The three-year Lectionary that many Catholics and Protestants hear in public worship gives us a great variety of Holy Scripture.

Yet, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

My series Forbidden Bible Verses — ones the Lectionary editors and their clergy omit — examines the passages we do not hear in church. These missing verses are also Essential Bible Verses, ones we should study with care and attention. Often, we find that they carry difficult messages and warnings.

Today’s reading is from the English Standard Version Anglicised (ESVUK) with commentary by Matthew Henry and John MacArthur.

Genesis 5:15-24

¹⁵ When Mahalalel had Lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.

¹⁸ When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.

²¹ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

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Last week’s post briefly discussed Seth, Enosh, Kenan and Mahalalel.

John MacArthur has a note on the meaning of the names, particularly Kenan (emphases mine):

Seth, and then comes Enosh, which I told you last time is a Hebrew word for “man.” Then Kenan, which may be related to “Cain” as a word.

Now we come to the next generation.

When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared (verse 15). After he sired Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters (verse 16). Mahalalel lived 895 years, then he died (verse 17).

MacArthur gives us the meanings of the names Mahalalel and Jared:

Mahalalel, which in Hebrew means “praise.” Jared, which is probably connected to a root that means “descending.”

Our commentators explain God’s love and generosity in granting so many generations a long life.

Henry says that the earth was still, for the most part, a gentle and benign place:

… long life to the pious patriarchs was a blessing and made them blessings. 1. Some natural causes may be assigned for their long life in those first ages of the world. It is very probable that the earth was more fruitful, that the productions of it were more strengthening, that the air was more healthful, and that the influences of the heavenly bodies were more benign, before the flood, than afterwards. Though man was driven out of paradise, yet the earth itself was then paradisiacal—a garden in comparison with its present wilderness-state: and some think that their great knowledge of the creatures, and of their usefulness both for food and medicine, together with their sobriety and temperance, contributed much to it; yet we do not find that those who were intemperate, as many were (Luke 17 27), were as short-lived as intemperate men generally are now. 2. It must chiefly be resolved into the power and providence of God. He prolonged their lives, both for the more speedy replenishing of the earth and for the more effectual preservation of the knowledge of God and religion, then, when there was no written word, but tradition was the channel of its conveyance.

MacArthur agrees:

… the question always comes up when you study this, “Why did God let people live so long?” Well, for one, it allowed for rapid, extensive population growth. It allowed for the passing on of truth from one generation to another without having to go through too many intermediaries so that that truth was lost. As I said, there’s so much overlap, I said some would take Shem right into the time of Jacob.

And I think there are other reasons why they lived so long. The advancement of that race – and believe me, they would have been very advanced, very intelligent. They hadn’t experienced all the thousands of years of corruption that we have experienced. Very intelligent, very skilled. If you do something for 900 years, you get pretty good at it, I would expect. They would have absorbed a massive amount of information. They tell us we use one-tenth of one percent of our brains. Well, if you lived 900 years, you might fill up some of that space.

And because there was no experience from the past to hand down – you know, we are the beneficiaries today of inventions that have been made from centuries past. Well, there was no past, and so God allowed them to live a long time so that they could accumulate the necessary knowledge to advance the civilization and refine the civilization. They couldn’t learn from anything past because there wasn’t anything. Each person was permitted to live during a much longer space of time. Having no past experience to build on, they owed their knowledge to their experience, and they needed a long experience to reach the heights.

I think also they were able to discover the great foundations of knowledge and to apply them and to test them.

On the other hand, temptation would have also been great:

But at the same time, they also had to endure the immense impact of sin. While they were advancing and while they were applying their tremendous longevity, their tremendous experience, their tremendous intellect and accumulated information to an advancing culture – at the same time as men were devising greater and greater means to enjoy life, they were devising greater and greater means to express their sin, so that they became so wicked that God drowned them all.

So it allowed for them to develop intellectually; at the same time, it allowed for them to become morally corrupt, at a level of corruption more flagrant than perhaps we can imagine. You know what it is to battle temptation – don’t you? – for 60 years, 70 years, How would you do if you had to battle it for 900 years? There are some people who would like to die before they dishonor the Lord. That’s a fair wish. But if you were 60 and wondering if you could make it before 70 without dishonoring the Lord, how would you like to have to think about having to live another 800 years?

MacArthur summarises the situation:

So there was the potential for development. God always gives man that. To draw out of His planet and out of His creation the riches, and to give Him thanks and honor Him for it. But at the same time, fallen man will invariably invent ways to express his corruption.

Moving on, when Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch (verse 18), the good Enoch. After he fathered Enoch, he had other sons and daughters (verse 19). Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, then he died (verse 20).

MacArthur says:

… we are introduced to a man … His name is Enoch. It means, as we learned earlier, “dedication.” There is an Enoch in chapter 4, verse 17. That’s a different Enoch, in the line of Cain … But this Enoch, whose name also means “dedicated,” was devoted to God.

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah (verse 21).

Then something interesting happens in the narrative.

