When i read my bible, occasionally i came to a passage where it tells us about genealogies. Often when i read this kind of passage, for example Matthew 1 where it tells us about the genealogy of Jesus, i tend to scheme through my reading. Matthew 1 for example, it says that “Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar…” and so on and so on, they kept begetting one on another until Jesus was born. So when i read Matthew 1, i used to fast forward everything from verse 1 to 17 then when i reach verse 18, that is where i put my attention to. I read it slowly and that is where my devotion starts when i was trying to reflect on a bible passage each day.
I don’t know about you but i used to skip genealogies when reading my bible. Why? Because i couldn't get anything out of it, or to be exact i never know why such genealogies was put there. As best as i could, i never been able to relate genealogies with my life. But then one day, i was reminded with 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” This means that we can’t simply pass or ignore genesis 5, because it is also breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training us in righteousness.
Now, to understand Genesis 5, we need to see it in light of the context of genesis 5. So what is the context of Genesis 5? When we read on Genesis 5, we soon will find out something a bit strange especially when we read on the first 3 verses. It tells us that this is the book of generations of Adam, but then we don’t see Cain’s name and Abel’s name mentioned at all. Isn’t that strange? It seems the writer (Moses) tries to tell us: forget about Cain’s line, this is the real line of Adam, or something like that. It is not that Moses forgot about Cain, as he wrote the line of Cain’s as well in the preceding chapter.
In Genesis 3:15, after man disobeyed God, as soon as they fell, God made a promise that there will be a tension between the woman’s offspring and satan’s offspring; but from the woman’s offspring will come the savior who will crush satan’s head. Now this evil act has been manifested with what Cain did by killing his own brother: Abel. Satan was probably laughing that he managed to secure his kingdom and broke that prophecy. Satan must have thought that he managed to kill this woman’s offspring (Abel) by luring Cain with a sin and Cain couldn’t master it. Now that Abel was killed, that line to the savior is cut off and no more. Not just that, satan was probably trying to make sure that the line of Cain was indeed the offspring of Satan, and so there won’t be any chance where the Messiah would come.
We see after God put a mark on Cain and sent him away; his line is very productive. Cain built a city and named the city after the name of his son. So Cain is the first man on earth that actually created a city which therefore created a culture and society. We see his through out Genesis 4, child after child was born. We see that from the descendant of Cain was the father of musician, blacksmith, tent maker. But we see here, despite of all the achievement that man can do at that time, human culture and society are completely ruined by Satan. These achievement becomes the end of itself. Those thing are what makes the existence of their life. It became their pride. Humanity did not seek God. Actually no human being can escape. Either we are for making a living, or we are for enjoyment and entertainment, or we are for attacking and defending. Whatever we do in our human life Satan "corner" us into one of these things. How do we know that Satan was controlling human society through the line of Cain? Well Genesis 4:26 indicates that. It says that Set begat Enosh, then it says "at that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD". This indicates that apart from this time, people did not call upon the name of the LORD. They seek their own fame. See Lamech the son of Methusael, he represents the outcome of Cain's line. He was a wild and evil man. Lamech murdered a man then boasted to his (not one) wife, but two wives (this is the first polygamy ever in human history). Now, can you imagine what was happening? Mankind which is the heart of God's creation has been completely against their Creator, and God's promise in Genesis 3:15 seems just to be a mere statement - and that's why probably Satan was laughing at this stage, thinking he has been successful to crush God's plan.
BUT Genesis 5, which was written (i think) with such intent to show us something: Moses deliberately wrote in a way that's kind of a bit strange (as i mentioned before), where it seems that Moses wrote Genesis 5 as if it was the beginning of man's creation in Genesis 1:27. Moses used the same style of writing as in Genesis 1:27 ("created", "in the likeness", "man and female", "blessed them"), and then it continues to the line of Seth without any mention of Cain or Abel at all to show the readers that this is the new beginning. God's plan will never be compromised or frustrated with anyone or anything. God's plan will always be fulfilled. The Messiah will eventually come, and God created a new beginning by giving Adam and Eve another son, which was Seth, where the woman's offspring mentioned in Genesis 3:15 was. Genesis 5 is a genealogy, but this genealogy is a different types in comparison to Genesis 4. Genesis 5 tells us the lives of such people who lives by faith (Enoch - Gen 5:18,21-24; Lamech - Gen 5:28-31).
We see the contrast between Genesis 4 and Genesis 5, and it is pretty obvious. If Lamech from Cain’s lineage was the initiator of polygamy, and a proud murderer; Lamech from Seth’ lineage was a godly man. He named his son “Noah” indicates that he understand man’s fallen nature and the curse that God brings, but he still have faith upon God’s promises in Genesis 3:15 that God would deliver man through the seed of Eve, and that deliverance will be coming through the son that God gave to him.
The other contrast we see between these 2 genealogies is that it seems that there is no great contribution from the line of Seth compare to the line of Cain. Instead Moses just wrote about how old they are before they begat a son and die (which is very old). I have been thinking. It does not mean that the people from the line of Cain did not die, but that’s just not the focus in Moses writing. Everyone dies, the faithful and the unfaithful both will die except Enoch who God reckons of his faith.
When Moses wrote this, his direct reader of this book is the Israelite which was on the way to Canaan. This nation might face a lot of pressure from people from different nation and different faith from them. They might also see cultures which way different from what they have. Other nation might be more advanced in terms of their technology, culture and their society. This story about their ancestor will give them a very important lesson, that in the end what matters is not about their great achievement, but their relation with God is what matters. To be faithful to God in response to God’s faithfulness to us is what defines our lives. Now as the Israelites read this, and as they walk their journey, they were given choices, to be faithful just like all the godly men in Genesis 5, or to follow the way of the wicked from Genesis 4, but at the end they should know that God’s plan will never be frustrated by their action. The Israelites as well as for us today is given these 2 choices, so let’s be wise - do we take God’s promise for us? Do we believe in Jesus Christ our Messiah, the savior of humanity? do we have our hope in Him? or do we take pride with our selves.
Let God of Grace and Mercy, be with us and guides our path in following Him and loving Him because He has first loved us.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Paul
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