Just Getting Started? Read what you’ve missed and check out Bible reading resources.
Bible Time Period: Early World
In the Early World, you created the heavens and Earth and tested Adam and Eve in the garden. Help me today to choose the life you offer.
Reflection
Yesterday you read about the fall from grace of our first parents. Adam and Eve’s sin had a permanent effect on all future people in that their fallen nature was passed on to their children, and theirs, and so on down to you and me. As a result, we are born lacking supernatural life in our souls. “Original sin” is not something we do, it is something we are: it is a state of being. Our souls are wounded. Our wills are weakened. We are subject to pain and death. We are inclined to sin. Watch how this plays out in the world as you read about life after the Fall.
Today’s Reading
Today’s Question
Look for differences in the pattern used in the genealogy in Chapter 5 to describe each new generation. Who stands out and why?
Join the discussion below!
Noah stood out to me in chapter 5. First of all from his birth his father Lamech already believed that Noah would be the one to save them from the Curse that was placed on the land. Lamech also stands out, even more than Noah, for his display of faith. This is really an exercise of faith to believe that your offspring will save your generation from God’s curse.
As 2014 has just begun we need to exercise our faith in the same way Lamech did. I am so pleased that I decided to join in on this challenge.
Enoch stands out in the genealogy. Unlike the others, Enoch dies and walks with The Lord never to return illustrating eternal life after death. This is reveals God’s love and saving grace toward humans at a very early phases of human existence.
I agree with Mike S and Ronlee, of all the geneology Enoch, Lamesh & Noah are set apart and different from all others. Lamesh & Noah are different to “set the stage” for the flood. Enoch may be to let us know that God can take chosen ones to heaven in a special way.
I wish I knew what Enoch had done to distinguish himself…I wonder if he was a prophet?
“walked with God” simply refers to the fact that Enoch had a special relationship with God that no other at the time had.
Noah stood out to me…but I also thought about all the living beings that were destroyed by the flood…so it is in floods of our time…people and creatures drown periodically…and for me this is a reminder of what God did on a larger scale in Noah’s time…It gives me pause to think…God in a way, is reminding us to take stock of our lives and make the most of what we are given…For in the midst of many modern floods, there is many times reported a story of a miraculous saving of a person or creature from impending doom. These always provide us with hope for a future beyond the consequences of the disaster that has happened.
Although some of the names are difficult for me to pronounce, I marvel at reading through the beginning of Christ’s earthly family tree. Enoch was special because he trusted God. If I read verse 24 correctly, God spared Enoch from dying.
Lamech sired Noah and both seemed to stand out from the other family offshoots of Adam because they, too, had a special affinity to God.
When Genesis was penned, God began to give us prophesies about which genealogical line the Messiah would come. I again marvel at the importance of establishing the bloodline from Adam to Jesus. Adam and Eve were created by God in His image and Jesus saved the world from their original sin. God is so great, and at this time, reflecting on what I just read, speechless.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that in Jewish tradition they believed that Enoch had been assumed into heaven just like Elijah. That also applied to Moses. Anyone else come across this?
You’re right about Enoch and Elijah; but in Deuteronomy 34:5-6 we’re told about the death and burial of Moses. Mary was assumed into Heaven, though.
Enoch, Elijah, Jesus and Mary were the only ones to have been assumed into Heaven. However, I’m not sure if the assumption was the same for Enoch and Elijah as it was for Mary and Jesus.
Just a correction: Jesus was not “assumed” to heaven; He “ascended” to heaven, which is not the same as being assumed to heaven.
Please explain the difference and thank you. 🙂
we use the word “ascension,” which suggests something done under one’s own power, for Jesus Christ is God and is all-powerful and he lifted himself up to heaven under his own power. Thus he ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN
The Assumption refers to the taking up, body and soul, of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the end of her earthly life. In this case the word indicates that she was taken to heaven by a power apart from herself. As the mother of God, Jesus brought his mother to himself and she resides in heaven with Him.
Hopes this answers your question.
Yes thank you!!! Makes perfect sense.
thank you for the clarification, we learn something every day, aren’t we lucky?! God bless
When people question Mary’s Assumption into heaven, I point out the story of Enoch and how he was essentially “assumed” into heaven. He is the only one in the genealogy of Gen 5 who did not die. If God assumed Enoch into heaven, then why not Mary, the mother of His only begotten Son?
Enoch stood out to me. I immediately thought of Mary when God took him before he died. Also Lamesh stands out because he recognized the corruption of the earth.
I also want to know what Enoch did that caused him to walk off with God. May I share something so awesome that I learned? If you use a concordance you can find the meaning of the names used in this genealogy. If you look up the meaning of the names from Adam to Noah there is a salvation message of Jesus there.
ADAM -mankind
SETH – appointed, to turn the face toward
ENOSH – a mortal, grievous sorrow, calamity
CAINAN -lament, mourn
MAHALALEL – god who is praised
JARED – comes down
ENOCH – to instruct, to consecrate
METHUSELAH – to die, to be sent forth as a prophet
LAMECH – to be smitten, scourged
NOAH – to give rest.
This is beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Wow!
Heather, where did you find this information?
Peggy, I heard it on a Christian TV channel and then went to my Strong’s Bible Concordance and looked up the names and their meanings for myself. Probably most libraries have a Concordance on their shelves. You can also find one online. A concordance is like a dictionary for the Bible and it gives the meaning of the words used in the text – what they meant to the Hebrews and Greeks. When I hear something on TV that sounds interesting, I don’t blindly accept it, but rather look up the information myself to verify.
thank you so much for this information.
