Sometimes life doesn’t take the route we expect. The past several months for myself have been full of unexpected responsibilities, illness, or injuries that made getting to my personal writing goals simply not feasible. Now that I’m able to return to my writing it struck me that sometimes in God’s word there appear to be gaps in the story line as well. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Yes, some details are left out, but we can trust that what is provided is exactly what we need to know.
Genesis 4-5
Based on the face value of the years of life mentioned in the list of Adam’s descendants at the start of Genesis 5, about 1056 years pass from the time Adam and Eve birthed their first son before we come to the story of Noah and the great flood. We’re not given all the details of what transpires during these 1056 years but the details we are told prepare us for this flood story.
Looking back at Genesis 4 we receive these details of Cain’s bloodline:
- Adam and Eve have two sons: Cain and Abel.
- Cain murders Abel. (See Genesis 4:1-16)
- Cain’s genealogical line develops toward a great-great-great grandson Lamech who was the first man to take two wives.
- This Lamech brags about killing a man in response to having been only wounded by that man.
- Lamech’s offspring tend to livestock, create musical instruments, and develop the forging of bronze and iron.
- Lamech’s son, Tubal-cain has a sister named Naamah. (See Genesis 4: 17-24)
The details that are shared about Seth’s descendants in Genesis 4:25 thru chapter 5 are:
- Adam and Eve have a third son: Seth.
- Seth has a son: Enosh.
- At this time the people began to call upon the name of the Lord.
- Enoch, the great-great-great grandson of Seth, “walked with God after he fathered Methuselah…Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”
- Methuselah fathers Lamech.
- This Lamech fathers Noah and said about 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”. (See Genesis 5:28-29)
Genesis 5 opens with a summary of the fact that God created mankind then details the genealogical line from Adam through his third son Seth to Noah.
Why do you think this recap of creation is given at the start of Genesis 5 given what we’ve learned thus far in Genesis 1-4?
What difference do you see in the great-great-great grandsons of Cain (Lamech) versus Seth’s(Enoch)?
What is the result of this difference found in Enoch?
Can you see the importance of our need to call on the name of the Lord for the hope of the generations to come?
May the Lord deepen your understanding of His patience and provision for His creation as you reflect on the differences between Cain’s and Seth’s family heritage. As you personalize these lessons to your own life may the Lord give you insight and wisdom as to how He has provided for you in your own family heritage.
Maybe your heritage has more examples along the line of Cain’s bloodline than Seth’s. If so, thank the Lord for this knowledge and seek His strength and mercy to be the catalyst for future generations in your family line toward loving and serving the Lord above all else.
Or does your heritage have more in common with Seth’s blood line than Cain’s? If so, thank the Lord for this knowledge and continue to seek His strength and mercy to continue in faithfulness for future generations in your family line as well.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about Genesis 4-5 if you feel so led to share. Either post a comment on the blog site if you’d like to share with all readers or email me your comments if it is for my eyes only.
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn
