Blessed for Hope and Rest (Genesis 5)
Here’s my sermon from August 2nd of 2026 . You can check out the audio here.
Many thanks to Aaron - for preaching so much - and so well - the last several weeks. I’m so grateful for him, and I know you all are, too. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d be up here preaching today. If you’ve not heard about our week, on Monday, my wife Amy had a scan over at University Hospital, and following that, five different doctors told us to get ready, as it was almost certain her cancer had come back in her bones. Then, on Tuesday, we went back in for a PET scan, to learn the extent of what we were dealing with. To confirm it was cancer, to see where it had spread. We were sitting in that room, waiting for that knock, for the oncologist to walk in. And she did - and with a clean report! And we wept tears joy. Thanks for your prayers. We are so, so thankful! But I want to say, as hard as it would have been, even if that report would have been really, really bad, God would have still been good. She would have shouted that from the rooftops. And we would have still had hope. And a hope that we see here in our passage today.
In this genealogy. You might be thinking, “Are you really going to do a whole sermon - only about this list of people who lived and died?” You betcha, I am. The late great David Powlison once wrote this:
“…[genealogies] are directly irrelevant to your life. Your name is not on the list. The reasons for the list disappeared long ago. You gain nothing by knowing that “Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel” (1 Chron. 4:8). But when you learn to listen rightly, such lists intend many good things—and each list has a somewhat different purpose.” (David Powlison)
Now I’ll read the rest of that quote later this morning. But my hope, as we walk through these verses, is to convince you that lists of names like these aren’t as boring and useless as you might think. There’s actually blessing right here.
Saying Hello to the Elephant
But before we really get into it, I want to start by addressing the elephant. What about all these crazy numbers? Did people truly live that long? Are we really gonna believe that? Adam lived - it says in verse 5 - 930 years? For real? This man Methuselah, that we meet in verse 27, he even lived 969 years. And seems to be the oldest recorded person in Scripture. Seriously? How do we begin to even explain that?
Well, it helps to know that other cultures, back then in the Ancient Near East, also had genealogies like this - where the lifespans described were even longer. Some have said the names here refer to the heads of tribes - of a people, not a person - that was alive that long. Others that the numbers are symbolic or maybe coded in some way. Or they should be divided by 5 perhaps; or plugged into some other equation. Stuff like that. However, there’s never been an explanation that’s been that satisfying. And that’s why the church has historically taken them literally, at face value.
Maybe, as the ESV Bible puts it, “something changed in the cosmology of the earth or in the physiology of humans (or in both) after the flood,” resulting in a rapid decline in longevity.” Maybe the further our ancestors wandered east of Eden, the more we cashed in on the wages of sin, this was the result. Shorter lives. Before, as T.D. Alexander puts it, the full effects of the curse had taken hold, it seems lives were long — a step closer to what was intended.
We’re not sure. But one thing we do know is that this would make the population skyrocket. And make that commission - to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth - go that much faster.
But there’s another matter I want to address. People have used genealogies like this to try to get to the age of the earth. Let me say: we have people on the elder team who take different views on that. Is the earth old - or is it young? I don’t think it has to push us apart. But I don’t think adding up all these numbers - and then tacking on the other genealogies - to try to somehow count back to the garden - is that helpful. Why’s that? Well, as Meredith Kline puts it, these genealogies aren’t meant to be exhaustive, but representative. They obviously just list the men. But they also tend to skip generations. We learn that from other lists in Scripture. And, there are ten generations here, from Adam. Ending with the three sons of Noah. Exactly like we see just a few chapters later, among the descendants of Shem. The great Abraham there - and his two brothers. The point isn’t meant to list everyone. It’s to guide us to our hero. To bring us to hope.
Reminders
With that, let me hit on a couple of reminders. Our structure we see here in Genesis. Along with the book’s theme. First, the structure. As I mentioned in our opening sermon - yes, back in February - the book has two halves. The first runs from the first verse through chapter 11, verse 26, while the second runs from verse 27 of that chapter until the end of chapter 50. In the first half, we look at primordial history. We see our origins. The beginning of all we see. We examine our foundations. That’s what we’re in the middle of now. But in the second, we look at patriarchal history. The beginning of God’s people. We read about the generations. And hear of promises made to the fathers.