Heather in my Bible(spanish) said that Enoch leave according to God’s will that’s why Enoch walked with God and one day Enoch disapear because God took him with Him
As the majority of the others Enoch was the most interesting to me. However the most interesting part of the reading was the disembarkation from the Ark and how it echoes the creation
There is much to be said about Enoch and the Enochian writings on the internet. I find it fascinating, to say the least. Writings from the Book of Enoch were found with the Dead Sea scrolls and the conjecture is that these writings were discounted (by the church and religious scholars) because they talk of angels acting badly on earth. And that this behavior was one of the things that lead to the ark incident. God treats Enoch is such a way that possibly should lend credence to this “Book of Enoch”. Something to think about – Enoch writes about angelic bad behavior, Chapter 6 of Genesis includes references to the “sons of God” and the “nephilim” and their bad behavior on earth, and the resulting cleansing of the earth. Too much coincidence? It makes me wonder….
Since Jesus established the Church, gave it authority, and promised it would be lead by the Holy Spirit, I try to stay with the teachings of the Church. It gives me great comfort to know that I can rely on it and not have to figure out on my own if other sources are correct. I believe that is why Catholics are encouraged to read the Bible from the heart of the Church. Otherwise we may be lead astray.
I wonder what the reasoning was for rejecting these books (I have not read them). Or perhaps the Church does not give a reason. Just because the Church doesn’t accept them in the canon doesn’t mean that everything contained in them is therefore incorrect.
Another interpretation of Gen 6:2 is that the sons of God were from the line of Seth and the daughters of men referred to the line of Cain who were cut off from God.
Blessings JohnE….in reading Church history especially about the compilation of the Holy Bible with its 73 books, one of the factors used to accept some vs. others was if they were part of the liturgy of the time and more importantly, if the specific book in question was consistent from start to finish. If there were contradictions within itself, then there not considered inspired by the Holy Spirit. Hope this helps.
Sounds good. I was just thinking of other non-canonical books that are still highly respected, such as the Didache. I’m not sure if books like that are rejected from the canon because of doctrinal concerns, inconsistencies, or just simply because they weren’t considered to be inspired by the Holy Spirit for no obvious reason.
I love to repeat this study because I always focus on something new that I might have missed in previous readings. In Chapters 4-5, I noticed something I had not seen before– the parallels in Cain’s and Seth’s offspring. Cain has a son named Enoch who has a great grandson named Lamech. Seth also has men in his lineage named Enoch and Lamech. In both genealogies, the two Enochs and Lamechs get special mentions. Cain names the first city mentioned in the Bible after his son Enoch. Yet God told Cain he would be a fugitive and a wanderer. Does he defy God by building a city? Does his son Enoch and the city named after him play a role in the wickedness of mankind (Gen 6)? On the other hand, the Enoch in Seth’s line was such a good man that he “walked with God” and never died but was taken up to heaven by God.There are similar parallels with both Lamechs. The Lamech in Cain’s line is the first to practic polygamy, and he also kills a man who struck him. In contract, the Lamech in Seth’s line is the father of Noah who makes the prophecy that Noah will bring relief from the ground the Lord has cursed. I’m praying for guidance as to why this chapter got my attention.
Thank you for this great insight….
This is the reason I enjoy this study. I am sure I noticed that the name Enoch was repeated and so was Lamech but I didn’t take the time you did to really do a comparison. Thank you for doing that and sharing with us. I learn so much from not only repeating this study but I also learn from reading everyone’s comments.
I see it as hope. Cain’s descendants aren’t doomed, as he was doomed ie
Being removed from the Garden.
Chapter 5 – The chapter begins with a re-iteration that God created mankind in His image; that He blessed them and named them “humankind” – I believe this to indicate that God named each one of us before time began?
Chapter 6 – The first use of the term “covenant” between Noah and God. The Ark is today’s representation of the Holy Catholic Church; all that are within are more likely to be saved than those outside the Ark/Church. The Nephilim is an allegory of the heights of man’s sin as a result of the Fall; they appear directly after the sin of Cain and his descendants. Note the mercy shown by God in saving mankind and an opportunity to begin anew with a stronger relationship with God.
Chapter 7 – the storms fell over all the Earth (note the fact that no one could escape the will of God). In Matthew 24:39 and Luke 17:27, it is written that the people were going about whatever they were doing up and until the rains began – they were unaware of the disaster about to befall them. Does this not happen to us when we are so overcome with the act of sin? We justify the sin and accept the fact that it is “normal” to behave in such a fashion. The waters could also be seen as a “cleansing” or baptism for mankind.
Chapter 8 – Noah and family awaited anxiously for the waters to subside. Notice that the waters subsided not by their time but by God’s. There’s a common theme in the Bible of patience required by man waiting for God to act. Notice that only the cleanest of animals were sacrificed bring to mind the later Mosaic laws of unblemished sheep to be sacrificed and a reference to Abel sacrificing his finest as an offering to God.
When the Bible is read, keep close attention to the chapters before and after the one you are reading. Sometimes you may wonder why a certain event takes place at a certain time – but if you read the context preceding the chapter or verse your reading, it’ll reveal itself to you a little clearer.
Thank you for this Joe. I too love the references to cleanliness and the fact that the greatest unblemished Lamb of God was sacrificed for our sins.
