genesis 1-11, week 8 - clover...
TRANSCRIPT
Genesis 1-11, Week 8
Adam to Noah & WickednessGenesis 5:1-6:8
Last Week
• Heavy on Hermeneutics– “I have gotten a man: YHWH” (Genesis 4:1)
• Eve had right theology but wrong application– “In the course of time” (Genesis 4:3)
• Hebrew Idiom for “at a specific appointed time”– “sin is crouching at your door” (Genesis 4:7)
• Animal carnivory had already begun– “the LORD appointed a sign for Cain” (4:15)
• Not “the LORD put a mark on Cain” - No “on”
Eve believed God's Promise: Seed of a woman would be a Divine HumanThere is no “with the help of “ in the Hebrew verse
Regular Sacrifices, for a century? (5:3 Seth when Adam 130)Hebrew has no 'on' in 4:15, It says “gave him a sign”
Last Week
• Cain versus Abel– Farmer / Shepherd– Sacrifices: No Blood & Not Best / Blood & Best– Standards for Evil / Faithfulness– Premeditated Murderer / Trusting Victim
• Cain versus God– Disobedient, Angry, Fearful / Merciful
First time Cain 'went liberal'Standards: Jude 4a, 11a / Hebrews 11:4aCain: (D) chose own sacrifice, (A) caught and consequences, (F) I'll be killedGod: Merciful - Did not kill Cain as he deserved
Last Week
• Who was Mrs Cain?– Legal Reasons (God's
Commands)• Marriage and Intimacy Laws
given to Moses– Physical Reasons - Genetics
• Very few mutations• Close relatives had few
matching broken pairs• All humans descended from
Adam
• His sister, aunt, cousin ...
Moses: ~1400BC: This is ~2600 years after CainNo Legal Objection
Close Relative Matching Mutations Not A ProblemAdam's Rib > Eve = mother of all living
No Physical Objection
Last Week
• Line of Cain: In spite of some Good, Gets Real Bad, Real Fast– Methushael: Man of Elohim (or prayer)
• Possible Godly one in Cain's Line– Lamech
• First Recorded Poetry• First Recorded Polygamist• Bragging About Killing For A Minor Offense
• It is Brief– Establishes a Pattern in Genesis
• Main focus is on the 'Seed Line' - Messianic
First Recorded Poetry & PolygamyEnoch, Irad, Mehujael, Methushael, Lamech:Disposes non Messianic Lines quickly to focus on Messianic Line
What Follows From Adam
• The Second Toledot– Genesis 5:1a (NIV)
• This is the written account of Adam's line. ...– This runs through 6:8– Genesis 6:9-9:29 is the Third Toledot
• What follows from Noah
• This one is Unique– Genesis 5:1a (ESV)
• This is the book of the generations of Adam.
No other Toledot mentions a book
Transition
• The First Toledot ends on a High– Genesis 4:26b (ESV)
• ... At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.
• The Second Opens With A Brief Review– Genesis 5:1, 2 (ESV)
• [1] This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. [2] Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.
Reviews only the key information - Leaves out Cain etc.Not important - The Messiah is what is important
The Seed Line From Adam
• Adam• Seth• Enosh• Kenan• Mahalalel• Jared• Enoch• Methuselah• Lamech• Noah• Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
... and had other sons and daughters
11 Generations: (1) Adam (11) ShemDepending on what translation you use, there may be different spellings of some names
I have followed the ESV here, it's also a bit more accurate“all the days of” as opposed to “lived a total of” (NIV)
Note: All except Enoch and Noah says had other sons and daughters.They are not mentionedThey are not the Seed Line
The Individuals: Adam
• Genesis 5:3-5 (ESV)– [3] When Adam had lived 130 years, he
fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. [4] The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. [5] Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
• ... in his own likeness ...– Not excluding the image of God– But does show that even the 'Seed Line' is
broken
New Testament Support
• 1st Corinthians 15:45-49 (ESV)– [45] Thus it is written, “The first man Adam
became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. [46] But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. [47] The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. [48] As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. [49] Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
Here it is affirmed that we are both broken (flesh - image of Adam) and divine (image of God)
The Individuals: Seth
• Genesis 5:6-8 (ESV)– [6] When Seth had lived 105 years, he
fathered Enosh. [7] Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. [8] Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.
• Seth: Appointed– Perhaps Compensation
Compensation for murdered Abel?
The Individuals: Enosh
• Genesis 5:9-11 (ESV)– [9] When Enosh had lived 90 years, he
fathered Kenan. [10] Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. [11] Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.