After Enoch sired Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God for 300 years and had other sons and daughters (verse 22). Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years (verse 23). Enoch walked faithfully with God, then he was no more because God took him away (verse 24).

So, Enoch lived for roughly one third of the lifespan that his relatives did. Also note that twice — in verses 22 and 24 — we see that ‘Enoch walked faithfully with God’.

Henry opens his analysis with this:

… at length there comes in one that must not be passed over so, of whom special notice must be taken, and that is Enoch, the seventh from Adam: the rest, we may suppose, did virtuously, but he excelled them all, and was the brightest star of the patriarchal age. It is but little that is recorded concerning him; but this little is enough to make his name great, greater than the name of the other Enoch, who had a city called by his name. Here are two things concerning him:—

I. His gracious conversation in this world, which is twice spoken of: Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah (v. 22), and again, Enoch walked with God, v. 24.

Henry then goes on to explain Enoch’s spiritual greatness, referred to at length in Jude:

Observe,

1. The nature of his religion and the scope and tenour of his conversation: he walked with God, which denotes, (1.) True religion; what is godliness, but walking with God? The ungodly and profane are without God in the world, they walk contrary to him: but the godly walk with God, which presupposes reconciliation to God, for two cannot walk together except they be agreed (Amos 3 3), and includes all the parts and instances of a godly, righteous, and sober life. To walk with God is to set God always before us, and to act as those that are always under his eye. It is to live a life of communion with God both in ordinances and providences. It is to make God’s word our rule and his glory our end in all our actions. It is to make it our constant care and endeavour in every thing to please God, and nothing to offend him. It is to comply with his will, to concur with his designs, and to be workers together with him. It is to be followers of him as dear children. (2.) Eminent religion. He was entirely dead to this world, and did not only walk after God, as all good men do, but he walked with God, as if he were in heaven already. He lived above the rate, not only of other men, but of other saints: not only good in bad times, but the best in good times. (3.) Activity in promoting religion among others. Executing the priest’s office is called walking before God, 1 Sam 2 30, 35, and see Zech 3 7. Enoch, it should seem, was a priest of the most high God, and like Noah, who is likewise said to walk with God, he was a preacher of righteousness, and prophesied of Christ’s second coming. Jude 14, Behold, the Lord cometh with his holy myriads. Now the Holy Spirit, instead of saying, Enoch lived, says, Enoch walked with God; for it is the life of a good man to walk with God. This was, [1.] The business of Enoch’s life, his constant care and work; while others lived to themselves and the world, he lived to God. [2.] It was the joy and support of his life. Communion with God was to him better than life itself. To me to live is Christ, Phil 1 21.

Henry tells us when Enoch’s righteousness likely began:

2. The date of his religion. It is said (v. 21), he lived sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah; but (v. 22) he walked with God after he begat Methuselah, which intimates that he did not begin to be eminent for piety till about that time; at first he walked but as other men. Great saints arrive at their eminence by degrees.

3. The continuance of his religion: he walked with God three hundred years, as long as he continued in this world. The hypocrite will not pray always; but the real saint that acts from a principle, and makes religion his choice, will persevere to the end, and walk with God while he lives, as one that hopes to live for ever with him, Ps 104 33.

He then discusses God’s taking Enoch away after 365 years:

II. His glorious removal to a better world. As he did not live like the rest, so he did not die like the rest (v. 24): He was not, for God took him; that is, as it is explained (Heb 11 5), He was translated that he should not see death, and was not found, because God had translated him. Observe,

1. When he was thus translated. (1.) What time of his life. It was when he had lived but three hundred and sixty-five years (a year of years), which, as men’s ages went then, was in the midst of his days; for there was none of the patriarchs before the flood that did not more than double that age. But why did God take him so soon? Surely, because the world, which had now grown corrupt, was not worthy of him, or because he was so much above the world, and so weary of it, as to desire a speedy removal out of it, or because his work was done, and done the sooner for his minding it so closely. Note, God often takes those soonest whom he loves best, and the time they lose on earth is gained in heaven, to their unspeakable advantage. (2.) What time of the world. It was when all the patriarchs mentioned in this chapter were living, except Adam, who died fifty-seven years before, and Noah, who was born sixty-nine years after; those two had sensible confirmations to their faith other ways, but to all the rest, who were or might have been witnesses of Enoch’s translation, it was a sensible encouragement to their faith and hope concerning a future state.