I also noticed this time through the study that Noah takes *seven* pairs of each clean animal (seven meaning perfection) but only one pair of each unclean animal. I had not noticed that before.
As you continue reading the Bible, there is so much that will be revealed to you. 🙂
Noah had the second pact with God. He stands out to me. He listened and obeyed to God’s will. That takes a lot if courage and faith
I did not realize the parallels between the names of the people in the genealogy and its reflection in the different phases of Jesus’ life. Its amazing what happens when you make the Bible a true study. The story of Noah presents a warning to me to be ever watchful and vigilant fro one day, God will ask me to account for what he has given and whether my life honors and glorifies him. Salvation in Christ means being o the ark when the floods of life envelop the world around me.
Like many others, Enoch stood out for me. When my time comes (hopefully not for a long while), I would like to be walking with God and taken by Him. It just seems so beautiful, and much more real than living, dying and going to Heaven. The other person that stands out is poor Canaan. It was Ham who disrespected and ridiculed Noah, yet it was Canaan that was punished with a curse and slavery from Noah, which God upheld. I don’t understand. Why is Ham getting off scot-free? Why Canaan and not one, or all of his brothers? What am I missing? It doesn’t seem right somehow.
Blessings Liz….perhaps this would help:
Noah, a farmer by trade, grew a vineyard and on one occasion got drunk on wine. Ham discovered his father on the floor of his tent naked and drunk. Based on Noah’s reaction, Ham must’ve mocked his father to his brothers Shem and Japheth who were outside the tent. Shem and Japheth walked into the tent backwards not to see their father’s nakedness and clothed him with a blanket [they demonstrated respect for their father]. When Noah discovered what Ham had done, Noah cursed him in that Ham’s descendants, who would become the Canaanites, to become slaves to the house of Japheth. It should be noted that though Ham sinned by mocking his father (hence, only respect should be given to a father or mother), Noah placed himself in a position to be abused (i.e. being in a drunken state). Note the message here that Noah should take responsibility for his actions that lead to someone else being tempted to act improperly.
Liz, this story after the flood is a very complicated part of the Bible. Here is an explanation that makes it more clear (from this link: http://www.wcfaz.com/index.php/teachings/75-lesson-3 but Jeff Cavins gives pretty much the same explanation in other references:)
After Noah’s ark settled on land & they began their new life we have
a confusing event. Noah drinks too much, goes to sleep & Ham
‘looked upon the nakedness of his father.’ This is when we must use
Typology, which is looking at a different part of Scripture to unveil or
reveal a truth. ‘Looking upon the nakedness of his father’ is a Hebrew
expression which means to sleep with your father’s wife. Refer to Lv,
18:6-7, 20:11. This causes Noah to curse Ham’s unborn son Canaan, the
fruit of the sin. Noah could not curse Ham because God had already
blessed all of Noah’s sons . This makes sense in the narrative because
it explains why Canaan is mentioned in this scripture. Later in the
narrative when the Israelites enter the land of Canaan, the first thing
God warns them about is the infamous sexual perversity, particularly
incest, of the Canaanites. Lv 18:7; 18:1-6. Ham’s actions could have
been actually a power play for the leadership of the family. If you want
to study this further I recommend either the Navarre Commentary or
Walking With God by Tim Gray & Jeff Cavins. Evil has happened
throughout our history and is still happening. We need to rely on God’s
mercy. I know this is disturbing but now let’s shake it off and move on.
Thank you Peggy! I knew only part of this commentary and now you’ve shed more light on it. And we all continue to learn!
A much better answer than mine, also correcting the title of the book and authors. Thanks!
In listening to a talk by Msgr. Dan Deutsch who went through Scott Hahn’s classes, when Ham “saw his father’s nakedness”, it means he had sexual relations with him. Much more serious.
Wow?!? Guess not much was learned from the Flood.
Ok, I accept your final comment but would add to it that it wasn’t just Noah’s nakedness that was seen by Ham but also Noah’s wife. I think I read that in Jeff Cavin’s book, “A Walk Through the Bible”, and my previous comment about the blessing on Ham that could not be cursed.
I think I read this in my footnotes, but since God had already blessed Ham, he could not take the blessing back so it carried forward to his son. I’m not sure about this but it surely does show a God faithful to His word
I was pondering the readings and comments today as I was praying the Rosary (Luminous Mysteries). As I meditated on the 1st mystery, the Baptism of Jesus, I was thinking about the significance of water. God uses water to save (Baptism, rain, drinking water, etc.) but also to destroy (the flood, Pharaoh and his men). I noticed the similarity of the wind drying up the earth after the flood subsided to the wind (Holy Spirit?) that parted the Red Sea in Exodus 14, but the events are reversed. In the flood, first water destroys, then the wind enables Noah and his family to step out onto dry land. In the Exodus, first the wind parts the sea so the Israelites can cross on dry land. When they are safe, then the water floods back and destroys Pharaoh and his men. I love how the more I study the Bible, the more I see the parallels in different books.
Blessings Peggy…given that Pharaoh and his army represented evil, the water in this case also saved the Hebrew’s from evil; cleansed them of their slavery to the Egyptians. The flood waters also saved mankind from itself (i.e. in Noah and his family). It all depends from which vantage point one sees. God bless.
Thank you Peggy for sharing your insights with us! I am not as familiar with the Bible and it’s many stories so finding parallels is hard for me. My brain is not attuned to them. I appreciate your efforts (and others like yours) that help me in my “brain rewiring” effort that studies like this one are part of the process.
The Water is used to cleanse, give life-As the flood did.