• Enosh: (Frail) Man
Enosh: Many references say only Man or Human Being. Do not include frail.
The Individuals: Kenan
• Genesis 5:12-14 (ESV)– [12] When Kenan had lived 70 years, he
fathered Mahalalel. [13] Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. [14] Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.
• Kenan (Cainan): Acquired
Name differences here are due to using either the Hebrew or Greek version.
The Individuals: Mahalalel
• Genesis 5:15-17 (ESV)– [15] When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he
fathered Jared. [16] Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. [17] Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
• Mahalalel: Praise of Elohim
Methushael: Man of Elohim was in Cain's line.
The Individuals: Jared
• Genesis 5:18-20 (ESV)– [18] When Jared had lived 162 years he
fathered Enoch. [19] Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. [20] Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.
• Jared: Descent - Like in going down
Jared the jeweler? No. Just kidding.But why 'descent'? UNK
The Individuals: Enoch
• Genesis 5:21-24 (ESV)– [21] When Enoch had lived 65 years, he
fathered Methuselah. [22] Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. [23] Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. [24] Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
• Enoch: Dedication– To God?
Same name as Cain's son.Implications:
Cain: Dedicated to his own new beginningThis Enoch most likely to God
Enoch 'walked with God'
• Not Before God– When Abram was ninety-nine years old the
LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, (Genesis 17:1 ESV)
• Not After God– You shall walk after the LORD your God and
fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 13:4 ESV)
These are less close relationships - still very good but different ...
Enoch 'walked with God'
• But Intimately With God– My covenant with him [Levitical Priest] was
one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. [6] True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. (Malachi 2:5 ESV)
Only other occurrence of 'walked with God'Only the Priest has the intimate relationship with God - able to go into the Holy of Holies.
The End of Enoch
• ... then he was no more, because God took him away. (Genesis 5:24b NIV)– Was no more: Disappeared– Because– God Took Him
• Same as 2nd Kings 2:3 - Taking Elijah away– Enoch did not experience death
Raptured
Enoch and Lamech
• Enoch: Walked with God
• Lamech: More Evil than Cain
• [God] rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (2nd Peter 2:7 NIV)
Irad Kenan
Adam
Enoch
Cain Seth
Mehujael Mahalalel
Methushael Jared
Lamech Enoch
Enosh
Same Generation!What a Contrast!
• Enoch, the seventh from Adam, (Jude 14a NIV)
Like God removing Lot from Sodom before destroying it?Seventh? We would count sixth.
The Individuals: Methuselah
• Genesis 5:25-27 (ESV)– [25] When Methuselah had lived 187 years,
he fathered Lamech. [26] Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. [27] Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.
• Methuselah:– Man of the spear?– When he dies, it shall be sent?
The Hebrew word (shalach) translated 'spear' is using a secondary meaning.The primary meaning is 'to send'.The later makes more sense: The Flood came the year he died.
A coincidence?He is the oldest recorded person.
The Individuals: Lamech
• Genesis 5:28-31 (ESV)– [28] When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a
son [29] and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” [30] Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. [31] Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
• Lamech: Warrior or Conqueror– Same name as in Cain's line ... BUT– This one is righteous
Lamech made the same mistake as Eve: His son is also not the Messiah but this shows he was expecting a mighty savior.
The Individuals: Noah
• Genesis 5:32 (ESV)– [32] After Noah was 500 years old, Noah
fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
• Noah: Comfort or Rest– Shem, Ham, and Japheth are not triplets
• Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, (Genesis 11:10a NIV)
– Therfore Noah was 502 when Shem was born• Ham youngest so born after Noah was 502• Therefore Japeth was the one born when Noah
was 500 and he was the oldest.
At the Flood, Noah was 600, therefore Shem was 98 (Gen 7:11)Ham is the youngest (Gen 9:24) so Noah was more than 502 when Ham was bornAt 500 Noah had to have had Japheth who had to be the oldest.Shem = Name; Ham = Hot; Japeth = Beauty
Textual Variants
• Three Primary Source Documents– Masoretic Text
• Most trusted source• Great care by the Masoretes• Strong agreement with Dead Sea Scrolls
– Septuagint (LXX)• Greek common Scriptures• Not as well maintained
– Samaritan Pentateuch• Slightly different than MT
DSS predate MT by 1000 years.Ages can be as much as 100 years differentCoordinating with other known events and support of best texts gives the ages used in our Bibles.
The Structure of This Information
• When A had lived x years, he fathered B.• A lived after he fathered B, y years and
had other sons and daughters.• Thus all the days of A were [x+y] years,
then he died.
