Tawa Baptist

Noah’s Genealogy

Scripture: Genesis 5

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Noah’s genealogy
  • Enoch’s walk
  • Lamech’s hope
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

At some point every child wonders, ‘Where did I come from?’ This is a very good question. It has to do with identity and belonging. The thing is, a parent never knows when their child is going to ask this question.

If the child is quite young, then parents may feel a dilemma. Do I tell them the scientific facts, which could scare and confuse them, or do I make up a fanciful story like, ‘the stalk delivered you’? Unfortunately, neither of these options really addresses the underlying question of identity and belonging.    

Parents in the ancient world of the Bible had a better strategy. They wisely pointed to the family genealogy or whakapapa. By telling their children about their ancestors, parents gave their kids a sense of belonging and identity.

Today we begin a new sermon series on the life of Noah. Noah was the bloke who built the ark and saved the animals from the great flood. In Genesis chapter 5 we read about Noah’s genealogy. I imagine when Noah was old enough to ask, ‘Where did I come from?’, his father Lamech probably gave him this answer…    

This is the list of the descendants of Adam. When God created humankind,he made themin the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them “Humankind”when they were created.

3 When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years, he became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years; and he died.

6 When Seth had lived one hundred five years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight hundred seven years, and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were nine hundred twelve years; and he died.

9 When Enosh had lived ninety years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan eight hundred fifteen years, and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were nine hundred five years; and he died.

12 When Kenan had lived seventy years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years, and had other sons and daughters. 14 Thus all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years; and he died.

15 When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared eight hundred thirty years, and had other sons and daughters. 17 Thus all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years; and he died.

18 When Jared had lived one hundred sixty-two years he became the father of Enoch. 19 Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years; and he died.

21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.

25 When Methuselah had lived one hundred eighty-seven years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years, and had other sons and daughters. 27 Thus all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years; and he died.

28 When Lamech had lived one hundred eighty-two years, he became the father of a son; 29 he named him Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands.” 30 Lamech lived after the birth of Noah five hundred ninety-five years, and had other sons and daughters. 31 Thus all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy-seven years; and he died.

32 After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.  

Noah’s genealogy:

How well do you know your ancestry? How far back can you go? Can you name your grandparents, your great grandparents or even your great, great grandparents? I can’t go back any further than four generations. I know the names of my great grandfather and great grandmother on my mother’s side. Albert & Nellie were born towards the end of the 19th Century.

I imagine some of you can go back a lot further than that, while others may not know anything about your ancestors. Whether you know your family tree or not, the Bible tells us our identity and belonging (as human beings) is found in God. Verses 1 & 2 of Genesis 5 tell us…

When God created humankind,he made themin the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them “Humankind”when they were created.

This tells us that while men and women may be different in form and function and temperament, we are not different in status or worth or value. Women and men are of equal value and both are needed to represent God’s image.  

To be made in the likeness of God does not necessarily mean to look like God physically. To be made in the image of God is to be given noble status. We are supposed to act as regents who represent God (the King) in this world. We are God’s ambassadors and stewards on this planet. The way we relate with each other and the rest of creation is meant to reflect the character of God. 

For example, when we love our neighbour and care for the environment we are representing the likeness (or image) of God. But when we act in ways that are unloving or abusive, then we are not representing God’s likeness.

In some ways humanity is like the moon. Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, so too human beings (together) reflect the glory of God. Sometimes the moon reflects the light of the sun fully (as when we see a full moon). Other times the moon only reflects the sun’s light partially, if at all. Sometimes we human beings reflect God’s image well. Other times we do a pretty poor job.

Either way, we are still God’s image bearers, reflectors of his glory. Sin and the fall of humankind does not stop us from being made in God’s image, although it does tarnish God’s image at times.

The book of Genesis names three of Adam and Eve’s children: Cain, Abel and Seth. Adam & Eve probably had other children too but we are only told about three of them. In Genesis chapter 4 we read how Cain killed Abel. Adam and Eve then had another son called Seth. Noah was descended from Seth.