The Spirit drying the land is beautiful! Thank you.
The Holy Spirit enlightened you!
Noah was close to 600 years old when God asked him to build the ark. Considering that he may not have been a shipbuilder by trade and being so advanced in years, it is amazing that he did not question God on the task assigned to him. Alternatively, he did not suggest that this work be delegated to his sons. He was so faithful to God that he did as he was told!
I belong to a very active church ministry and there are times when I really feel like making excuses to avoid certain tasks assigned to me. When the temptation is there, I will always try to look to Noah’s example of obedience and faithfulness to God. After all, I am only 61 years old!
Thank you for mentioning this. Just this morning I was asking God what I could quit doing “as I am old now”. So far I haven’t heard anything 🙂
I have become very active, and I look to our Blessed Mother for inspiration in obedience and saying “yes” to God. So far, the activities have been exhilarating (though sometimes exhausting!)
But I would be more concerned if God stopped sending things my way. For if I am no longer useful, what does that mean? That I no longer have a purpose for my existence?
I praise the Lord that He gives me what I need to fulfill my tasks…
I volunteer in a nursing home and in a hospice. I have found that these “useless” people are wonderful models in perseverance, grace, prayer, patience, etc. So, no matter how old or how debilitated we may become, God gives us a role on this earth. Some dementia patients may simply offer to others the opportunity to serve us in our debilitated situation. We are never “useless”!
Blessings Janet…I too volunteer at a nursing home where I bring Holy Communion to the good folks there. I told one nice lady who was bed ridden at the end of communion “to go and serve the Lord”. She asked me “how could I possible do that?” I responded, “by smiling at everyone that enters your room”. She really like that one – it gave her hope that she could still serve God in a special way.
Good one, Joe. I think we can always find something positive to do or say, if we just try!
that is beautiful, we never know what a smile means to someone else, it could save a life!! God bless
It’s so good that you keep involved, volunteer, and serve God!
Sometimes it does seem overwhelming to work full time, be there for family and friends, volunteer in youth ministry both as catechist and advisor, and spend time as a volunteer in a hospice setting. I often “ponder” what I should “give up ” but The Lord hasn’t answered me yet. A close friend advised me that God has placed me in all the situations where I am needed and will let me know when it is my time to step back. Noah trusted in God’s word and knew when it was time to land and go from there. Great inspiration to me!
Oh my gosh Patty, are you reading my mind? Like you, I’m also devoted to serving the Lord as well as committed to work, family and friends. A relative gave me a look like “don’t you dare” when we were in church a few months ago and they were looking for CCD teachers. I think your close friend gave you very sound advice. I’ve been feeling burnt out lately and I think the most important thing I need to make sure I have time for is my own prayer time, so I can be sure to make the right decisions. I spend a good amount of time “pondering” and there are actually a few more activities I want to ADD ON, not take away. But how?
This morning as I prayed the Rosary I was praying for all the folks that participate in this bible study. We’re all real people with real problems and yet, a real desire to know and walk with the Lord. I pray that God heals our hurts and guides us so that we can serve Him according to His plan.
Thank you Marianne. It helps to know there are others that are leading very similar lives and have similar thoughts. God bless!!
You do not have to be young to become freshly involved in God’s work. I am well into my 80th year and it has only been in the last few months that I have become (once again) actively involved in a state-wide effort to protect the unborn. I was originally involved as a marshal in the early March for Life in Washington DC but used age as an excuse to ease off. Big mistake. Feeling much better about it now
Once you stop moving, you stop living. Keep moving to stay “young” and pain free. Only moving around can help you physically as moving helps build muscle and also build the tissues between joints so you can keep moving. So not only does moving keep you young mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, it keeps you young physically. My father is 82 years old and he is active. My 78 year old mother is very active so she helps to keep him young.
You are doing well with God’s work. So long as you put God first, He will keep you young so you can continue to do His work. And don’t forget Mary. She will keep you safe under her mantle. God bless you.
Thank you Zemaida!
Noah stood out to me because He is the only one that had three sons and no daughters because all the others begot sons and daughters. His three sons appear to figuratively describe the Holy trinity.
Besides the trinity coming to mind, only because of the number three–not because of holiness, it also occurred to me that perhaps Shem, Ham and Japheth were triplets. All the other generations specified an age at which each begot a son, followed by many more years in which other sons and daughters were born with total number of years lived. When we get to Noah, it starts the same way, “after Noah was 500 years old Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth” later followed by the total number of years he lived, but not by any further children begotten. Just a thought… may not be correct or important.
in the first place, I don’t believe the genealogies to be precise – nor was Noah’s precise… he had lived far beyond his years, and sired three more sons…
.
after the flood, they apparently thought of no names other than the peoples who lived around them…the only son listed with actual sons was Shem – his sons include some who were places rather than people, but more people were born to Shem…
.
Shem is the elder brother of Japheth… Ham, the father of the Canaanites, was the youngest…
.
too many years had passed for anyone to write down the years of Noah’s sons…
Oops. I’ve missed something. If Noah had only a wife and 3 sons after the flood, how did his sons beget children? With their mother? What have I missed?
You missed Genesis 7:7….”Together with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, Noah went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.” Also, 1Peter 3:20 and 2 Peter 2:5 talk of 8 people who survived the flood (see footnotes at end of the USCBC Bible link with our readings.) 🙂
Noah’s daughters-in-law were on the ark also. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
I have always been curious about the “sons of God” who had relations with human females and their offspring being giants. In mythology this is exactly what happened and is how Hercules came to be. Some truth in legend? Rebellious angels fornicating with human females? Or who are these “sons of God”???? And why would something like this be recounted in a Bible story? Any thoughts? Any answers? Why would God inspire the writers of the Bible to include this if there was not some truth?