• Enoch's description is somewhat different– His life was very different
• Noah's is very brief– He is the end of this list
What It Tells Us
• All (except Enoch and Noah) end in the phrase: “then he died”– The sad epitaph of the human race due to sin
• There were other sons and daughters– Not in the 'Seed Line' - Ignored
• This genealogy (Genesis 5) and the one in Genesis 11 are unique– They are 'chronogenealogies'
• They include important ages
What It Tells Us
• The math (x+y) is correct– This should be expected from God
• They lived a long time– Some argue the numbers are actually months
• That would make Methuselah's life just under 81• That makes Mahalalel just over 5 when he became
father of Jared.– Sumerian King List has enormous ages
• Some say “See, this long age stuff is nonsense!”• Average reign is 30,150 years• They used base 60 numbers, not base 10
Base 60: 2nd digit = 60, 3rd digit = 3600Even Enoch's 365 (base 10) years = 11,165 years (base 60)
What It Tells Us
• There are no gaps, only ignored people– Adam was 130 when Seth was born
• We know Cain and Abel were born before Seth• Does that change anything?
– Methuselah was 187 when Lamech was born• We know he had other sons and daughters• Does it matter if Methuselah was actually his great
grandfather?• I have read several Bible Scholars claim
you can't use genealogies for dating– But they do not use Genesis 5 or 11!
EG: Walter Kaiser - Long ager! Ignores Genesis 5 & 11!You can see he is intimidated by the 'weight of science'.He supported Hugh Ross against Ken Ham and Dr. Jason Lisle
What It Tells Us
• The New Testament Affirms the Order and Lack of Gaps
• There are a few spelling differences and the order is reversed but the lists are the same
Luke 3:36-38 (ESV) Genesis 5:4-32 (ESV)
the son of Shem Adam
the son of Noah Seth
the son of Lamech Enosh
the son of Methuselah Kenan
the son of Enoch Mahalalel
the son of Jared Jared
the son of Seth Noah
the son of Adam Shem
the son of God
the son of Enos Lamech
the son of Cainan Methuselah
the son of Mahalaleel Enoch
No gaps - nothing missing.
What It Tells Us
• There is a huge overlap of generations– Even Lamech could have known Adam
How Did They Live So Long?
• Pre-Flood Paradise?– Genesis 5:29 Lamech naming Noah
“Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.”
– Vapor Canopy?• Waters above the heavens?
– Higher Oxygen Level?• Bubbles in amber: They are under pressure.
• Genetics!
Pre-Flood Paradise? Really?Waters above the heavens? No!Bubbles in amber: Amber shrinks as it solidifies. Higher pressure = higher O2 concentration
How Did They Live So Long?
• Genetics!– We know genes can affect aging
• Progeria: Aging 5-10 times faster than normal– Defect in LMNA gene: 1 out of 25,000– Changes cytosine to thymine
– We know telomeres limit cell division• Repetitive DNA on the end of chromosomes• Some lost at each replication• No more replication when gone• Telomerase increases telomere length
– Can lead to cancer
Progeria = Hutchinson-Gilford SyndromeLMNA = lamin geneTelomerase effect: 1980 Elizabeth Blackburn = Nobel Prize Physiology or Medicine 2009
• Telomere Shortening
How Did They Live So Long?
How Did They Live So Long?
• Unlimited Replication– No aging or death?– Henrietta Lacks, Baltimore MD
• Died of cervical cancer in 1951 at age 31• Samples taken are still replicating
• Rational Analysis (Not all in Scripture)– They lost access to Tree of Life and began
aging– They aged very slowly– The Flood Severely Narrowed the Gene Pool– Mutations built up fast after the Flood
HeLa cell line supplied to labs for over 60 yearsHelped in developing polio vaccine
Analysis: (Not Scripture)ToL: prevents shortening tolemers, and agingPatriarchs aged slowly - did not stay 20-ish then died
More Hermeneutics
• Genesis 6:1-2 (ESV)– [1] When man began to multiply on the face of
the land and daughters were born to them, [2] the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.
• sons of God? daughters of man?– Who are these?– An often debated issue
More Hermeneutics
• When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,– Both man and daughters (of man) use the
Hebrew hā'ādām.– This means that both are humans
• They are of Adam• Of the ground
So people were multiplying just as God Commanded.
More Hermeneutics
• the sons of God saw – They are bene-ha’elohim
• the daughters of man were– They are hā'ādām
• Why are they different?– Who are the bene-ha’elohim?– Some say they are sons of Seth
• But Seth and his daughters are hā'ādām• That would make both Sethites• His sons can marry his daughters
Intermarriage was covered last weekNot a problem at this time.