2. How his removal is expressed: He was not, for God took him. (1.) He was not any longer in this world; it was not the period of his being, but of his being here: he was not found, so the apostle explains it from the LXX.; not found by his friends, who sought him as the sons of the prophets sought Elijah (2 Kings 2 17); not found by his enemies, who, some think, were in quest of him, to put him to death in their rage against him for his eminent piety. It appears by his prophecy that there were then many ungodly sinners, who spoke hard speeches, and probably did hard things too, against God’s people (Jude 15), but God hid Enoch from them, not under heaven, but in heaven. (2.) God took him body and soul to himself in the heavenly paradise, by the ministry of angels, as afterwards he took Elijah. He was changed, as those saints will be that shall be found alive at Christ’s second coming. Whenever a good man dies God takes him, fetches him hence, and receives him to himself. The apostle adds concerning Enoch that, before his translation, he had this testimony, that he pleased God, and this was the good report he obtained. Note, [1.] Walking with God pleases God. [2.] We cannot walk with God so as to please him, but by faith. [3.] God himself will put an honour upon those that by faith walk with him so as to please him. He will own them now, and witness for them before angels and men at the great day. Those that have not this testimony before the translation, yet shall have it afterwards. [4.] Those whose conversation in the world is truly holy shall find their removal out of it truly happy. Enoch’s translation was not only an evidence to faith of the reality of a future state, and of the possibility of the body’s existing in glory in that state; but it was an encouragement to the hope of all that walk with God that they shall be for ever with him: signal piety shall be crowned with signal honours.

MacArthur has more on Enoch’s spiritual mission, referred to in Jude:

“So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” All of a sudden, the pattern is broken. We get into this seventh generation, as Jude says, “the seventh from Adam.” We meet Enoch. It does tell us how old he was when he fathered the firstborn. It does tell us how long he lived after he fathered the firstborn and gives us the same pattern. But all of a sudden it injects twice – once in verse 22, once in verse 24 – that Enoch walked with God.

And as I said, it may be that these others were righteous, we don’t know that. No such comment is made. But in the case of Enoch, it is made. He walked with God. That is a critical statement to make about a man. It breaks the pattern of the previous names.

Let me just tell you a little bit about Enoch. Turn to Jude, let’s go back to Jude for a minute. It will only take a moment to grasp what Jude says in verses 14 and 15. Jude is writing about false teachers here who’ve gone in the way of Cain, verse 11, who’ve rushed into the error of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of Korah, and he names some apostates, some false prophets. They are hidden reefs in your love feasts, clouds without water, doubly dead, uprooted, wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam, wandering stars for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.

So false teachers, they’ve always abounded. They were in the way of Cain. They were in the family of Cain, the culture of Cain. And verse 14 – interesting. “And about these also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied” – oh, this is interesting. This man, Enoch (the seventh generation from Adam through the line of Seth) prophesied against the false prophets. There were already false prophets in the world, there were already those who were lying, those who were in the way of Cain, apostate. And that’s really hard to imagine. I mean, I have to tell you, that is hard to imagine. You say, “Why?” Because they knew Adam.

And Adam could have told them who the true God was because he walked and talked with Him in the cool of the day. And Adam could have told them what the creation was like and what paradise was like, and what Eden was like, and why the world was the way it was, and all about the fall, and all about sin, and all about the curse. And it wasn’t passed down, it was firsthand information. And still they apostatized, they rejected, they rebelled against the truth that Adam knew firsthand and certainly declared.

There was an explosion of false teachers in the world. And Enoch prophesied about them. What did he say about them? He said, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds, which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Wow. What do you have?

Already, pre-flood, in the sixteen hundred and fifty-six years, you have the development of a cultural line, an apostatizing society across the face of the earth following the way of Cain, filled with lies. They are against God. They are described here as “ungodly, doing ungodly deeds in an ungodly way.” They are called “ungodly sinners who speak against the true God.”

And Enoch prophesied. And what did he prophesy? “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment upon all.” Here was a preacher who stood up and said, “God is going to judge you.”

And right here, folks, in the fifth chapter of Genesis, we’re introduced to the first preacher who ever confronted liars and deceivers and false teachers. This is an old, old problem, isn’t it? An old, old problem. And Enoch, who walked with God, spoke for God. And he uses “came” in the past, it’s kind of a – it’s kind of a way in which the language speaks in the past to refer to something in the future that is so certain, it’s as if it’s already happened. You’re going to be judged, all you ungodly, all your ungodly deeds, and all your ungodly speeches against God are going to be judged when the Lord comes with many thousands of His holy ones.

You know what he’s looking at? I mean he’s looking right down, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, right down through history until the coming of Jesus Christ. Because, you see, the coming of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the Genesis 3:15 promise, that a seed would come and bruise the serpent’s – what? – head. “All you ungodly people, with your ungodly words and your ungodly deeds are going to be judged.”

And he was talking to the people in his generation, but he was talking all the way down through history. It isn’t recorded in Genesis, but it is recorded in Jude. How interesting that the Holy Spirit waits to give us the message of Enoch until the next-to-the-last book in the Bible. You shouldn’t be surprised by that. The apostle Paul named the Egyptian magicians – do you remember? He identifies them as Jannes and Jambres, and they aren’t called that in Exodus. Peter said, “Noah was a preacher of righteousness,” and you’re not going to find that in Genesis, either.

The New Testament inspired writers were given this information by God. And here was Jude, writing this epistle, told exactly what Enoch said. And Enoch warned people. “The Lord is coming. The Lord is coming with His holy angels. The Lord is coming to execute judgment against all those who have spoken against him.” There was Enoch, who rose up in his generation on behalf of the truth and confronted the false teachers.

The story continues next week.

Next time — Genesis 5:25-32