Week 1 Genesis 5
The chapter begins: this is the written account of Adam’s line. The list of family names takes up the whole chapter and goes from Adam to Noah.
The list covers a long period of time and (likely) skips a lot of people. Only the key players are named: Adam Seth Enosh Kenan Mahalalel Jared Enoch Methuselah Lamech Noah (it seems like the writer is moving us along toward the big story about Noah).
Adam and Noah are the best known and most famous people on the list but the most interesting one is Enoch: Enoch lived in close fellowship with God…He enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout his life. Then suddenly he disappeared because God took him.
Enoch is interesting because the bible says he had a close relationship with God. The bible doesn’t say that Adam Seth Enosh Kenan Mahalalel Jared Methuselah or Lamech didn’t have a close relationship with God. But it doesn’t say that they did either.
Enoch is also interesting because it says that suddenly he disappeared because God took him. Which makes it seem like he didn’t die a normal death. The bible doesn’t say that about Adam Seth Enosh Kenan Mahalalel Jared Methuselah or Lamech. Just that each one of them died.
So Enoch is unique in this list and I wonder what-all else he did.
Note: quotes from Genesis 5:1 22-24 (NIV).