I absolutely believe it is truth! And I wonder who they were, too! There is much talk in my culture (I’m of Irish descent) of “The Giants” who lived in Ireland and Wales before “modern man”. Supposedly it explains the stone structures that are there that no human could have lifted without modern equipment, which, of course, they didn’t have. Naturally, I’ve always been intrigued by the Nephilim because I’ve grown up thinking some of them once lived in Ireland ! What I get from the Biblical acount is that, yes, they DID take ‘non-giant’ human females as wives, or maybe just fornicated with them, as you say. Some of the DNA research done at places like 23 and Me would seem to back this up, since some people have less “neanderthal” percentage than others. Of course, that may be something else entirely, but there IS some DNA that has been isolated that some people only have tiny percentages of and others have more of, and if it is just “ancient” dna, shouldn’t we all have the same percentage? As you can see, I do think about this a lot, LOL !! As for me, I have less than half a percent of this “Nephilim” DNA, but my husband has 3% !! He’s Jewish, I’m Irish. Little curiosities.
Wouldnt the stone structures you mentioned then be displaced in the flood? Gen 6:4 is challenging.
The sons of God were the righteous line of Seth who intermarry with the Godless line of Cain and become corrupted except for Noah.
Interesting! The verses on that topic were a bit confusing at first.
Kathleen, you’re not alone in wondering! This is a difficult passage. There’s a helpful explanation in “Walking with God,” by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins (p 22). We also go into this and other questions in the Great Adventure Bible study “The Bible Timeline: the Story of Salvation.” Here’s the explanation from “Walking with God”–
“Adam’s genealogy, as we noted earlier, begins with an account of how Seth is born in Adam’s image and likeness, and it is prefaced by a reminder that God made man, male and female, after his own image and likeness. These important details are recalled only in Genesis 5 with Seth’s line, and not in Genesis 4 with Cain’s line, in order to draw a sharp distinction between the two lines. Cain’s line produces murderers and polygamists like Lamech. The Nephilim may refer to this fallen line, as the word “Nephilim” comes from the Hebrew naphal, “to fall.” Seth’s line, on the other hand, produces righteous men like Enoch and Noah who worship God and “call upon the name of the Lord” (Gn 4:26). Seth’s line, the line that worships God, is the one that is singled out as being in the image and likeness of Adam and Eve, who are in turn in the image and likeness of God. As we noted earlier, given that image and likeness included the meaning of being adopted as a son of a god, it is not at all a leap to say that the narrator is referring to the Sethite line as “sons of God.”
“Thus, the narrative distinction between the “daughters of men” and the “sons of God” that opens Genesis 6 is referring to the distinct genealogical lines of Cain, described in Genesis 4, and Seth, described in Genesis 5. The two lines, which had been distinct, are now, by the time of Genesis 6, intermarrying, with the Sethite line beginning to take on practices previously associated only with the Cainite line, namely, polygamy. In a narrative that earlier associated polygamy with violence (Gn 4:19, 4:23-24), the description of the Sethite line intermarrying and taking multiple wives (Gn 6:2) strikes an ominous note of increasing violence and sinfulness, which reaches its climax in universal wickedness. In the midst of this wicked generation, only one man is found righteous.”
I’ve always been fascinated by Enoch!
This was challenging to read as I am an extremely literal person. Several elements were difficult for me to comprehend: 1) humans living 500-1000 years. God decided He didn’t like this and switched it up? 2) Gen 6:4 angels lusting and fornicating with women and creating giants? God decided He didn’t like this and stopped that also.
I guess I have never thought about what an angel actually is. “I know nothing.” – Jon Snow
1) God created man to live eternally – He promised death if the men He created “ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil”… man did precisely that…
given that man was ‘brand-new’, man could not die as soon as he disobeyed God – but die he would…
understand – Genesis is not now nor has it been seen as definitive to state every little thing that happened – it says, in broad seeps and strokes, God formed light; created (or caused it to gather) water; made vegetation come forth… God then made the sun, the moon, and the stars; caused the waters to bring forth the birds and fish; caused the earth to give forth the animals…
Genesis only has “And there was evening and there was morning
…”
beyond that, it doesn’t say how long God took – it could be instantaneous, or it could have taken millennia…
yet… God is ‘all-knowing’… He knew that – before the earth was formed – serpents would bely His words to the woman, He knew that the woman would tempt the man, He knew the man would refuse to accept total responsibility, He knew the woman would refuse to accept any responsibility … He knew it before the ‘big bang’ or ‘light’… He knew it, and still caused the earth to be… He knew, as mothers know, that His children would defy Him and rebel against Him, and some would feel sorry and would behave accordingly, given enough time…
He granted enough time to men at first to replenish the earth and build out the close centers of people which leads to disruptions, jealousies, he-has-more-than-I-have, she-is-prettier-than-I-am, etc…
so, men’s lives got shorter and shorter over ??? years…
2) I don’t know where, or why, you say giants when the Bible has “mighty men that were of old, the men of renown…”
sons of God, daughters of men… Whose image was man created in? God’s… and the ancient tongues, even more ancient than Hebrew itself, probably had sons and daughters for all sorts of people in the family… even a mere 2000 years ago, Jesus is presented as one of several sons… Mary’s not listed as their mother, nor Joseph as the father, but Jesus is one of several brothers who showed up with Mary…
I suggest that the sons of God were simply those men who followed God, who were, indeed, “mighty men that were of old, the men of renown…” and the daughters of men were simply those who were descendants of Cain and others like him…
no “angel” at all can I find…
I was with you right up till the last two paragraphs…
Jesus does not have any siblings. Mary only had one child (Jesus)
Who are the Sons-Of-God? Apparently it is quite a debate. Lots of Theories.