Now those two, very unequal “halves” are broken up into “chapters.” After an opening prologue, there are ten different sections introduced by this one Hebrew word, toledot, which roughly means, as it says in the ESV, “these are the generations of.” There are five of these in each half of the book.
Look back at Genesis 2, verse 4. Now these words usually introduce a genealogy. But that first heading introduces the creation of the world, with humans made as its pinnacle. Today, we come to the second use of that word, in chapter five, verse 1. Where we read about the “generations of Adam.” And we enter a new section, a new “chapter,” if you will, of the book. That takes us from Adam and introduces us to Noah. And brings us into the story of the flood. These genealogies are significant - giving us these headings, guiding us into chapters - but they are also important in other way.
Iain Vaillancourt reminds us of what we need to be mindful of in this journey.
“Each time we encounter a family lineage passage in Genesis, we need to ask an important question: will the people in this section carry on the family lineage of the woman that will lead to the ultimate deliver who will decisively defeat the serpent and all the effects of sin?” (Ian Vaillancourt)
Aaron served us well a few weeks back, walking us through Genesis 3:15. This is right after the fall of humankind. God pronounces judgment upon His creation. And Moses - our author - sets us up for a battle. Between the offspring of Satan, that serpent. And that of the woman, Eve. And prophesies the final, full victory of her Son - over that enemy. It reads, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Last week, we looked at the legacy of Cain - one of so much evil and pain. Today, we read about the children of Seth. And here we see glimpses of goodness and life. Will the Deliverer come from him? Through Adam’s son? The one who’ll crush the serpent’s head? Indeed He will! And bring us into blessing.
Second, then, our theme. Look with me, again, at verses 1 through 3. Verses that take us back to chapter 1.
Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
Adam, along with Eve, is made in God’s “likeness.” They’re made in His image. And they have this son, Seth, who’s in their likeness, their image. That image remains - in him, in us, even after the fall. And that reality - that we reflect and represent our Creator - it changes everything about how we see ourselves and how we carry ourselves. As well as what we see in others. We respect all those God has made in His image. We remind every man or woman of their dignity and worth. Go back and listen to that sermon, back from March 15th, if you want to hear more.
He made them “male and female,” verse 2 says, and “he blessed them.” Our theme of this series, for this study through Genesis, “The Wellspring,” comes from that idea - of blessing. I saw a prominent political influencer - who also calls himself an atheist - say online this week that his main issue is that “a god that wants a relationship is by definition weaker than a god who is beyond that emotion.” But that woefully misunderstands the God of our faith.
He doesn’t seek out a relationship because He’s weak or needy in some way. No! He who is forever blessed - He wants to share that blessing. He lets His blessing overflow. And He first does it in Creation. In all the glory we look around and see - through the car window. But also as we look in our rearview mirror. And see our faces. We are blessed. As human beings in His image. With this calling to go and image Him to others. And to serve as conduits of that blessing to the world.
So we could actually move that question from Vaillaincourt in a different direction. As we encounter these genealogies in Genesis, we also go to them asking, “Will the people listed here carry this blessing, given graciously by God, to the ends of the earth?”
Today, you and I, sons and daughters of Adam, but also of Seth we see here. Each of us, as humans, are blessed in this way. If we’re His. And are giving this calling. These genealogies remind us that history matters. But also that people matter. Moses gives us real people here, who lived and died. Not just the big names - the Adams and Abrahams and Jacobs. But the no-names. Folks like Enosh - or Mahalalel in this list. Who leads us to our Victor. Who takes us to the Wellspring.
Generations
With that, let’s jump deeper into that genealogy. And look at the generations listed here. Chapter four here ends with words of hope. God gives Adam and Eve Seth. And then, to Seth, Enosh. And verse 26 states, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Though we’ve all have turned away from that blessing, there’s still hope. And we see that shine through these verses here. Because of the seed of the woman who came to crush that snake. Through the people of blessing like this line here.
