Genesis (Part 8)
Bible Study Time 8-3-08
(From James Roberts 9-22-96)
Bible Study Time 8-3-08
(From James Roberts 9-22-96)
The past few Sundays we have been on a Journey Through the Scripture. At our last stop, we looked at the book of Genesis, Chapter 5, and there we saw the genealogy of Adam. In the first two verses of this chapter, we saw God’s original plan and purpose for mankind. God created man in His own image, in His own likeness. Male and female He created them, and He called them mankind. In the book of Psalms, Chapter 8, the psalmist says:
Psalms 8:4 KJV
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
When the psalmist looked at all of God’s creation and the magnitude of God’s creation, man just seemed so insignificant. So the psalmist asked the question, what is man that thou art mindful of him?
Then the Psalmist goes on to describe God’s plan and purpose for man. He says that God crowned man with glory and honor and gave him dominion over the earth and over all of the things that were in the earth. In this we see that God had a uniquely glorious plan for mankind. Man stands separate and apart from the rest of the creation. God created man, male and female, and only mankind is said to have been created in the image of God.
Now something happened between the time that God created man in His own image and today. We read in the book of Genesis, Chapter 3, that man disobeyed God so that man became a sinner. Indeed, man became a sinner the very instant that he disobeyed God. As a result, man’s fellowship with God was broken, and man lost some of the glory and honor with which he was crowned when he was first created.
I do believe, however, that even though man has fallen and has become a sinner, he still retains certain aspects of the glory with which he was endowed at the time of his creation. By God’s decree, man still has dominion over the earth, and man is still the only created being who was created in the image of God.
We see throughout the scriptures that God has a unique and special regard for human life. With this in mind, we too should value human life. No one has the right to take the life of a human being. God created man, He gave man his life, and God is the only one who has the right to take a life.
Now in Genesis, Chapter 5 and verse 3, we see that Adam begot a son who was born in Adam’s likeness, after Adam’s image. The book of I Corinthians, Chapter 15, tells us that all of us were born in Adam’s image. It says that Adam was of the earth; he was created from the dust of the ground. That means that all of us were born with a fallen nature. When Adam sinned, he became a sinner, and you and I, as members of the human race, inherited that sin nature from Adam.
Ephesians, Chapter 2, tells us categorically that we were dead in trespasses and sins before we were saved through faith in Jesus Christ. David said that he was conceived in sin and shaped in iniquity. This statement does not imply that David’s parents did anything wrong when David was conceived. In this statement, David simply acknowledges that he was born with the sin nature that Adam passed down to all of his descendants.
Now in the book of Genesis, Chapter 5, we see a common characteristic of all of the descendants of Adam except one. In every case but one we read that they were born, they begat sons and daughters, and then they died. Again and again it says, and he died, and he died. But there was one notable exception to this and that is found in a man by the name of Enoch. Notice as we begin reading in Genesis, Chapter 5 and verse 21:
Genesis 5:21-29 NKJV
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.
22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.
26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters.
27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son.
29 And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed."
Here we see that Enoch did not die. After Enoch begot Methuselah, Enoch lived for three hundred years, and then it says that Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him.
Hebrews, Chapter 11, says that:
Hebrews 11:5 NKJV
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Enoch walked with God by faith and was not found because God took him out of this world to be with Himself. All the people looked for Enoch, but they could not find him because God took him. The reason that God took Enoch is that Enoch had pleased God.
If we look in the book of Jude, we find that Enoch was a prophet. Something happened in Enoch’s life that caused him to be different from the other people of his generation. Rather than living according to the ungodliness of his generation, Enoch went out preaching and prophesying.
It is interesting to see in the book of Jude that Enoch not only prophesied to the people of his own generation, but he prophesied to a generation that is, even for us, still in the future. This future generation will be very much like the evil generation of Enoch’s day. Jude, verse 14, says:
Jude 14-15 NKJV
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
Enoch recognized the ungodliness of the people of his generation. He heard the harsh things that they spoke against God. So God called Enoch to prophesy to these people for 300 years. Enoch told his contemporaries that someday the Lord would come with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all those who live in such an ungodly way.