Here’s one that seems to settle on “Fallen Angels”
http://www.gotquestions.org/sons-of-God.html
I know Jesus had no brothers or sisters…but the Bible says otherwise…
🙂
In those days, it was common for people to call cousins and other relatives “brothers”. Even in modern times we call non-relatives “brothers” or “sisters”. We do it all the time.
Exactly, I have a cousin who I refer to as my brother! Along with “brother”, “firstborn” and “until” were used differently back then also, see: http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/the-case-for-mary%E2%80%99s-perpetual-virginity
Another cause for misunderstanding the bible, is the translation from those languages to English. They often have multiple words(meanings) that translate directly to the same word in English. i.e. Love has 4 Greek words that translate to it.
Enoch, son of Jared lived only 365 years compared to the others named in the genealogy of Adam in chapter 5 of Genesis who lived over 900 years. He was also the only one to walk with God and not die. Then after Noah who lived for 950 years. There is no mention of anyone living for several hundred years as God removed his Spirit from man. The lines from Cain and Seth chose very different paths of good and bad lines although many names may be similar, the lives they lived were much different.
The mention of the heavenly beings (sons of God) taking human wives stood out from the text, resulting to the birth of the Nephilim. As for the genealogy, Mathuselah stood out because I can recall a prayer being recited that mentions Mathuselah as a high priest or something. First time to participate in a study such as this. Kinda mind-boggling and heavy but with God’s grace, I will be able to finish.
It’s just an opinion, but I don’t think angels took human wives. Jesus said that people in heaven aren’t taken or given in marriage, but were like the angels. To me, this means they don’t procreate.
I think the scriptures are calling men “sons of God” because they worshipped Him, but they went against His will and married women from heathen tribes, “daughters of men”. This caused them to fall away from God and mingle with ungodly people.
This remained a problem throughout the Old Testament.
Also the Nephilim showed up again after the flood.
The “sons of God ” always referred to angels, but I think in this case they were just men.
Hi Kathy, just to clarify, the explanation accompanying the text (Genesis 6) referred to “sons of God” as “heavenly beings” (i never mentioned “angels”). 🙂 In the accompanying explanation in Gen 1:26, it mentions of heavenly beings but not specific as to mention angels as the heavenly beings. Maybe there were other heavenly beings other angels? This is a very interesting topic. I would appreciate further information on this. 🙂
22 And Henoch walked with God: and lived after he begot Mathusala, three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
23 And all the days of Henoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.
24 And he walked with God, and was seen no more: because God took him.
25 And Mathusala lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.
26 And Mathusala lived after he begot Lamech, seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters.
27 And all the days of Mathusala were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died. (Gn 5:22-27, DR-CR)
That’s what Genesis says about Methuselah… Melchisedek, however, was both a king and a priest…
18 And Melchiz′edek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
maker of heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Gn 14: 18-20, DR-CR)
Genesis 5:23-25
23 Enoch lived a total of 365 years.
24 Enoch walked with God. Then he couldn’t be found, because God took him from this life.
Origin of Nephliim
6 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. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in[a] man for ever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”
I learned in a bible study that Methuselah died in the same year as, but before the flood. If you go a step further and calculate the year of birth and death of each descendant, interesting observations emerge.
1. All generations in this Godly line were born before Adam died except Noah. He did not see the man that would keep humanity alive.
2. All of these men in this line were alive when Enoch was assumed into heaven except Adam. Adam did not see the first man that would never die.
3. Methuselah lived longer on the earth than any other recorded man. Could God have been giving men longer to repent?
I’m sure there are more.
I read that in Jone’s Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names, Methuselah
Can be translated “when he is dead it will be sent”.
I noticed that the men in the geneology were all between seventy and one hundred eighty years old when they had their first sons. Noah, however, was five hundred years old. I find it interesting that Noah’s sons were then young enough to work on the ark. Had Noah followed the pattern of the rest, his sons would have been four or five hundred years old at the time of the flood.
I have always found Enoch to be an inspiring figure. He jusr walked with God all of his life, then one day, he walked right into eternity. It makes one long for Jesus to return. But for the souls in need of salvation, I would have Him come now!
Thank you Sarah! That makes sense – we are still doing it in todays world. Take for example a child who has been raised in faith but takes up with the wrong crowd and ends up in trouble. Simplified but very understandable. So is Cain’s line always cursed or is there redemption? Is this maybe where the term “bad seed” comes from? Being a nurse, I know that there are people that have absolutely no conscience and that by the age of 6 a clinical person can spot them. I am not talking about people who have been raised in horrific circumstances but people who are raised in totally normal circumstances and are not insane – just totally without conscience or remorse. and how can these people ever be redeemed? it is almost as if they had no soul…
Everyone most certainly has a soul and is loved by God (even though they disappoint him). What you described is commonly caused by Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). It happens during the first two years of life. It is simply a bond that has been broken, or failed to be created. It is not always the result of abuse and/or neglect. It can happen in a perfectly loving family. For example, an illness in the child or the Primary Care Giver (typically Mom) can break the bond and cause it. In almost all cases, it is absolutely repairable. Especially if the work starts before the teen years.