Clearly, there’s this formula we see here, in Genesis chapter 5. So and so lives a certain amount of time. Until he has a son. And then lives a number of years after that. And then a total length of life is given. Over and over again. But with Cain’s line we saw from last week - in chapter 4, verse 17 and following - there are no years, no ages, listed anywhere at all.
Amy and I recently celebrated 25 years of marriage. But, back when we were dating, I was hanging out at her apartment, and I was horrified when I watched her, after she finished writing her paper, simply press and hold the power button to turn the system off. She then tried to convince me she was the computer support person at work. Can you imagine?
Now that’s so easily what the Lord could have done, right? Powered it all down. But He doesn’t. Here, in the line of Seth, who God gave to Adam and Eve, after their son Abel was killed by Cain - we see this list of lives with crazy amounts of longevity. Maybe they’re a picture of the grace of God. Of His ongoing commitment to His creation.
Did you notice some names repeat this chapter? Cain’s son is named Enoch. And he gets a city named after him. Chapter 4, verse 17. But we also meet a son of Seth by that name. Who’s a main character of this list. In chapter 5, verse 22.
There’s a bad Lamech, that Aaron talked about last week from chapter 4, verse 19. Who sinned by taking two wives. The first bigamist. And boasts about murdering a man, there in verse 23. A proud, depraved and vengeful man. But we also meet a good Lamech, here in the line of Seth, in chapter 5. Who is the Father of Noah. And a godly, hopeful man.
But let’s zoom in further, then, on a couple of these names. And look more closely at our castmembers. And this is the biggest contrast with that genealogy from last week. Did you notice, as we read, how the pattern breaks with two guys? The seventh son of Cain is that evil man Lamech. But the seventh son of Seth is Enoch. Verse 24 says that he “walked with God.” And then “he was not, for God took him.”
Notice again the good Lamech here in chapter 5. He fathers Noah and then prays, maybe prophesies, over His son - in verses 28 and 29. That he would bring rest, give relief, from the awful curse on the ground. It’s in the break from that pattern, in the contrast, that we learn here what the Lord wants us to hear. So let’s get to that. Shall we?
Encouragements
A dark cloud hangs over this text. Because of that original sin. Death entered the world. And we see it spread - again and again. But there are also some rays of hope. There are a couple of encouragements, right?
And the first is resurrection. Enoch is there. Look at verse 24 again. And then “he was not.” He’s one of two people who seem to experience roughly the same thing. Heard of Elijah? In 2 Kings 2, he’s taken by chariots of fire, caught up into a whirlwind. And it says, in verse 12, that his protege Elisha “saw him no more.” Enoch, unlike the others here in Genesis 5, completely evades death. It says, “God took him.” He goes to be with the Lord.
In Hebrews chapter 11, what amounts to a faith hall of fame, Enoch is mentioned. Verse 5 reads, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him.” Enoch gives us the hope of resurrection, of overcoming death. Most of us, it seems, will die, and then be raised. But some, like Enoch, will fly up into the sky. If they’re found alive when Jesus returns. To defeat that serpent. And cover the world with blessing.
This is the first glimpse of resurrection we see in the Scriptures. That points ahead to Jesus our Lord. Who triumphs over the grave. He’s a greater Enoch. Who will return and raise up those who believe. And He’ll also make everything new. This world under the curse.
And that leads to the second encouragement we see here. It’s restoration. Look back with me at those words of Lamech once again. He says of His son Noah, there in verse 29, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and form the painful toil of our hands.” Now that word there for “relief” or rest sounds like Noah’s name in Hebrew. There’s a wordplay going on. That curse back in chapter 3 that gets slapped on the world due to sin - Lamech says that his son is going to bring relief from our toil. That he’ll rule over the earth as man was meant to do.
Now some have pointed out that Noah is given the cultural mandate again after the flood. To be fruitful, to multiply, to exercise dominion over the earth. A reboot, if you will. And he’s called a “man of the soil.” And ends up planting a “vineyard.” He in some sense overcomes that curse. But only in part. And shows his sin there soon enough. He reaches ahead to someone greater. Who will bring a great reversal. And a restoration to all things. He is a greater Noah.