Well, what was it that caused Enoch to become a prophet of God instead of being conformed to the ungodly ways of his own generation. Undoubtedly, God spoke to Enoch, because we find that it was by faith that Enoch walked with God, and we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
So what do you suppose it was that God told Enoch that caused him to turn his back on the ungodliness of his generation? What did God say that caused him to speak out with such authority about the coming judgment of God?
We find of hint of what God said to Enoch in the name of Enoch’s son. Enoch named his son Methuselah which means, when he is dead, it shall be sent. Now, we know from the next chapter what this name was referring to because the next chapter tells us about the great flood of Noah’s day. As Enoch predicted, the great flood of Noah’s day came when Methuselah died.
Now, whether Enoch knew that God was going to judge the world with a flood, we don’t know, but we do know that he knew that a great judgment from God was going to come when Methuselah died.
God must have instructed Enoch to go out and preach to the people about their ungodly ways and about the harsh words that they were speaking against God, and no doubt, God told Enoch to warn the people of the judgment that was just ahead. Methuselah’s name stood as a constant reminder to the people of Enoch’s message.
We can see so vividly in this passage the respect that God has for human life. In spite of all of their ungodliness and all of their harsh words against God, God instructed Enoch to warn these people for 300 years about the coming judgment. That’s a long time, in fact, it’s longer than our country has had its independence. For 300 years, Enoch walked among these people and prophesied of the judgment that was going to come when Methuselah died.
Actually, Noah labored under much the same situation as he was building the ark. During the 120 years that he was building the ark, he warned the people about the coming judgment of God. For 300 years Enoch warned the people, and for 120 years Noah warned the people.
As for Methuselah, he lived longer than any person on record. God postponed the great flood as long as He could to demonstrate His longsuffering and His patience with sinful man. God warned the people, and He postponed the flood for so many years because He is not willing that anyone should perish but that all should come to repentance and be saved.
God was the one who created these people. He loved them and sent prophets to warn them of the judgment to come. He begged them and pleaded with them to turn from their ungodliness, all because God is not willing that any should perish. But eventually the judgment did come.
And may I say this to you, God is not willing that any should perish today. He has sent His Son to bear the judgment for your sins and for my sins, and when we come to Him and trust Him as Savior, He will give us eternal life and deliver us from the judgment to come.
Well, I see we have already completed this stop in our Journey Through the Scripture. Next week, we’ll continue our journey. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
Psalms 8:4 KJV
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
When the psalmist looked at all of God’s creation and the magnitude of God’s creation, man just seemed so insignificant. So the psalmist asked the question, what is man that thou art mindful of him?
Then the Psalmist goes on to describe God’s plan and purpose for man. He says that God crowned man with glory and honor and gave him dominion over the earth and over all of the things that were in the earth. In this we see that God had a uniquely glorious plan for mankind. Man stands separate and apart from the rest of the creation. God created man, male and female, and only mankind is said to have been created in the image of God.
Now something happened between the time that God created man in His own image and today. We read in the book of Genesis, Chapter 3, that man disobeyed God so that man became a sinner. Indeed, man became a sinner the very instant that he disobeyed God. As a result, man’s fellowship with God was broken, and man lost some of the glory and honor with which he was crowned when he was first created.
I do believe, however, that even though man has fallen and has become a sinner, he still retains certain aspects of the glory with which he was endowed at the time of his creation. By God’s decree, man still has dominion over the earth, and man is still the only created being who was created in the image of God.
We see throughout the scriptures that God has a unique and special regard for human life. With this in mind, we too should value human life. No one has the right to take the life of a human being. God created man, He gave man his life, and God is the only one who has the right to take a life.
Now in Genesis, Chapter 5 and verse 3, we see that Adam begot a son who was born in Adam’s likeness, after Adam’s image. The book of I Corinthians, Chapter 15, tells us that all of us were born in Adam’s image. It says that Adam was of the earth; he was created from the dust of the ground. That means that all of us were born with a fallen nature. When Adam sinned, he became a sinner, and you and I, as members of the human race, inherited that sin nature from Adam.
Ephesians, Chapter 2, tells us categorically that we were dead in trespasses and sins before we were saved through faith in Jesus Christ. David said that he was conceived in sin and shaped in iniquity. This statement does not imply that David’s parents did anything wrong when David was conceived. In this statement, David simply acknowledges that he was born with the sin nature that Adam passed down to all of his descendants.