RAD distorts the truth of the matter… my children love me, no doubt about that…but they each and every one of them reject the father’s and my Catholicism because of differing ways they were taught by the teachers… and I do mean different… one claimed to be pagan, now claims wiccan, who married an atheist…one switched to Baptist, now does not believe in God but holds no ill will – she married an agnostic… one quit the Church before confirmation… just coasting along, saying she believes in gays rights, but is not gay herself… but refuses to discuss God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit or Mother Mary… *sigh*
Sorry for the confusion, I should have written it more clearly. Being RAD has no association with which faith/religion a person chooses to leave or to follow. I was referring to the last half of her post about people who seem to have no conscience/remorse. RAD does cause that exact behavior, (and others). For more info on it, go to:
http://www.attachment.org/reactive-attachment-disorder/
There is a wealth of information at this website. This subject is way off topic, so please contact me directly, and we can visit more. Thank you! ksmalinak at ptera dot net
I caught something interesting about the animals of the ark; there were 7 pairs of compared to 1 par of the bad and 7 pairs of birds. Later, when offerings would be made to God, only clean animals were used. All is connected.
Noah stands out in the reading. I want to know what happened to Enoch. The fact that God saved the world and mankind through Noah shows his everlasting love and mercy.
Noah teaches us how to trust and be obedient God.
Thanks for this 90 days Challenge again! It’s good to refresh human history according to the Bible.
God is love and full of compassion. When the Lord regretted making human beings and His heart was grieved (6:6), how much He has taken in to that stage! As we proclaim the returning of Lord Jesus Christ in the Creed, are we truly prepare ourselves for His return when we look at the world we live in now?
Enoch walked with God whereas all the other men mentioned in the Bible’s genealogy
that begat sons died after a lengthy life on earth.
God was very upset with the wickedness that overcame mankind during this time and
decided that the span of life would be ‘one hundred and twenty years’. That was a short time span comparing it to the elders mentioned in chapter 5. I am confused with this. Could this reduction of a life span be a punishment for the people’s wickedness?
Noah stands out, of course because he and his family did not follow the evil ways of
the people at that time. God found good in Noah and his family and decided to spare them from the destruction of the human race at that particular time in history.
Will this study be combined with last year’s discussions? It is so hard to scroll down and find some insight from this year’s comments because the two years seem to get tangled together at times.
im getting confused constantly… no order to what’s posted, where it’s posted, or when it’s posted… I don’t like this form called ‘disqus’… *sigh*
You might be right about this glitch being on Disqus only. I sure hope it can be repaired quickly!
I found it! look under the # comments… click the down arrow and select ‘best’, ‘newest’, or ‘oldest’… 🙂
It looks like they are combined. Once you join the discussion, you should get emails saying there’s a new comment (if you’re preferences are set up that way). It does make it a little more difficult to follow along, but I think it’s kinda interesting to read the old comments as well as the new. It looks like you can also SORT by Best, Newest or Oldest (located at the top of the page below the number of comments).
You are brilliant! I never thought of fixing my problem there. My sister suggested the same idea. Oh, to be knowledgeable like you two!!! Thanks so much!
🙂
When God asks Adam, “Where are you?”, i know He is asking me the same question. He knows the answer then as now. Am I seeking to grow closer to God or not? Thanks to rhis course and the blessings from Him each day, my answer will be, “Right here Lord, desering to live more like you.”
I’m confused. Who are the sons of God?
there are differences in what ‘sons of God’ was meant to say…
.
some say the fallen angels…
.
some say the sons of Seth’s line or temperament…
In reading the genologies, I am struck by the relation of genology and genetics. Adam and Eve’s sin altered our spiratual DNA. We cannot change that DNA. Jesus by His suffering created a remedy for that damaged spiritual DNA, It is delivered to us the Sacraments
With all the generations, Noah stands out because he was chosen by God to resolve God’s concern of what humankind had become with violence and evil-doing. This answered my question yesterday, what God must have thought about Adam and Eve failing the test of disobeying the request, not to touch the tree of knowledge. Why is innocence lost when mankind also learns about their own nakedness when they touch their tree of knowledge? Noah was God’s hope that his descendants would be God’s do-over. How nice that we also have a chance to change things in our lives with our own do-overs.
I always like to look for more tangible and scientific evidence in Bible stories. One is very interesting to me: Suppose the waters above the dome were a water vapor layer, not clouds which brought rain. Then comes the flood, and there are clouds and rain and no more dome. This water vapor layer might have provided a barrier for harmful sun rays, and this would explain the long life spans of early Biblical figures, which rapidly decrease after the flood.
THIS PART OF GENESIS WAS ALWAYS HARD FOR ME OUTSIDE OF THE NOAH’S ARK STORY BECAUSE OF THE LIST OF BEGATS. IN READING IT JUST NOW I WAS THINKING OF THE PEOPLE NOT AS INDIVIDUALS BUT AS TRIBES OR CLANS WHO SPREAD OUT OVER THE AREAS OF THE MIDDLE EAST. GIVING RISE TO THE DIFFERENT SETTLEMENTS AND NOMADIC TRIBES. IT ALSO REMINDED ME THAT THIS WAS AN ORAL TRADITION UNTIL AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MOSAIC LAW, EVEN THOUGHT IT MENTIONS THE CLEAN AND UNCLEAN CREATURES. THE POINT OF THESE CHAPTERS TO ME IS THE CONTINUING CARE AND INTEREST GOD HAS IN THE LIVES OF HIS CREATURES. HE IS UPSET WHEN MEN TURN AWAY FROM GOOD AND GRAVITATE TOWARD EVIL. THE PUNISHMENT IS DRASTIC AND AT THE END GOD PROMISES NEVER AGAIN TO BE THAT HARSH TO MEN. HE GIVES A NATURAL SIGHT THAT HE WILL NOT USE THAT PUNISHMENT AGAIN.
