paul points out in Romans 5:12:19 and 1 Corinthians 15, death came through one man but would also be overcome by Jesus coming into the world - he is the 'second Adam', or even the 'reverse Adam'!
However, that would be getting ahead of ourselves, as at this point we merely have a selection of key patriarchs from Adam to Noah, and yet to all of them but one, each paragraph ends the same way: '...and then he died'. We are reminded of some of the themes of Ecclesiastes, such as the futility of working hard only to die (Ecclesiastes 5:16). This passage emphasises the way that death appears to ultimately reign supreme. It is the one thing we cannot defeat. And notice how long these men are living - the reign of death in the physical world is growing, as we notice the lifespans becoming shorter and shorter over the time of the Bible, to the current lifespan of around 70-90 years.
And yet, even without knowledge of the future promise and fulfilment of such, we see a glimmer of hope. In verses 21-24, we learn of Enoch, and the pattern takes a break, because: Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away (Genesis 5:24). We can note that in these days before the establishment of the law, this is not about Enoch following either rules or rituals, but walking with God - it implies a faithful seeking of him throughout his life, and following him wholeheartedly. We also know that no one can come to God except through the his Son (John 14:6), but also that Jesus was in existence from the beginning (John 1:2), so Enoch must have encountered the risen Jesus - one who descended into our space and time, but now transcends it in glory.
In a world of sin, where did this man who sought God and found him come from? We cannot tell, but what we can tell is that there is hope. God took Enoch away to be with him, not in this realm, but beyond it. And when Jesus returns and restores this Earth, maybe he'll bring Enoch back with him, and we can ask him!
Next: Genesis 6: God's broken heart
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