Genesis 5: And he died, but Enoch lived

Sermon Introduction: The Long Race of Life and the Inevitable “End” 

Hello everyone. 

Today’s Bible passage is Genesis Chapter 5.

Just a few pages ago, a dramatic change from the story of the magnificent creation of the heavens and the earth in Genesis Chapter 1 , this chapter is a simple listing of people’s names and ages, much like an old family genealogy.

Adam lived to be 930 years old. Seth, 912 years. Enosh, 905 years….

They all lived for so long that it is beyond the imagination of us modern people. It is like a seemingly endless long-distance race called life.

However, as we read through this list, one extremely cold and unavoidable reality is repeated over and over again.

“and then he died.” 

A long life of 930 years, or a life of 912 years, all ends with this one sentence: “And then he died.” 

What is “death” to you?

Is it an event only seen on TV or in movies? 

Or is it an event that will happen in the distant future? 

No matter how much we care about our health, how much money we save, 

or how much of a career we build, 

this one sentence inevitably awaits us at the conclusion of our story, just as it did for everyone on this list.

“Death” is the one and most certain promise in our lives. 

We all think we are running a long race of life, but looking at the list in Chapter 5, it also seems as if everyone is inevitably running toward the finish line called “death”.

In the face of this unavoidable “reality of death,” how should we live? 

And how does the Bible show the only exception, the “light of hope,” in this dark reality? 

Today, I would like to consider this with you through the genealogy of Genesis Chapter 5.

The Genealogy of Adam (Verses 1–2)

The “Genealogy of Adam” begins with Adam and ends with Noah, the 10th generation.

Generation	Name	Lifespan (Years)	Age at First Son’s Birth (Years)
1	Adam	930	130 (Seth born)
2	Seth	912	105 (Enosh born)
3	Enosh	905	90 (Kenan born)
4	Kenan	910	70 (Mahalalel born)
5	Mahalalel	895	65 (Jared born)
6	Jared	962	162 (Enoch born)
7	Enoch	365	65 (Methuselah born)
8	Methuselah	969	187 (Lamech born)
9	Lamech	777	182 (Noah born)
10	Noah		500 (Shem, Ham, Japheth born)

Verse 1, first half: “This is the written account of Adam’s family line.” 

This is the beginning of Adam’s new history, “Toldot” ( תוֹלְדוֹת ), and thereafter, the history of his descendants. 

“Account” means a book or a writing. 

The Hebrew word for this, “sepher” ( סֵפֶר ), appears for the first time. 

This is a summary of the first Toldot, from the previous 2:4, “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens” , up to 4:26.

Verse 1, second half to Verse 2: “When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them ‘Mankind’ when they were created.” → Humanity was originally an existence that reflected the glory of God.

Descendants from Adam to Noah (Verses 3–32)

Reading the word from Verses 3 to 20.

Recalling Genesis Chapter 3, God said, “you will certainly die“. 

That warning becomes a reality in this Chapter 5. 

Adam, Seth, and Enosh, all people conclude with “and then he died“. 

No matter how long people live, they eventually die. 

Even with advancements in modern medicine, death cannot be avoided. 

Death is a universal reality for humankind and a proof of the dominion of sin.

Verse 3: The Reality of the Fall 

“When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.” 

→ The descendants of Adam after the Fall are born not in “God’s likeness” but in “the likeness of sinful Adam“. 

This means that all humans inherit the nature of sin (original sin) from birth and cannot achieve God’s glory by their own power. This genealogy becomes the logical foundation pointing to the necessity of a Savior.

• Record of Longevity 

The lifespan of around 900 years is a remnant of the original blessing. 

After the Flood, the lifespan gradually shortens. 

Traces of the pre-Fall world.

【Sumerian King List】 → (Source: wikipedia)

The repeatedly resonating reality of “death” (5:8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, 31) 

Death as the wages of sin: As a result of the sin Adam committed in Genesis Chapter 3 , God’s proclamation, “

for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19, NIV: “for dust you are and to dust you will return”) , is strictly proven as a fact by this genealogy.

It shows the universal power of sin, that death comes to all people, regardless of the length of their lifespan (around 900 years).

Romans 6:23 states: 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

The Creation of the heavens and the earth was very good. Everything was in harmony, and it was a world of peace and tranquility.

Verse 22 records, “

walked faithfully with God“. These are the patriarchs Enoch and Noah. 

The same expression is used in 6:9, “Noah walked faithfully with God“.

The word “

walked” in Hebrew is “halek” ( הַלֵּךְ ) , meaning continuous action. It signifies a continuous life of faith , not just believing in God, but being conscious of God in every corner of daily life and maintaining intimate fellowship with Him.