Enoch stood out for me, as he did last year. I still find the thought of walking with God through this life and then taking the next step with God into heaven a beautiful thought.
The gates of Heaven were closed until Jesus redeemed us through His passion and death right? I don’t see how Enoch was taken to Heaven before that…
To be honest I don’t have an absolute answer. All I know is what the Bible verse says and the fact that 2 Kings 2:11-12 says that Elijah went to heaven. Whether it was the place described as Abraham’s bosom where they would wait until Jesus opened the gates of heaven, or heaven itself, is a mystery to me. It just seems beautiful to walk with God in this life and in the next step, be beside Him in the next.
Expiration Dates
Death wasn’t God’s plan for humanity. We were built in His image and likeness for eternity, but the world broke after Adam and Eve’s fall from Grace. Their disobedience snuffed out that spark of divine life in their souls and therefore could not pass it on to their children. Now we all have expiration dates, start to breakdown over time and rot.
So the stand-out message in the genealogy from Adam to Noah is interesting not so much because of their long life spans, but that they in fact DIED. It’s evidence that the sin of Adam and Eve caused collateral damage to the human race in the highest order.
Adam fathered at 130, died at 930
Seth fathered at 105, died at 912
Enosh fathered at 90, died at 905
Kenan fathered at 70, died at 910
Mahlal’alel fathered at 65, died at 895
Jared fathered at 162, died at 962
Enoch fathered at 62, “walked with God” at 365
Methuselah fathered at 187, 969
Lemech fathered at 182, died at 777
Noah fathered at 500, died 950
Interesting also that Enoch is special. He didn’t die, but rather “walked with God” as Adam and Eve did in the garden. He’s of the 7th generation, 7 being the Biblical symbol for completion and right order. Among all these generations of death, there is hope. Despite a broken soul, a select few are graced in order to point their lives towards God better than the others.
Another stand-out is that Lemech died at 777. There go those 7’s again, the symbol for completion and holiness. And the triple format is Biblical language for “really, really REALLY!” So there was something special about Lemech too, and perhaps this special holiness is what was passed on to Noah. In a sense, Lemech is a bit of a prefiguring of Mary and Noah a prefiguring of Christ. Lemech was graced with triple holiness in order to parent a Noah, who was to end the punishment brought on my Adam and Eve’s sin. In Genesis 3:17, God said, “…cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” Then Genesis 5:29, Lemech says that Noah will “bring relief from our work and the toil of our hands”.
Little bits of hope that God has not abandoned His dying creation.
If you’d like to follow my reflections at http://www.sheepliketowander.com you are most welcome!
Enock & Noah stands out because of their faithfulness to God which is a result of their relationship with God. How can be faithful to God? By devoting ourselves to daily prayer, meditating on His Word, and receiving the Sacraments regularly. Then will be able to fight the temptations that come by.
God favored Enoch, who walked with God (Gen 5:22). Noah was a righteous man and also walked with God (Gen 6:9). So Noah was chosen for the very important mission of building the ark.
How many of us stop to think that those who are righteous and walk with God are also chosen for a mission in today’s world? Do we recognize His voice and His commands? Do we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
To me what stands out is Enoch who was taken away by God. The exact nature is not mentioned but the situation itself is similar to what occurred much later with Elijah. Noah and and his family of course were saved from the flood in a ways similar to how we as believers are spared God’s judgement through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also, I really loved the salvation message Heather shared with the meaning of the names of the genealogy. Quite revealing 🙂
men, good men, mixing with bad women (the sons of God taking women of men) leads us to downfall – again!
.
first was Eve, who lead Adam to actually sin against God…
.
now we have this situation spread out so far as to be grave…
.
not people who half-way worshipped God – but people who turned their backs on God, believing themselves to govern their own lives…
The patters within the genealogy of chapter five brings out the two men of whom The Lord builds covenance with. The first one is is with Adam and then later on with Noah. These two men both stand out as they were directly given a blessing to from God.
As I read and reread particular parts of this scripture I am amazed with each section and how such moments unfold. Amazing works of The Lord!
The 2 who stand out to me are Enoch and Noah as they are noted to be men who “walked with God” – something a believe delights God as much as it inspires and heals us. I was also struck by the description of Enoch’s passing in 5:24: then he was no more, because God took him away. A very different description than the others who were simply said to have died. I find myself wondering what that’s about.
Enoch never died, he was caught up to God. Just how 1thess. 4:16 describe the rapture of the church.
Noah had to face the judgement.
Remember Enoch was the 7th from Adam.
Revelation 2-3 there are 7 church ages from 2nd Adam(Christ) at the end of rev. 3, was the 7th church age.
And in rev. 4 John was told to “come up Higher” he was raptured into the heavenly. John is a representation of the true church, him being the most Loved disciple.
The living saints in the 7th age will not see death, will walk with God and be like Enoch.