If you think about it, you are lucky. You have won the lottery just by being born. If any one of the thousands of generations of your forebears had died before becoming a parent, you wouldn’t be here. Some of your ancestors have survived war, famine, the black plague and all sorts of other terrible tragedies, just so you could be born. So you, each one of you, has beaten the odds. Although it really had more to do with God. It is because of his great love and providence that you are here.   

The genealogy in Genesis 5 doesn’t just tell us about Noah and where he came from. It tells us about God as well. In particular Noah’s genealogy points to the faithfulness of God. Even though human beings rejected God. Even though Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God still blessed humanity by supporting life through the generations.  

There are ten generations named from Adam to Noah. In the Bible ten is a number which symbolises wholeness or completeness or fullness. The list of Noah’s ancestors in Genesis 5 shows that God did not short change humanity. God is patient and faithful. God blessed human beings and gave them every opportunity to live full lives and make good.

We notice a repeating pattern with the way Noah’s genealogy is presented. With each generation we are told the name of the ancestor, how old they were when they had a son, how long they lived after the son was born and how many years they lived in total, before they died. This points to God’s personal care and concern. Each life is valued by him. Each person is remembered by name.

We are struck by the longevity of the people in this list. Most of Noah’s ancestors lived for over 900 years each. Different commentators have tried to explain these long life spans in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways, none of which are convincing. While God could easily support quality life for 900 plus years, if that served his purpose, humility requires us to admit the limits of our knowledge and not be too dogmatic with our interpretation.

A better question to ask might be what does it mean to live well? I don’t think life can be measured in years alone. Perhaps life is measured by the legacy we leave for others. Or perhaps the love we give is the best measure of life. Jesus only lived 33 years before he was killed and yet the legacy of love that he left has endured for more than 2000 years. Jesus had no biological children and yet he has literally millions of spiritual children.

It seems to me, the long life spans point to the idea that God is generous and wants to give abundant life. As Jesus said, I have come that you might have life in all its fullness.

Two individuals in Noah’s genealogy need special mention: Noah’s great grandfather Enoch and Noah’s dad, Lamech.

Enoch’s walk:

Robyn and I really enjoy walking together. One of the silver linings of lockdown was that we got to go for a walk around Tawa most days. The weather was pretty good in April. Walking is life-giving. It is good for you physically, of course, but it also opens windows in your mind and creates connections with people. Walking helps you to feel less alone.

Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam and he broke the mould. From verse 21 of Genesis 5 we read…

21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.

Twice in these verses we are told that Enoch ‘walked with God’. It doesn’t say what Enoch did for a job or what kind of camel he drove. It doesn’t tell us how much money he made – or what he built. It doesn’t list any of his achievements. It simply says he walked with God. Sadly, this expression is rare. Noah may be the only other person of whom it is said, he walked with God. [1]

What does it mean to walk with God?

When you walk with someone you stay close to them – near enough to have a personal conversation – you go where they go. To walk with God, therefore, implies a relationship of intimacy and righteousness. It means following God, going where God leads, doing life God’s way.

Jesus walked everywhere with his disciples. When Jesus called his disciples he said, come follow me. In other words, walk with me, be near to be me so we can have an on-going conversation. Learn from me.

Walking with God requires humility; you need to keep your feet on the ground. As the prophet Micah famously said, ‘What does the Lord require of you? To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’

Walking implies movement, transformation, change, going on a journey. But it is a journey that is unhurried – it’s walking, not running. There is a rhythm in walking with God, where we find ourselves in time with Him. 

Verse 24 of Genesis 5 tells us that after walking with God, Enoch was no more because God took him away. Enoch did not die – he was raptured by God. To be raptured is to be transported (sort of like ‘Beam me up Scotty’). When Jesus returns in glory we, who trust in him, will be raptured (or transported) to where he is. God took Enoch away. There is only one other person in the Hebrew Bible to be raptured like this (without dying) and that was the prophet Elijah. [2]

Enoch broke the mould. He did things differently from his ancestors and those around him. Jesus calls us to break the mould too. When Jesus said to his disciples, ‘You are the salt of the earth’ and ‘You are the light of the world’ and ‘Be holy as God is holy’, he was saying, ‘Be distinctive. Don’t blend in with the world around you. Break the mould. Be different in a good way.’ The only way we can do this is by ‘walking with God’.