Now in the book of Genesis, Chapter 5, we see a common characteristic of all of the descendants of Adam except one. In every case but one we read that they were born, they begat sons and daughters, and then they died. Again and again it says, and he died, and he died. But there was one notable exception to this and that is found in a man by the name of Enoch. Notice as we begin reading in Genesis, Chapter 5 and verse 21:
Genesis 5:21-29 NKJV
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.
22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters.
23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.
26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters.
27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son.
29 And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed."
Here we see that Enoch did not die. After Enoch begot Methuselah, Enoch lived for three hundred years, and then it says that Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him.
Hebrews, Chapter 11, says that:
Hebrews 11:5 NKJV
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Enoch walked with God by faith and was not found because God took him out of this world to be with Himself. All the people looked for Enoch, but they could not find him because God took him. The reason that God took Enoch is that Enoch had pleased God.
If we look in the book of Jude, we find that Enoch was a prophet. Something happened in Enoch’s life that caused him to be different from the other people of his generation. Rather than living according to the ungodliness of his generation, Enoch went out preaching and prophesying.
It is interesting to see in the book of Jude that Enoch not only prophesied to the people of his own generation, but he prophesied to a generation that is, even for us, still in the future. This future generation will be very much like the evil generation of Enoch’s day. Jude, verse 14, says:
Jude 14-15 NKJV
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
Enoch recognized the ungodliness of the people of his generation. He heard the harsh things that they spoke against God. So God called Enoch to prophesy to these people for 300 years. Enoch told his contemporaries that someday the Lord would come with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all those who live in such an ungodly way.
Well, what was it that caused Enoch to become a prophet of God instead of being conformed to the ungodly ways of his own generation. Undoubtedly, God spoke to Enoch, because we find that it was by faith that Enoch walked with God, and we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
So what do you suppose it was that God told Enoch that caused him to turn his back on the ungodliness of his generation? What did God say that caused him to speak out with such authority about the coming judgment of God?
We find of hint of what God said to Enoch in the name of Enoch’s son. Enoch named his son Methuselah which means, when he is dead, it shall be sent. Now, we know from the next chapter what this name was referring to because the next chapter tells us about the great flood of Noah’s day. As Enoch predicted, the great flood of Noah’s day came when Methuselah died.
Now, whether Enoch knew that God was going to judge the world with a flood, we don’t know, but we do know that he knew that a great judgment from God was going to come when Methuselah died.
God must have instructed Enoch to go out and preach to the people about their ungodly ways and about the harsh words that they were speaking against God, and no doubt, God told Enoch to warn the people of the judgment that was just ahead. Methuselah’s name stood as a constant reminder to the people of Enoch’s message.
We can see so vividly in this passage the respect that God has for human life. In spite of all of their ungodliness and all of their harsh words against God, God instructed Enoch to warn these people for 300 years about the coming judgment. That’s a long time, in fact, it’s longer than our country has had its independence. For 300 years, Enoch walked among these people and prophesied of the judgment that was going to come when Methuselah died.
Actually, Noah labored under much the same situation as he was building the ark. During the 120 years that he was building the ark, he warned the people about the coming judgment of God. For 300 years Enoch warned the people, and for 120 years Noah warned the people.
As for Methuselah, he lived longer than any person on record. God postponed the great flood as long as He could to demonstrate His longsuffering and His patience with sinful man. God warned the people, and He postponed the flood for so many years because He is not willing that anyone should perish but that all should come to repentance and be saved.
God was the one who created these people. He loved them and sent prophets to warn them of the judgment to come. He begged them and pleaded with them to turn from their ungodliness, all because God is not willing that any should perish. But eventually the judgment did come.
And may I say this to you, God is not willing that any should perish today. He has sent His Son to bear the judgment for your sins and for my sins, and when we come to Him and trust Him as Savior, He will give us eternal life and deliver us from the judgment to come.
Well, I see we have already completed this stop in our Journey Through the Scripture. Next week, we’ll continue our journey. Until that time, we bid you goodbye.
Church links:
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