Bible Reading Blog
“...And He Died”
Categories: Congregational Bible ReadingBIBLE READING: Genesis 5
The entrance of sin into the world set off a horrible chain of events. Innocence was lost and the world looked very different through the eyes of Adam and Eve (3.7). Fear dominated peace (3.8-10). Conflict and curses ensued (3.11-19). Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden and promised pain (3.16, 17). As they began having children in this broken state, the effects of sin progressed. Cain succumbed to sin’s pressures, taking conflict to its ultimate end (4.8). He showed some remorse but there was a selfish callousness in his response as wrestled with the consequences (4.9, 13-14). Several generations later, Lamech murders a man but with no remorse (4.23-24). The effects of sin had completely overcome humanity and Genesis 5 depicts the bleak outcome it would bring.
“…and he died.” (Genesis 5.5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31)
The genealogy sends a clear message about the doom of humanity. Each man lived a long time but came to the same end. Genesis 5.1-2 subtly reminds that humanity was made in God’s image to live. But Adam’s choice began a new order, made in his image and likeness, that would die (Genesis 5.3). It is not just tragic; it is sobering to think that God’s perfect world could be so easily rejected by every single person.
The expectation to walk with God, in God’s image becomes an obvious challenge for mankind… but not an impossibility. In the midst of human failure, we are given glimpses of people who walked with God. Most notably we are told Enoch “walked with God, and he was not for God took him” (Genesis 5.24). The details are limited but drive us back to the fundamental purpose of our existence: to please God and serve his purposes (Genesis 1.28; Hebrews 11.5).
It is interesting to note that each person of Genesis 5 “lived” a certain number of years but eventually died. Enoch, by contrast, chose to walk with God and truly live. The difference is simple but profound. Humanity’s ways ended in death but walking with God allowed Enoch to escape death.
Death is the universal problem, but it’s not only active in the ultimate sense. Paul tells us we “were dead in our trespasses and sins” through the choice to disobey God (Ephesians 2.1-3). We walked in a way that brought wrath and destruction to our present circumstance. In other words, our existence is dead without obedience. Hence why we are called to walk in a worthy manner by changing our minds and behavior (Ephesians 4-5).
Obedience to God’s words is the only way to experience life. These are the words which brought life in the beginning, continue to sustain the world, and that will align us with God’s image. By God’s ultimate grace we have been shown how to live through the life, teaching, and witness of Jesus Christ. The effects of sin are powerful, but his grace is greater (Romans 5.20-21). So, “let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” (Romans 6.12-13)