Enoch’s life stands out as a beacon of hope. He demonstrates that sin and death do not always have the last word. Enoch points to Jesus who shows us how to walk with God. Jesus has defeated death.  

Lamech’s hope:

The other person to mention in Noah’s genealogy is his father, Lamech.

Now, to avoid confusion, we need to be clear about which Lamech we mean. We are not talking about the Lamech, in Genesis 4, who was descended from Cain. He was a nasty piece of work. Cain’s Lamech was hell-bent on seeking revenge and his revenge overstepped the mark.

The Lamech we are talking about was descended from Seth and, in contrast to his cousin, Seth’s Lamech expressed hope, not revenge. When Noah was born his father said of him…

“Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands.”    

God had cursed the ground when Adam and Eve disobeyed him and ate the forbidden fruit. God did not curse people, he cursed the ground. This doesn’t mean that God put a hex or a magic spell on the ground. It simply means that God removed his protection and favour from the ground, with the consequence that humankind would have to work a lot harder to get the ground to yield food.

Lamech is tired of working the cursed ground. He longs for relief from the hard labour God has sentenced them to and he imagines his son, Noah, will be the one to bring that relief. The name ‘Noah’ sounds like the Hebrew word for ‘relief’ or ‘rest’. [3] It seems that Lamech did not fully realise what God was going to do through Noah.

Lamech’s hope, that Noah would bring relief, is thought to find its compliment in Genesis 8:21 when, after the flood, Noah offers a sacrifice to God and the Lord is pleased saying, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man.” [4]

When I was kid we watched a movie called The Fantastic Voyage. It was a science fiction story in which a submarine crew are shrunk to microscopic size and venture into the body of an injured scientist to repair damage to his brain. Cool aye. The surgeons can’t fix the problem from the outside, they have to get small and fix it from the inside. I won’t spoil the ending for you. They are probably due to do a remake sometime.

Walter Brueggemann makes the observation that Lamech’s prophetic hope hints at incarnational faith. “The affirmation that relief comes from cursed ground… runs toward crucifixion and resurrection… As help comes from the place of curse, so life comes from the reality of death.” [5]

In other words, God doesn’t fix the problem of sin from the outside, like a mechanic working on a car or a jeweller fixing a watch or a surgeon removing cancer. No, incarnation means God gets small and fixes the problem from the inside. In Genesis, God uses his creation to fix his creation. That is, God works through the flood waters and through Noah to renew his creation.  

Eventually though, God would embark on his own fantastic voyage. He would make himself small and become a human being (in the person of Jesus), in order to bring relief from the curse of sin and death, from the inside out.   

Conclusion:

You may wonder why I have chosen to start this sermon series with Noah’s genealogy? Well, mainly because that’s how the Bible starts it.

On its own, the account of the flood is a tragic story of judgement and death. But heard in its proper context, the flood story is redemptive. In Genesis 5 we read of the ten generations from Adam to Noah and in Genesis 10 we read of the generations born from Noah’s three sons, after the flood. By sandwiching the flood story between two genealogies we are reminded of the generous way God supports and continues and prospers life.

In Luke 10:20, Jesus refers to a different kind of genealogy – a spiritual genealogy. He says to his disciples, “…rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  As Christians our identity and belonging are found in Christ. Jesus knows you by name. You belong to Christ and, when you put your trust in him, your name is written in the family tree of heaven.

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

How well do you know your ancestry? How far back can you go? As human beings, where does our sense of identity and belonging come from?

What does it mean to be made in the image (or likeness) of God?

What does Noah’s genealogy indicate about God? Similarly, what might the long life spans in Genesis 5 indicate about God?

Why is walking good for you? What does it mean that ‘Enoch walked with God’?

How might we break the mould? That is, how might we live in a way that is distinctive or different from the world around us?

How does God choose to redeem his creation?

[1] Genesis 6:9

[2] 2 Kings 2:11

[3] Refer Derek Kidner’s Tyndale commentary on Genesis, page 82.

[4] Refer John Walton’s (NIVAC) commentary on Genesis, page 280.

[5] Refer Walter Brueggemann’s Interpretation commentary on Genesis, page 69.