Introduction

The purpose of this lesson is to study the beginning of the genealogy of the line of Seth. Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Able. However, Cain murdered Abel in a very deceiving and brutal way. God in his love gives Adam and Eve “another seed”, Seth.[1] Therefore, God divides the genealogies of the bible between Seth and Cain. We can find Cain’s genealogy in Genesis 4:16-25[2] and the line of Seth in Genesis 5[3]. Through this lesson, I will compare both genealogies and the root differences between them.

Discussion

  1. Genealogy of the Line of Cain.[4] This genealogy starts with the departure of Cain from the presence of God.[5]Afterwards, Cain had a son called Enoch, which established society, its worldly accomplishments and success. However, this genealogy is cursed and will ultimately perish because it has nothing to do with God.

Psalm 73:27 - For, behold,those who are far from You willperish;You havedestroyed all those whoare unfaithful to You.

Jeremiah 17:5 - Thus says theLord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makesflesh hisstrength, And whose heart turns away from theLord.

Jesus Christ, God the Son our savior also said:

John 15:3-5 -You are alreadyclean because of the word which I have spoken to you.Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruitof itself unless it abides in the vine, so neithercanyou unless you abide in Me.I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, hebears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

The significance of these verses is that people with beginnings apart from God are doomed for destruction and nothing they do will bear the fruit of eternal life in Jesus, because apart from Him we can do nothing. However, the line of Seth has a different beginning.

  1. Genealogy of the Line of Seth.[6]This genealogy begins with God (Gen 5:1-3). It introduces the descendants of Adam. God created Adam, and gave him son in his image, Seth, when he was 130-years old. The Genealogy of the line of Seth begins with God Himself as portrayed in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ:

Luke 3:38 -...the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

God’s passes His administration of redemptive history through the line of Seth. During the times of Noah, God called the children of the line of Seth sons of God.[7] The daughters of men in this passage refers to those women of the line of Cain.[8]The redemptive historical meaning for today’s saints is that we are also children of God. He comes closer to those who pray.[9] Those people that do not pray are far apart, those that do, are close and connected with God. Therefore, to be with God is to be close to the Word of God.[10] However, to be apart from God is to be far from the word of God.[11]

  1. Process of the Genealogy of the Line of Cain and Seth.[12] The beginnings of each line were different. Cain’s line started with a departure from God and Seth’s line started connected to God. Their lifestyles were different. Cain’s line was a self-centered lifestyle and Seth’s line was a God-centered lifestyle, which GlorifiedGod. Therefore, what are the differences?

(1)Cain’s Descendants – Self-centered Lifestyle. Pioneer’s in their fields and well recognized by the world. Cain built a city called Enoch.[13] He built this city for protection. However, we have to live with God’s protection. Cain’s name became a well renowned name. However, Cain’s line climaxes with Lamech’s 7thgeneration. Lamech’s sons were well known, successful and famous people. However, they lived a self-centered lifestyle apart from God, which reflected in the incident of the tower of Babel.[14]

(2)Seth’s Descendants – God-centered Lifestyle. The individuals in the line of Seth are not know for worldly achievements or for making a name for themselves as with the line of Cain, but they lived God-centered lives. For example, when Enosh was born people started calling upon the name of the Lord, which means people of his time worshiped God. Mahalalel lived a life of parsing God. Enoch walked with God 300-years living a life conscienceof the end times.[15] Lamech, through Noah, hoped that God’s rest and comfort would come.[16] Noah lived a life in complete obedience to God by building the ark.[17]

Conclusion

We can see today’s human history in the light of these two lines and lifestyles.Consequently, a self-centered lifestyle apart from God is senseless, full of pain and sorrows[18], because it has forsaken God–fountain of living water. Alternatively, a God-centered lifestyle connected with God bears abundant fruit in old age.[19] Those who choose to live a God-centered life connected to God will ultimately be exalted and given a name above all names that God will not blot out. Therefore, today we must reject Cain’s self-centered lifestyle and live a God-centered lifestyle connected to God as inSeth’s line.

References

1

[1] Genesis 4:25-26, p.5

[2](New American Standard Bible 1960), p.4

[3](NASB, 1960), p.5

[4](Park 2009, 57-85)

[5] Genesis 4:16, p.4

[6](Park 2009, 99-101)

[7] Genesis 6:1-3, p.6

[8] Exodus 4:22, p.55; Isaiah 63:16, p.706

[9]Deuteronomy 4:7, p.172

[10] John 1:1, p.1008

[11]Psalms 1:1-3, p.507

[12](Park 2009, 183-192)

[13] Genesis 4, p.4-5

[14]Genesis 11:4, p.9

[15] Genesis 5:21-22, p.5

[16] Genesis 25:28-29, p.23

[17] Genesis 6:22; 7:5, p.6

[18] Jude 1:11-13, p.1179; Isaiah 1:30, p.46; Jeremiah 2:13, p.712; Jeremiah 17:5-6, p.730

[19] Psalms 92:13-15, p.564