A Daily Genesis

Genesis 5:1-9

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[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 5:1a . .This is the record of Adam's line.
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The Bible record generally follows the genealogy that leads to Christ; but, on the way, sometimes takes little side trips along lines forking off the main stem. So Genesis first shows where Cain's line went, drops it, and then picks up Seth's; beginning at Adam. Adam's line of course includes every human being who ever lived, but the only fork in his tree that really counts is the one leading to Jesus of Nazareth: the Bible's central figure.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 5:1b-2 . .When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God; male and female He created them. And when they were created, He blessed them and called them Man.[/B]

As a preamble to Seth's line, Genesis reminds the reader that Man's origin was by intelligent design and special creation, and that he was made in the likeness of his creator, and that he's been a homo sapiens right from the get-go. Man didn't begin his existence as some sort of pre-human hominid named Ardi who lived in Ethiopia's Afar Rift some 4[B].[/B]4 million years ago.

Some people take issue with Genesis because it seems to them so unscientific and contrary to the (known) fossil record. But they need to be cautious because science doesn't have perfect understanding of everything yet, nor has it discovered everything there is to discover, and it often has to be revised to reflect new discoveries, and to correct outdated theories and opinions. But to be fair, Bible students don't know everything yet either so I would advise watching the sciences for new discoveries that help fill in some of the Bible's blanks.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 5:3a . .When Adam had lived 130 years, he begot a son[/B]

Adam lived to be 930. If we compare that age to that of the average life expectancy of American men today, Adam would have been an eleven year-old kid when Seth was born.

Eve understood Seth to be Abel's replacement. But that doesn't necessarily mean Seth was the very next boy born into the Adams family after Abel. It doesn't even mean Seth was her third child. Bible genealogies often have very large gaps in them, omitting insignificant male siblings; and typically all of the girls. In one instance (1Chrn 1:1) the record skips Abel and jumps right to Seth.

Taking advantage of this rather strange Bible practice; critics are quick to point out generational gaps in Christ's genealogy with the intent of invalidating the entire New Testament. But gaps are to be expected or otherwise the list would be cumbersome and require a book all its own. For example; a quantum amount of time passed between Noah's ark and the arrival of Abraham on the scene; and probably a couple of ice ages too. We're talking about a lot of generations there, and naming them all to a man would be just as useless as it would be impractical.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 5:3b . . in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth.[/B]

Seth's image and likeness of his father Adam testifies that he was not made in the image and likeness of another species of human being. No; he was made of Adam's organic human tissue Just as his mother Eve was. Thus Seth was an Adamic human being. That may seem a trivial matter, but it's very important because it reflects upon the kind of human being that Christ was born as. His human body wasn't a celestial human body nor the human body of another species of human being[B]:[/B] no, his human body was an Adamic human body through and through.

Adams' image and likeness of God was obtained via the process of creation; while Seth's image and likeness of Adam was by means of procreation; which Webster's defines as reproduction; viz[B]:[/B] biological progeny.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 5:4-5 . . After the birth of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and begot sons and daughters. All the days that Adam lived came to 930 years; then he died.[/B]

Well, there goes grandpa Adam, just as God predicted at Gen 3:19. But hey? Where's the listing of the rest of his kids? Didn't God bless him with the words "be fruitful, increase in number, and fill the earth". Well, I seriously doubt that he and Eve stopped after just three kids. But the rest of his progeny-- for reasons I can only guess --didn't make the cut.

But when did Eve die? Did she outlive Adam? Who died first, Adam or Eve? Nobody really knows. But supposing Eve died quite a while before Adam? Did he remarry? And if he remarried, who did he marry? One of his own grandchildren? Well . . in Adam's case, what's so bad about that? I mean, after all, his first wife was constructed from the organic tissues of his own body; so that in reality, Eve was his first child which means that by today's social standards; Adam practiced the worst kind of incest. At least his grandkids would have been several times removed.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 5:6-7 . .When Seth had lived 105 years, he begot Enosh. After the birth of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and begot sons and daughters.[/B]

No doubt some people envy the longevity of the antediluvians; but I don't. Their life was hard, and for the most part, pretty boring too. Would you want to live for 912 years in primitive conditions? Not me.

Was Enosh the first of Seth's children? Maybe, but probably not. However, he is the only child that counts because it's through him that we're moving towards Noah; and ultimately Abraham, David, and Christ.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 5:8 . . All the days of Seth came to 912 years; then he died.[/B]

(sigh) The story of our futile lives. So and So was born. He got married and had children; lived X number of years after that, and then died-- same O, same O. The weary circle of life.

"Meaningless! Futile! complains the Teacher. Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever." (Ecc 1:2-4)

The earth is dumber than a brick; yet easily outlives its human potentate; whose IQ is infinitely greater.

[B][COLOR=#ff0000]†.[/COLOR] Gen 5:9 . .When Enosh had lived 90 years, he begot Kenan.[/B]

Kenan's name in the Hebrew is [I]Qeynan[/I] (kay-nawn') which means fixed or permanent; sort of like birds' nests, homes; and drifters finally ending their nomadic life and putting down some roots. Fixed can also mean that someone's life has a noble purpose and that their mind is focused upon that purpose rather than looking two ways at once. Or it can also mean somebody's life is a dead end; for example "this is as good as it's ever going to get". Kind of pessimistic; but had I lived back then, I would have agreed; heartily.

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