The offspring of the woman that flows through our ancestor Seth, Jesus, will raise us from the dead. And He’ll restore this broken down earth. Yes, we see God’s blessing at creation. But we also see it through redemption. As the Lord restores those who have wandered from the living waters found only in Him, the great Wellspring.
Taking on the Serpent
I started us off by addressing the elephant. I want to end things today by attacking the serpent. If we’re in Christ, we, too, are the offspring of that woman. And we’re waging war against that serpent, His offspring, versus the powers of darkness. We’re doing it every day - until that day - when Jesus returns, defeats that enemy and makes us - and everything new. One day the Lord Jesus - the true offspring of Eve - will, as Romans 16 puts it, “crush Satan under [our] feet.” Until then, we fight.
Here are two ways we can go on the offensive, attacking that serpent. First, in our walking. What is it said here of Enoch - that man who is taken up into heaven? Verse 22 says that he “walked with God.” It’s said in Scripture of others, that they walk before God. Or walked after Him. But this is something greater. This communicates intimacy. Depth of relationship. Adam and Eve had a relationship with the Lord like this - walking and talking with Him in the garden. Did you know this is later said of Noah? In Genesis 6:9? He walked with God, too.
Will we pursue this kind of relationship? Or just settle for mediocrity? And superficiality? Will we pour out our hearts to Him? And hear Him speak to us in His word? And when we learn more about His heart - and what it is He asks of us - will we really do it? This walk is also action. Doing what He does. Going where He goes. We can’t say we’re tight with our Lord - if we’re unwilling to trust and obey. Will we enter challenging situations? Have tough conversations? Take difficult assignments? That’s what we’ll do if we’re walking with Him.
Notice something about this genealogy. All these men - they live. They have kids. They die. But notice the contrast with Enoch. This rises above merely living. Everybody here lives and dies. He walks with God!
Aren’t we often content to put down our heads and do our jobs, come back and get in bed and watch our shows, maybe get a few hours of sleep - and do it all again? Don’t you think the Lord has something better for us than that? To walk with Him. And experience His goodness and power?
Hebrews 11 again helps us here. Enoch walks by faith. Look with me again at verses 5 through 6.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
He believed that God was real. And that He rewarded those who walked with Him. So Enoch lived to please God. He drew near to His Lord. He did what God asked. Trusting that what He offered was worth far more than anything this world could give. What will be said of you and me? Will we walk in intimacy?
My favorite song of all time is Rich Mullins’s tune, “Elijah.” He could have just as easily written it about Enoch. But the chorus goes like this:
“But when I leave, I'm gonna go out like Elijah;
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire.
And when I look back on the stars,
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park.
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye.” (Rich Mullins)
Rich wanted to walk so closely to the Lord - here on earth - that getting pulled up into heaven wouldn’t change that much of all. And when he died back in the early nineties from a car accident, that was pretty much what He was doing. That’s how I want to go out, too. Like Enoch. Like Elijah.
Let’s turn back to Noah and think about another way to fight. Second, in our working.
Remember what it talks about with Noah? His dad - the good Lamech - gives him that name, longing for God to grant “rest.” Pleading for relief from the curse. And that’s our hope, as well. Now, where we stand, having God’s word, able to see the big picture. We know that there is a day of rest ahead of us all. Jesus will restore this broken creation. A great reversal is coming.
And while we’re here, through His blessing, we can work in a way that’s distinctive. Yes, we’ll still hit our thumbs with hammers. Sometimes our spreadsheets will magically disappear. But through His work in us, we can anticipate this reversal. Display this restoration that’s to come. Too much of the time, we’re content to just barely do what’s expected. To get our paycheck and head home. But the Lord wants us to hone our crafts, grow our skills, pursue excellence in our fields - and in doing that, bring some of that future world into the present.
Think about the impact that curse brought to us back then. It fell on the ground. And impacted our dominion over nature. What if we as Christians led the way again there?Last week, Aaron talked about engaging the arts. What about with horticulture and agriculture? Planting gardens. Some more lavender farms! Beautifying our surroundings. Offering food security for those in need. Taking care of creatures in a way that honored our Creator and served our brothers and sisters?
The fall also impacted our bodies. Yes, it mentions the woman in childbearing. But we all feel the curse’s effects. Christians used to lead the way in the sciences. What if we were faithful there again? And we have so many people here working in medicine. Even faculty at Mizzou - like my dear wife. What an opportunity to bring actual relief to our bodies - pointing to that day of restoration. When this curse will be reversed.
There’s another key way we must go about work. Doing it like our father Seth, and not the wicked Cain. Who killed his brother out of rivalry and left a legacy of sin. We can so easily resort to the tactics of the serpent. Doing whatever it takes to try to get ahead. Stepping on others as we try to climb up that ladder. Are we known for love? Are we known for service? Do we exhibit the ways of the dragon or the ways of the lamb? I’ll never forget attending Scott Rice’s retirement reception, where person after person got up and grabbed the mic and praised our brother here for doing his job well, yes - but, even more, loving them all in such beautiful ways. We are a part of the offspring of Eve, that flows through Seth. We’re the people of Jesus. He wants us to work in a distinctive way.
A couple of nights ago, Bobby and I went and watched the theatrical showing of Hadestown. Just a couple of bearded dues watching a Broadway Musical together. But there is this iconic red flower, actually a carnation, that shows up throughout the show. It brings color - it stands as a symbol of hope - in the dreary, cold underworld. It points to the way things can be. To spring when everything feels like it’s stuck in winter. Karis, I want us to be a people who point to another world. Like that red flower. When the curse will be removed. Will that be us? Working with hope?
But I do need to pause and clarify one thing. Lest we think the Christian life is all sunshine and roses. Do you remember what it is that Noah’s soon to do? Oh, yeah! He’s going to tell all those people that the flood is coming. That that’d better get into that ark. That there is a judgment to come.
We also learn in Jude that Enoch had a similar message, too. He writes, actually quoting this old book called 1 Enoch:
Jude 14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
Walking with God also means telling people the truth in love. Warning them of not living by faith. Of not following Jesus. Of leaning into the curse. And toward the ways of Cain.
But as we do, we get to tell people the good news. Jesus walked with God. He walked as God. He perfectly pleased His Father. He took that curse upon His shoulders. He died on the cross to free us - and God’s creation - from sin and death. And rose again from the dead - pointing to that full and final restoration. And ascended to His Father’s right hand. There’s intimacy there. He defeated that Serpent and will one day crush Him under His feet. And He’ll usher in a day of forever blessing. Where we can drink of His living waters forever and ever. Because of His blessing, we can walk with God in hope and work for God in rest.
I want to go back and finish up that quote I began with today. From David Powlison. He states:
“…[genealogies] are directly irrelevant to your life. Your name is not on the list. The reasons for the list disappeared long ago. You gain nothing by knowing that “Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel” (1 Chron. 4:8). But when you learn to listen rightly, such lists intend many good things—and each list has a somewhat different purpose. Among the things taught are these:
The Lord writes down names in his book of life.
Families and communities matter to him.
God is faithful to his promises through long history.
He enlists his people as troops in the redemptive reconquest of a world gone bad.
All the promises of God find their “Yes” in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20).
You ‘apply’ a list of ancient names and numbers by extension, not directly. Your love for God grows surer and more intelligent when you ponder the kind of thing this is, rather than getting lost in the blizzard of names or numbers.” (David Powlison)
Maybe we shouldn’t skip over these genealogies!
Amy, Enoch, and Noah
Well, this week, my wife went back to work. Hobbling there, for sure. We need to get her better. But at least it’s not cancer. But she’s back, kicking butt at her job, helping medical professionals keep up with their skills. And pointing ahead, as Noah, to that day that awaits. When that curse will be lifted. When work won’t be so tough. And our bodies won’t break down and hurt any more.
But may this brush with death remind us of where our true hope lies. One day, our lives on earth will end - just like all the names, right here, listed in Genesis chapter 5. But if we’re a child of Enoch, an offspring of Eve. If we’re those who believe, united with Christ. We’ll one day rise - like Enoch. And be with our God forever and ever. Living in His blessing. Karis, because of His blessing, we can walk with God in hope and work for God in rest. Let’s pray.