Genesis 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Genesis 5:18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: 19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
We left off yesterday with Cain and his rebellious nature. Most of the rest of chapter 4 deals with Cain’s descendants. They all followed their father. They were born as lost sinners and they were content to follow the wicked nature of their father. As you read on about his descendants, you find they were industrious. They were inventors. However, everything they did was for themselves. They had no interest in knowing the LORD, nor in serving Him. Today we have bustling cities all over the place. We have out of control crime and drug abuse in these cities. There are a few good churches in the cities, but most people are just busy chasing their own lusts. Most of the music of today is for the devil. It is sensual and it is demoralizing. Most professing Christians could not identify good music if they tried. They are not being taught and they are going by their feelings. Things are much as they were in the days of Cain. Ungodly families sometimes look as if things are going fairly well for them. They find a way to work things out because they have no moral absolutes. They just kind of slide through life without any real concern about their spiritual needs. Compromise works wonders for a time. The problem with the ungodly is that they do not have a hope beyond the grave. Those who live like that are in for a great shock when they take their last breath. God is a God of absolutes. His absolutes are holy and just and righteous, etc. It is great to know the Lord. The troubles that a true child of God faces now are minor compared to eternity. Godly parents give birth to lost sinners. Those children need to choose to either follow the influence of their godly parents, or stick with their sinful nature. If they do not want to repent and be saved, there will be tension in the family. The parents will try to guide the children to see the importance of knowing the true God, but the children must choose for themselves. Too often parents who profess to be godly, fail in that they cheapen the Gospel to get some kind of a confession from their children but it is not real. They deceive their children into assuming they are good, but in their hearts they know they are not. In the closing verses of Genesis 4 we are given some good news. Adam and Eve had another son to replace Abel. That son was named Seth. Seth also had a son and his name was Enos. We read: “then began men to call upon the LORD.” It took another generation before things turned to the LORD. The good news is that there were sons that turned to the LORD. Not all was lost. The Bible teaches that there will always be a “remnant” that will turn to the LORD. God would want all to be saved, but most never will. Most are too lazy to pursue the truth. They are content to just go with the flow. They will be sorry, but that is the choice that most make. God shows us the facts. He does not want anyone to assume they are going the right way when they are not. God loves man far more than any man loves man. God wants man to be saved far more than any man wants man to be saved. God sets out the way of salvation for all to know. He shows us that His way has eternal blessings. He also shows us that there will be sorrow with trusting in Him. Abel was murdered. But the pain he suffered in death was for a short time. The moment he died, his pain was over. He was at rest for all of eternity. Adam and Eve would have sorrowed in the loss of their son and to think that their other son would stoop so low as to kill his brother. Capital punishment would be enacted after the flood to deal with those who would violate another person by killing him. In chapter five we are reminded that everybody dies. Prior to the flood, people lived much longer than they did after the flood. The age of humans shortened to an average of 70 years and for some 80 and for fewer, beyond 80. In that lineage of life and death in chapter five we come to a man named Enoch. Enoch was different than just about everyone prior to that time. Abel would have been one that walked with God but he was murdered. As we noted, Enos seems to have been different. With his birth, there was a turning and people began to call upon the LORD. However, God made a point of telling us that Enoch walked with Him. Enoch did not follow the wickedness of Cain’s descendants. He chose to reject that and he chose to pursue a life that would please God and bring blessings to his heart. Everyone prior to Enoch lived and died. However, Enoch walked with God. Two times we are told that Enoch walked with God. Enoch agreed with God. Amos was led to ask the question:
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
God did not bend His righteousness to suit Enoch. Enoch chose to humble himself and align His thinking and actions with God’s will. This started with a changed heart. Enoch humbled himself and was changed by God. Rather than pursue a life of wickedness, he chose to follow God’s way. He was blessed for doing so. We read that he lived to be 365 years old and God took him. God was pleased with him and He took him out of this wicked world. Enoch had fulfilled God’s will for him. Enoch gives us a picture of the “rapture”. He was taken while many others were left to face the judgment of the flood. As we will see, Noah is a picture of salvation. He was saved through believing in God and the Ark saved him. The Ark is a picture of Jesus Christ. As we look at “typology” we always need to keep the context in mind. We will see that as we move along. You cannot cut out a mould and make everything fit the same mould. God shows us how to understand His Word. It is important for us to understand that the person who believes in God walks with Him. God does not have any trailblazers. Those who are His children follow Him. Yes, His children are called to different places and they will face different circumstances, but they all walk with Him. It does not matter if the person is a mechanic or a welder or a doctor or a nurse or a police man, or an evangelist, etc. If they are saved they walk with God. They follow His way and they glorify Him. They are identifiable as His children. Those who are saved and want to live for the world will be chastened by Him. His chastening will bring about the peaceable fruit of righteousness or He can shorten the life of a carnal Christian. As we have mentioned before, we have no authority to change God’s commands. The Bible warns about adding to or taking away from His Word. New Evangelicalism is guilty of both. Much of modern day Christianity is not identifiable in the Bible. God’s way is not complicated. It is very straightforward. It requires “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” That is what God declares. He has never changed that. His way always works. His way gives a peace that passeth all understanding. His way provides blessings that are only for those who are His children. Don’t settle for a fraudulent gospel. Settle for the truth. Pastor Bartel
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