Session 4: Week 1 

5 These are the family records of the descendants of Adam. On the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; ² He created them male and female. When they were created, He blessed them and called them man.

Here in Genesis 5 God is reminding us of some things relative to His creating mankind. First, He’s reminding us that our story is not about us as individuals per-say. Mankind’s story is about people in generational lines. We stand as a collective. Our society has become so individual focused. God, because He is eternal sees things from a much broader perspective. The Hebrew word translated descendants is Toledot. In a Hebraic mindset thinking about things from a family perspective ties in with Yeshua’s instructions to us to make disciples. God wants what He does in our lives to be carried out through generations. This applies to all believers, married and single. How are you going and making disciples in your life?

Remember that man was the only being God formed out of something. He spoke all creation into existence except for man, which He formed out of the dust in the ground. What symbolism does this carry?

God created humans in His likeness. He wants us to know that He can identify with us, because we were made like Him. In what ways do we demonstrate our likeness to God?

When God created us He blessed us. The blessing He invoked again points to the descendants and generations. Do you remember the first blessing from Genesis 1:28  28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.’

It’s interesting that God called our (male and female) name Adam. He gave us the same name as He gave to Adam. This seems to point to our equality in His sight. One of the main reasons we study Scripture is to learn about God and His perspective on things. When we’re born-again our goal is to shift our wrong beliefs and to align our minds with God’s perspective. The fact that men and women are equal in God’s sight based on His name for us is an interesting observation. Jesus did a lot  in the New Testament to confirm this fact. What story pops into your mind to validate this?

Let’s continue on in Genesis 5:

³ Adam was 130 years old when he fathered a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. ⁴ Adam lived 800 years after the birth of Seth, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ⁵ So Adam’s life lasted 930 years; then he died.

⁶ Seth was 105 years old when he fathered Enosh. ⁷ Seth lived 807 years after the birth of Enosh, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ⁸ So Seth’s life lasted 912 years; then he died.

⁹ Enosh was 90 years old when he fathered Kenan. ¹⁰ Enosh lived 815 years after the birth of Kenan, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹¹ So Enosh’s life lasted 905 years; then he died.

¹² Kenan was 70 years old when he fathered Mahalalel. ¹³ Kenan lived 840 years after the birth of Mahalalel, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ So Kenan’s life lasted 910 years; then he died.

¹⁵ Mahalalel was 65 years old when he fathered Jared. ¹⁶ Mahalalel lived 830 years after the birth of Jared, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ So Mahalalel’s life lasted 895 years; then he died.

¹⁸ Jared was 162 years old when he fathered Enoch. ¹⁹ Jared lived 800 years after the birth of Enoch, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁰ So Jared’s life lasted 962 years; then he died.

²¹ Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah. ²² And after the birth of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ²³ So Enoch’s life lasted 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.

²⁵ Methuselah was 187 years old when he fathered Lamech. ²⁶ Methuselah lived 782 years after the birth of Lamech, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁷ So Methuselah’s life lasted 969 years; then he died.

²⁸ Lamech was 182 years old when he fathered a son. ²⁹ And he named him Noah,^[d] saying, “This one will bring us relief from the agonizing labor of our hands, caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”³⁰ Lamech lived 595 years after Noah’s birth, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ³¹ So Lamech’s life lasted 777 years; then he died.

³² Noah was 500 years old, and he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now here’s where the Bible gets very interesting and proves that its writer is God. In this chapter is a hidden message that tells the story of the Gospel in the names of Adam’s descendants. Let’s look at the meaning of the names:

That’s rather remarkable:

Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest.

Here’s the Gospel hidden within a genealogy in Genesis! This fact demonstrates that in the earliest chapters of the Book of Genesis, God had already laid out His plan of redemption after the fall. The Bible tells God’s story and God’s story is a love story written in blood on a wooden cross erected in Judea over 2,000 years ago.

It’s fascinating that the Bible is a supernatural message system. Every number, every place name, every detail every jot and tittle is there for our learning, our discovery, and our amazement. Truly, our God is an awesome God.

It is astonishing to discover the unity of these 66 books, penned by 40 authors over thousands of years.

It is remarkable how many subtle discoveries lie behind the little details of the text. Some of these become immediately obvious with a little study; some are more technical and require special helps.

As we begin our online Bible study in session 4 with this reminder and with our eyes toward the love of God, the cross of Christ and the fact that we were created in God’s image I pray that we find great joy and peace that we not only keep to ourselves, but share with others in our lives. Let’s pray…

CHUCK MISSLER – A HIDDEN MESSAGE