From birth certificates to gravestones, our names are important. At meetings, we wear name tags so people know who we are. We use our name to reserve a dining table to ensure a place is waiting for us to eat.
If you want an audience with an important person, first, learn their name and then ask for them by name. Knowing a person’s name means you have some type of relationship with them. This was especially true during Old Testament times and is seen in the Bible’s genealogies.
A Name Has Value
To an ancient Hebrew knowing someone’s name was very important. In fact, the Hebrews valued God’s proper name so highly that they wouldn’t write it out fully. That was to ensure no one would misuse his name. They sometimes wrote another word in place of God’s name, such as “Adoni” meaning LORD. This was a safeguard to protect God’s name from vain usage.
The Bible regularly mentions personal names. Names of individuals fill a fair amount of space in the pages of Scripture, even though their names are not always an important detail in understanding the story. Genesis chapter five is an extreme example of the use of names. The entire chapter consists of nothing but names (Gen 5:1ff). It’s a genealogy.
Boring Genealogies
Is there anything more boring than reading a list of names? What difference does it make that so and so fathered so and so and live so many years? Is it possible to discover spiritual value in a genealogy? I think there is quite a bit of value in reading this chapter. For one thing, it matters because God never wastes a word of Scripture. Jesus said,
“I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished”
Mt 5:18
Biblical genealogies are significant to God. The list of names in Genesis chapter five reveals the gospel message in at least three ways. Let’s examine of the first way the gospel surfaces in this listing of patriarchs. The next two articles will discuss the other two ways this genealogy highlights elements of God’s redemptive plan.
Genealogies Are Purposeful
Genealogies in the Bible are purposeful. They are more than a chronology of people or a family tree. Biblical genealogies are ancient literary tools that describe God acting in history.
This particular list is an account of those who trusted in God. The first genealogy mentioned in the Bible is Cain’s. However, his family consisted of ungodly descendants and is only mentioned to the seventh generation. Their legacy was in building a violent and godless city.
Cain’s descendants quickly died out. The flood destroyed them. However, Seth’s descendants, known for their faith in God, survived the flood and became a testimony of God’s faithfulness.
The last man listed in Seth’s genealogy is Noah. He was a preacher of righteousness. God used him to save the whole human race. He called society back to faith in God as did Seth’s son Enosh (Gen 4:26). God always saves people by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). And every redeemed person can trace their faith back to Noah. That means we all have a preacher in our family line!
Numbers Used Symbolically
This genealogy is historical. It refers to real people who lived and died within the line of Seth. But it also contains a message beyond simply mentioning people’s names and how old they lived. There are at least three levels of significance to Moses documenting Seth’s family tree.
This genealogy identifies ten patriarchs and places them in succession. A common literary device used to make a point in Hebrew literature is the listing of ten things, such as these ten names. The number ten, like the number seven, often emphasizes completeness. Moses is displaying, through the use of a genealogy, the results of living by faith in God.
The Biblical Significance of #7 and #10
The idea behind the number ten representing completeness comes from the human hand having ten fingers. Five fingers or one hand full means a partial or half of an amount. Ten fingers represent two hands brought together to hold a full measure of something. Thus, it symbolized completeness (all a person could hold in their hands).
When God gave Moses the moral law, we see an example of the importance of the number ten. God uses ten statements that completely or fully encompassing his moral code. In the case of this genealogy, Adam to Noah consists of ten generations and represents one complete sequence of fathers.
The symbolic sense of the number seven–the most important symbolic number in the Bible–represents completeness originating from God finishing creation in seven days. The biblical use of the number seven in Cain’s genealogy shows the complete moral degeneration of his family line. Lamech and his murderous boast was the climactic expression of Cain’s rejection of God. In contrast, Enoch walked with God, which culminated in his victory over death. He too was the seventh generation but in the line of faithful men. Faith in God restored the promise of eternal life proven by Enoch never dying.
He Overcame Death
Only two people never died: Enoch and Elijah. Enoch was the first person to be raptured before dying (“God took him” vs 24). In the last days, Christians will be raptured in a similar manner. They won’t die but be taken directly into glory (1 Cor 15:51-52). In Enoch, the curse of sin–death– was defeated.
Antiquity is full of burial ceremonies that attempt to overcome death. They have all failed. But two men by faith overcame death. This is an encouragement to all who walk by faith. Walking by faith in God overcomes death.
Enoch, being the seventh in this line of godly men, is important to the understanding of why this genealogy exists. God noticed him (vs 24). Only Enoch doesn’t die. He lived 365 days for 365 years. Ancient cultures used this type of description to describe a perfect lifespan.
A second person of note is Lamech. His lifespan is also symbolically described. He lived 777 years. Here’s another example of deliberately using the number seven to emphasize perfection or completeness. This second Lamech lived a full or complete life (the first one was wicked, Gen 4:23).
The life cycles of these two men match celestial cycles. Enoch’s age aligns with the solar yearly cycle of 365 days. Lamech’s life aligns with the synodic cycle, which is the time it takes Jupiter and Saturn to circle the sun one full revolution. Connecting celestial and earthly cycles seems odd to us. But in eastern ancient times, especially in Babylon, when conjoined ideas like the symbolic use of numbers appear, in this case, they emphasize the two men enjoyed a perfect and fulfilled life.
A Genealogy Of Faith’s Results
These two names significantly placed in the genealogy (the 7th and 10th spots) show this genealogy is more than just a list of patriarchs and their ages. It’s a list of men who displayed faith in God’s grace. As mentioned earlier, redemption has always been (from Adam to today) activated through faith in the work and grace of God.
One reason this genealogy fills chapter five of Genesis is to contrast Cain’s seventh-generation genealogy with Seth’s ten generations. Cain’s descendants evolved into a godless and cruel society. Seth’s descendants called on the name of the Lord in faith (Gen 4:26). The result of his descendants to the tenth generation placing trust in the Lord was the salvation of the human race (Gen 7:1, 5).
Would You Be Included In This Genealogy?
As you read this list of godly men, note that they pleased God by placing their trust in God. They responded to the call to honor and worship the Lord. Their family’s legacy was faith in God. Moses strategically placed this genealogy in the Genesis account so readers will pause and realize the importance of pleasing God by trusting in him (Heb 11:6).
Genesis chapter 5 is the first record of godly men seeking God, knowing God, and serving God’s purposes. Hopefully, if the list continued into today, your name would be appended to it as another spiritual godly leader who lived by faith and pleased the Lord.
*The cover slide is a picture of the Voice of Martyrs’ Memorial Wall. It’s a sobering reminder of the battle between faith in God and rejection of Jesus’ rightful place as Lord.
Photo Attributions: Martyrs memorial wall at Voice of the Martyrs, Family tree by Gerd Altmann @ Pexels.com, Bible and Lamp by Dawna Kay on Flickr.com, Egyptian mummy by Simonatova @ Pixabay.com, Contrasting signs by Gerd Altmann @ Pexels.com.
