Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. - 1 Chronicles 1:1-4
Adam and Eve had many children after being cast out of the Garden of Eden. Of these, the Bible only provides an abbreviated genealogical record of 2 of their sons. Presumably, Abel did not have any children before being murdered by his brother Cain. As for Cain, we discussed his family tree in last week’s message. The line of Cain is sometimes referred to by theologians as the unrighteous branch.
In this morning’s message, we will learn about another son of Adam and Eve named Seth. We will discuss the Biblical record of his descendants, sometimes referred to as the righteous branch. It is found in Genesis 4:25-26 and 5:1-32. This sermon is titled “Adam’s Lineage Through Seth” and is the 16th of our current sermon series. Unlike virtually every other sermon I have ever written or preached, this message is not broken down into separate points.
God created mankind, both male and female, in His own likeness and He blessed them. Thus Adam and Eve were created by God, not born of a woman. Their original purity and innocence was corrupted as a consequence of their sin. As such, they and all of their descendants (that is, all of humanity) would be defiled and would possess a sinful nature. This downfall was exemplified by the story of Cain and Abel.
Sometime after Cain murdered his brother and was banished by God, Adam and Eve had another son. They named him Seth, which means "appointed" or “placed” because God had given them a substitute for Abel. Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born. Some scholars date this age from the time of his creation as a grown man, others from the time of his hypothetical birth as an infant, and still others from the fall and curse when he began to age (as he was no longer able to eat from The Tree of Life).
While Scripture says that Adam was created in God’s image, it says that Seth was created in Adam’s image. This is an important distinction. Seth bore the image of God just as his father did, but also inherited Adam’s corruption.
When Seth was 105 years old he had a son named Enosh. The name Enosh means “mortal man” or “frail flesh" and speaks to the temporary nature of human life. During Enosh’s lifetime, people began calling upon the name of the LORD. This marks the beginning of corporate worship and gathering together to seek God's help. This practice also contrasts the godly lineage of Seth with the ungodly lineage of Cain.
When Enosh was 90 years old he had a son named Kenan. The name Kenan has been interpreted in several ways and can mean “possession”, “sorrow”, or “composer”. The Hebrew name Kenan appears as Cainan in the Greek.
When Kenan was 70 years old he had a son named Mahalalel. The name Mahahalel means “praise of God”, “blessed of God” or “shining of God”.
When Mahalalel was 65 years old he had a son named Jared. The name Jared means “to descend” or “to come down”.
When Jared was 162 years old he had a son named Enoch. This is not the same Enoch we discussed last week, the son of Cain. Rather, in this instance, the name Enoch is better interpreted to mean “dedicated to” or “teaching”. This Enoch was a faithful follower of God during dark times on the earth. He was taken away by God into heaven (Hebrews 11:5).
When Enoch was 65 years old he had a son named Methusaleh. The name Methusaleh means “his death shall bring” or “his death shall send”. Methusaleh lived longer than any other person named in the Bible. He died when he was 969 years old, the same year as the flood.
When Methusaleh was 187 years old he had a son named Lamech. Lamech would live to be 777 years old, dying just 5 years before the flood. This is not the same Lamech listed in the line of Cain who boasted about his violent ways. Rather, in this instance, the name Lamech is better interpreted to mean “despairing” or “made low”. When Lamech was 56 years old Adam died at the age of 930. When Lamech was 113 years old Enoch was translated into heaven at the age of 365. When Lamech was 168 years old Seth died at the age of 912.
When Lamech was 182 years old he had a son named Noah. The name Noah means “rest” or “comfort”. When Noah was 84 years old Enosh died at the age of 905. When Noah was 179 years old Kenan died at the age of 910. When Noah was 234 years old Mahalalel died at the age of 895. When Noah was 366 years old Jared died at the age of 962.
When Noah was 500 years old he had Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Some scholars believe these boys were triplets, while others argue that Noah’s age in this verse is estimated and they were actually born a few years apart. At this point, Methusaleh and Lamech were still alive.
In this chapter we learn that the human lifespan was much longer back then than it is today. Not including Enoch, the average age of death for these men was 908 years old. We can assume they had many children in each generation and the world’s population grew rapidly. By the time of the flood, traditional estimates of the earth’s population range from 250 million to 750 million, with some even higher.
Using the numbers given in this chapter, 1,556 years passed between Adam and the birth of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Although ages are not given for the descendants of Cain, we can roughly align them with the generations of Seth for the sake of comparison.
In closing, I want to teach you an amazing truth hidden in this chapter. Let’s review the names of these antediluvian (or pre-flood) patriarchs in order. They are: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, and Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Now, not including Ham, Shem, and Japheth, here are the meanings of their names in the same order:
“Man”, “appointed”, “mortal”, “sorrow”, “blessed of God”, “to come down”, “teaching”, “his death shall bring”, “despairing”, “comfort”. When read as a continuous sentence, these names proclaim the gospel. Man is appointed to mortality and sorrow; but the Blessed of God shall come down teaching that His death will bring the despairing rest. Amazing!
The genealogy of Jesus traces back to Adam through Seth. This is recorded in its entirety in Luke 3:23-38. And so, even as we drudge through a tedious and seemingly mundane chapter about ancient chronology, we are still ultimately talking about and pointing to Jesus.
Next week, we will begin the story of Noah and the great flood. It is covered in Genesis chapters 6 through 9. Until then, may the LORD bless you.
Adam and Eve had many children after being cast out of the Garden of Eden. Of these, the Bible only provides an abbreviated genealogical record of 2 of their sons. Presumably, Abel did not have any children before being murdered by his brother Cain. As for Cain, we discussed his family tree in last week’s message. The line of Cain is sometimes referred to by theologians as the unrighteous branch.
In this morning’s message, we will learn about another son of Adam and Eve named Seth. We will discuss the Biblical record of his descendants, sometimes referred to as the righteous branch. It is found in Genesis 4:25-26 and 5:1-32. This sermon is titled “Adam’s Lineage Through Seth” and is the 16th of our current sermon series. Unlike virtually every other sermon I have ever written or preached, this message is not broken down into separate points.
God created mankind, both male and female, in His own likeness and He blessed them. Thus Adam and Eve were created by God, not born of a woman. Their original purity and innocence was corrupted as a consequence of their sin. As such, they and all of their descendants (that is, all of humanity) would be defiled and would possess a sinful nature. This downfall was exemplified by the story of Cain and Abel.
Sometime after Cain murdered his brother and was banished by God, Adam and Eve had another son. They named him Seth, which means "appointed" or “placed” because God had given them a substitute for Abel. Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born. Some scholars date this age from the time of his creation as a grown man, others from the time of his hypothetical birth as an infant, and still others from the fall and curse when he began to age (as he was no longer able to eat from The Tree of Life).
While Scripture says that Adam was created in God’s image, it says that Seth was created in Adam’s image. This is an important distinction. Seth bore the image of God just as his father did, but also inherited Adam’s corruption.
When Seth was 105 years old he had a son named Enosh. The name Enosh means “mortal man” or “frail flesh" and speaks to the temporary nature of human life. During Enosh’s lifetime, people began calling upon the name of the LORD. This marks the beginning of corporate worship and gathering together to seek God's help. This practice also contrasts the godly lineage of Seth with the ungodly lineage of Cain.
When Enosh was 90 years old he had a son named Kenan. The name Kenan has been interpreted in several ways and can mean “possession”, “sorrow”, or “composer”. The Hebrew name Kenan appears as Cainan in the Greek.
When Kenan was 70 years old he had a son named Mahalalel. The name Mahahalel means “praise of God”, “blessed of God” or “shining of God”.
When Mahalalel was 65 years old he had a son named Jared. The name Jared means “to descend” or “to come down”.
When Jared was 162 years old he had a son named Enoch. This is not the same Enoch we discussed last week, the son of Cain. Rather, in this instance, the name Enoch is better interpreted to mean “dedicated to” or “teaching”. This Enoch was a faithful follower of God during dark times on the earth. He was taken away by God into heaven (Hebrews 11:5).
When Enoch was 65 years old he had a son named Methusaleh. The name Methusaleh means “his death shall bring” or “his death shall send”. Methusaleh lived longer than any other person named in the Bible. He died when he was 969 years old, the same year as the flood.
When Methusaleh was 187 years old he had a son named Lamech. Lamech would live to be 777 years old, dying just 5 years before the flood. This is not the same Lamech listed in the line of Cain who boasted about his violent ways. Rather, in this instance, the name Lamech is better interpreted to mean “despairing” or “made low”. When Lamech was 56 years old Adam died at the age of 930. When Lamech was 113 years old Enoch was translated into heaven at the age of 365. When Lamech was 168 years old Seth died at the age of 912.
When Lamech was 182 years old he had a son named Noah. The name Noah means “rest” or “comfort”. When Noah was 84 years old Enosh died at the age of 905. When Noah was 179 years old Kenan died at the age of 910. When Noah was 234 years old Mahalalel died at the age of 895. When Noah was 366 years old Jared died at the age of 962.
When Noah was 500 years old he had Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Some scholars believe these boys were triplets, while others argue that Noah’s age in this verse is estimated and they were actually born a few years apart. At this point, Methusaleh and Lamech were still alive.
In this chapter we learn that the human lifespan was much longer back then than it is today. Not including Enoch, the average age of death for these men was 908 years old. We can assume they had many children in each generation and the world’s population grew rapidly. By the time of the flood, traditional estimates of the earth’s population range from 250 million to 750 million, with some even higher.
Using the numbers given in this chapter, 1,556 years passed between Adam and the birth of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Although ages are not given for the descendants of Cain, we can roughly align them with the generations of Seth for the sake of comparison.
In closing, I want to teach you an amazing truth hidden in this chapter. Let’s review the names of these antediluvian (or pre-flood) patriarchs in order. They are: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, and Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Now, not including Ham, Shem, and Japheth, here are the meanings of their names in the same order:
“Man”, “appointed”, “mortal”, “sorrow”, “blessed of God”, “to come down”, “teaching”, “his death shall bring”, “despairing”, “comfort”. When read as a continuous sentence, these names proclaim the gospel. Man is appointed to mortality and sorrow; but the Blessed of God shall come down teaching that His death will bring the despairing rest. Amazing!
The genealogy of Jesus traces back to Adam through Seth. This is recorded in its entirety in Luke 3:23-38. And so, even as we drudge through a tedious and seemingly mundane chapter about ancient chronology, we are still ultimately talking about and pointing to Jesus.
Next week, we will begin the story of Noah and the great flood. It is covered in Genesis chapters 6 through 9. Until then, may the LORD bless you.