Title: Genealogy of Adam/Genesis 5:1-32
Content Title: Genealogy of Adam
Bible: Genesis 5:1-32
Hymns: 490, 434
Date: 1996. 6. 16 (Sunday) Sunday afternoon at Mission Church
genealogy recorded in the bible
When you read the Bible, you will occasionally find genealogies. When I first read the Bible, I sometimes wonder why this guy's genealogy was written down. So, because of this genealogy, there are often cases where many people give up while reading the Bible. However, when we know the meaning of writing genealogy, we can know God's unchanging power, providence, love, and promise through the genealogy of the Bible. Therefore, we need to understand the meaning of genealogy recorded in the Bible well. Then why does the Bible record genealogies?
1. It is a summary of history. / It is a summary summary by recording all the processes we have been through so far, centering on the person. Therefore, whenever a genealogy is recorded in the Bible, it means that a unit of chapter is arranged. Therefore, the genealogy recorded in Genesis 5 today tells us that a certain unit of work in God's work has been completed.
2. It is written in the context of redemptive history. / Just as we are recording the descent of one family in recording all persons, not all persons are recorded just because they were born. Rather, only those whose significance stands out from a historical point of view are recorded. Sometimes it goes down not from father to son, but from grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Therefore, it is quite difficult to calculate any precise age through the genealogy of the Bible.
Example) For example, in the genealogy of Jesus recorded in Matthew 1, Jacob is clearly recorded in place of Esau, the eldest son, and Judas is recorded in place of Reuben. The genealogy of the Bible is clearly written according to the lineage, but it is not recorded according to the lineage, but according to the lineage of faith.
3. The center of history is the person of faith. / Therefore, the lesson we should learn from the genealogy of the Bible is that God's standard for viewing mankind is not in what role he plays externally, but in how faithful he always lives to God's covenant. . Therefore, God always sets the person of faith as the standard of history.
ex) Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar / At the same time, Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. However, God's work was accomplished not through Nebuchadnezzar, but through Daniel, the poor colonized people.
Ex) Jesus and Pilate / It is the same at the time of Jesus. Pilate, the mighty Roman governor, was just a bridesmaid, and the work of accomplishing God's will was accomplished through Jesus Christ, the humble colonized people.
Therefore, while studying the genealogy and history of the Bible, we can get rid of the foolish worldly and quantitative logic that we must achieve success in order to be used for God's work. Only through those who are faithful to His covenant, the kingdom of God is being established on this earth.
Therefore, we must keep in mind that the important thing according to the word of the Lord is “Am I living according to the word of God now?” and not “Am I making a career now?” If I'm running for a career, I'm just an outsider in God's work. But if I am now living according to His covenant for His glory, I am at the center of history.
Now, today, I would like to share specific grace through the genealogy recorded for the first time in the history of the Bible. Today's genealogy is from Adam to Noah before the Flood. In other words, it means the completion of one paragraph in the great journey of history from Adam to Noah before the flood. We will not look at all of them, but only those that have a gracious meaning.
1. The lineage of descendants beginning with Seth (1-5) / Abel died, and Cain left the covenant. Therefore, the three newly given sons of God are placed first in the descendants. Fortunately, this son feared God, and from his son, Enosh, the official worship service was held to honor and serve God. Therefore, although this genealogy is also the genealogy of Adam, it is also called ‘the genealogy of Seth’ because Seth is central.
2. God's image and His image (1,3) / When God created Adam, he created it in the “beautiful image of God, namely, in person, knowledge, goodness, beauty, and power.” However, Adam, who lost all glory after the Fall, is now as sinful, weak, and prone to temptation like himself, and finally gave birth to children in the image of a fallen sinner, a being who must die. This expression to the first son indirectly suggests that all mankind that comes after that will also be born with this sinful nature of Adam. That is why Jesus Christ came and died to restore the lost image of God.
3. 'He died!' and 'Begotten...' (sold out) / Death and the birth of life continue through history. Adam and his descendants, mankind, are a history of death and birth. According to God's decree, “dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (3:19), all mankind is bound to die. This is God's decree, and no one can deny it. The word ‘dead’ is mentioned eight times in this chapter alone. Death continues throughout human history, and no one can avoid it. (Romans 5:14, Romans 3:23) Through this, we must remember the terrible consequences of sin and the sternness of God's judgment.
But also the language flowing through this chapter is "begotten...!". Even while the history of death continues, we can see the grace and salvation of God who grants life as promised to Eve. It shows that the power of life is more triumphant than the despair of death. While one person dies, many lives are born. This means that death has been swallowed up by life. While the word ‘dead’ appears eight times in this chapter, the phrase ‘begotten…’ is mentioned 20 times. This is a message of hope that shows that God's work of salvation, who saves life in the midst of death, continues.
4. Enoch who was taken away by God without seeing death (24) / In the Old Testament, the first person to enter the kingdom of heaven without seeing death is Enoch. He was drunk by God. This ultimately shows that believers who walk with God will receive eternal life. He walked with God. This refers to the fact that, although he has many sins and temptations, he lived in obedience to God's will while always having fellowship with God in his life. In the Old Testament, another man raised without seeing death. That's Elijah. The lesson this incident teaches us is
1) It shows that where personal communion with God is restored, there is eternal salvation from death. This is natural, given that death came from severing communion with God.
2) It is to give the hope of salvation and eternal life to the generations to come by showing that the kingdom of God and the soul are eternal.
3) Afterlife / It also shows that fellowship with God will be restored at the second coming of Jesus Christ and that all the saints who walk with God will be taken up into the eternal kingdom of heaven. The word 'taken' by God means that the Hebrew word 'raka' is the English word 'Take', which means that he took possession of it.
5. Noah (29, 32) / The genealogy with Seth as the progenitor is now finished, and it is a passage that foreshadows the beginning of a new lineage centered on Noah and his sons. The meaning of the name 'Noah' is 'comfort', 'comfort', and 'rest', and it gives the meaning that God gives true comfort and hope to a life that is tied to the world through hard work. The new world made possible through Noah is an Old Testament example of a clear hope for a new world through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Now let's look at some characteristics of the genealogy of Seth's descendants...
1. He is the son who replaced you. / God is the God who provides for us even when our hopes are cut off (Abel's death). Example) Sheep instead of ears
2. It is a genealogy that calls on the name of Jehovah. / Recognition, Glory, Will of God
3. It is the genealogy of walking with God.
4. It is a genealogy of God's comfort, salvation, and hope.
Bonus: Reasons and Secrets to Live an Average 912 Years Old / Vegetarianism, Atmosphere, Climate, Human Body, Early Fall