More Hermeneutics
• Some say the sons of God are kings or tyrants like Lamech (of Cain)– But they would be hā'ādām, not bene-
ha’elohim• Lamech is 'of the earth' not of the Divine Triune
God
• This also leaves us with humans marrying humans– Not a problem: Even Commanded by God
More Hermeneutics
• Some say the 'daughters of man' are Canites.– They say Sethites (righteous) should not
marry Cainites (evil)– But both are hā'ādām
• Marriage is not restricted by God• Some Cainites were not evil• All Cainites and Sethites - except Noah's family -
were killed by the Flood so both lines must have been evil
Remember Cain's offspring Methushael: Man of Elohim (or prayer)The idea of Sethites vs Cainites is not looking good.This still leaves bene-ha’elohim a mystery
More Hermeneutics
• What do other passages mean?– Now there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. (Job 1:6 ESV)
– Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. (Job 2:1 ESV)
– when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7 ESV)
• All are bene-ha’elohim and all are clearly Angels
Use Scripture to interpret Scripture: These are all the OT 'Sons of God'Scholars agree on the angelic meaning in all 3 passages.All are bene-ha’elohimThere are 'Sons of God' in the NT, but they are clearly the saints
Different covenant + We have God's Spirit in us.
More Hermeneutics
• More Evidence– Angels are always male
• Gabriel, the 'men' who visited Abraham, ...• That fits the 'sons' only took the 'daughters'
– Early Jewish Understanding• Early writings, commentaries and letters, say they
are fallen angels
The 'men' who visited Abraham were clearly thought to be men by the Sodomites.
More Hermeneutics
• So, the sons of God appear to be fallen angels
• More Scripture Affirmation– And the angels who did not stay within their
own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 6-7 ESV)
Jude ties the fallen angels to sexual immorality - a perfect fit to our passagesRighteous angels would stay where they belong
More Hermeneutics
• the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.
• The sons of God– We have evaluated 3 possibilities
1. Sethites2. Tyrant kings3. Fallen Angels
– The third appears to be the reasonable conclusion• It is also what the early Jews understood
Gen 6:2The daughters are of course ordinary human females
Moving On ...
• Genesis 6:3-8 (ESV)– [3] Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever,
for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” [4] The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
– [5] The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. [7] So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” [8] But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
Read ...
Moving On ...
• Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”
• This is another difficult passage– The word translated here as 'abide', is yādôn
• It only appears here in all of Scripture• The best understanding is something like 'abide',
'contend' or 'strive'
Verse 3'abide', 'contend' or 'strive' gives a wide latitude of understanding
Moving On ...
• Opinion of Some Experts– God will limit human lifespan to 120 years
• Problems– This did not happen for a long time– Even in our age, Jeanne Louise Calment lived
122 years (1875-1997)– Seems weak BUT– Could be explained by God's Mercy
Not the opinion of only 1 expertThere are Opinions - no clear consensus
Moving On ...
• Gather the Facts– God is angry with the sinfulness of His
created flesh: Humans and Animals– God is angry with the intermarriage of angelic
and human beings and their offspring• He must put a complete end to this line
– He wants to put and end to all evil flesh– Noah is the one righteous exception.
• He received the 'Call' when he was 500• Only Japeth was born at that time
Animals: remember carnivory had started alreadytheir offspring: More coming
Conclusions
• Using Noah and his family– There was at least 100 years from this
passage to the flood– Could it have been 120 years?
• Nothing prohibits that
• Then the meaning is that in 120 years the end will come!
Moving On ...
• The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.
• Nephilim?– Clearly the offspring of the forbidden
marriages– The Hebrew is nāphal
Verse 4Here we go again! Who are the Nephilim?
Moving On ...
• Giants?– The LXX used gigantes
• From the Greek idea of gods• Not to capture size but god-likeness
– The Latin Vulgate followed that word
– Today, translators use the transliteration of the Hebrew
• It means the 'Fallen Ones'
Where did 'giants' come from?
Continuing
• [5] The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
• Things are really bad!– Hearts are only evil continually
• and God regretted?
God regretted?
• We know that God does not Change– But He plans to Change from Providing for
people to Destroying them
• How can this be?– He is purifying His People (and animals)– He is showing that He is the Judge and
Judgment is real• That should drive us closer to Him
– He is Not Changing• He is Changing how He must deal with us.• He still wants a People who will willingly love Him
To Be Continued
• So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.