Enoch’s life for 65 years was one in which he did not walk with God. It is written that after receiving Methuselah, Enoch was transformed and walked faithfully with God for 300 years.

Enoch’s “walked faithfully with God” suggests that his entire person and life were directed toward God and that he was in a living relationship with God , not just a formal religious act. 

It is the very lifestyle based on faith: believing in God, obeying God, constantly fellowshipping with God , and living holy, separated from sin. That is, he continued to walk with God, not “temporarily” but “continuously“.

“Walking” requires a direction. 

To walk with God is to move in the same direction as God. 

Amos 3:3 says: “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” 

According to the New Testament, Jude 14-15, 

Enoch, as a prophet, warned the ungodly.

“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.'” 

Enoch chose to live righteously and according to God’s standard, even when his surroundings were degenerating.

In the light of the New Testament, therefore, “to walk faithfully with God” means to believe in God, to trust God, and to live a life pleasing to God. 

This is to have an intimate fellowship with God. 

We Christians are to read the Bible in our daily devotion, listen to God’s voice, pray in the name of Jesus, and continue the fellowship with the Holy Spirit (the privilege of the indwelling Holy Spirit).

Enoch, who lived according to God’s nature, achieved a victory without experiencing death.

Verse 24 concludes: “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” This is the first case where the universality of death was broken. 

While others are recorded with “and then he died“, Enoch is recorded with “God took him away“. 

This symbolizes life beyond death, the hope of resurrection.

Enoch’s ascension prefigures 

the ultimate hope: that even death is not the final end for those who live in true fellowship with God , and that God welcomes those who believe into His heaven. 

This can also be interpreted as a type of the rapture of believers that will occur at the Second Coming of Christ.

The New Testament, Hebrews 11:5, testifies:

 “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away.’ For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.”

He received a special grace that no one else had experienced: to be “taken away without experiencing death“. This can be said to be a symbolic model in the Old Testament , showing how much God values and blesses those who walk with Him.

Now, in the previous Chapter 4, we learned that Cain sinned and “went out from the presence of the LORD“. This is a sharp contrast.

So, I ask you all: Do we choose to walk with God daily? 

Or do we choose the path of departing from God? 

What about you?

？thinking time？

God promised in Genesis 3:15, "the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent's head". 
That promise of salvation is being kept even amidst the reality of sin. 
God's promise does not cease. The genealogy continues. 
Even as death is repeated, the lineage continues without end, leading to Noah.

Noah and the Final Destination of the Genealogy (Verses 28-32)

• The Comfort Entrusted to Noah (Verse 29) 

Lamech gives his son Noah the name, 

“He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.” 

This indicates that the environment people were in was full of the curse and hardship upon the ground. 

The name Noah (meaning Comfort/Rest) contains a fervent desire for salvation and rest from God.

The purpose of this genealogy is to narrow the focus to the vessel of salvation, 

Noah. Also, this genealogy connects to Christ in the New Testament, Luke 3:36-38 , showing that all history is directed toward Christ. 

Even amidst sin and death, God’s plan of salvation is steadily progressing. 

And this is also a bridge to the next Chapter 6, the story of the Flood. 

The salvation through Noah’s ark is a great type of the 

complete salvation later brought by Jesus Christ.

Summary: What It Means to “Walk Faithfully with God”

• It’s not just religious acts – It means your entire life is fellowship with God.
• It’s not only for special people – It is a calling for all Christians.
• It’s not perfection – Direction toward God and persistence are important.
• It’s not a lonely walk – It is recognizing that the Holy Spirit, God, is always with you.
• It’s a walk in this world – It means walking with God in the world, not departing from it.

Micah 6:6-8 summarizes it beautifully: 

“6 With what shall I come before the LORD  and bow down before the exalted God? 

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 

7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? 

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 

8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? 

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” 

The life of “walking faithfully with God” like Enoch is not the life of a special saint , but a model of living that all believers are called to.

【Invitation】 

My beloved friends. 

Today, we learned an important truth. 

That life has an end. 

And what lies beyond that end is the most crucial issue.

The Bible clearly teaches. 

Death is not the end. 

Beyond it, there are eternal heaven and hell. 

The question is, where will you spend your eternity? 

Jesus Christ died on the cross as a substitute for your sin. 

And according to the Scriptures, He was resurrected on the third day, conquering death. 

Those who believe in this person receive eternal life, not judgment.

Today is the time for a decision. 

Will you choose a life of walking faithfully with God, like Enoch? 

Or will you choose to live without God? 

There is no gray zone or neutrality. Not choosing is also a choice.

If today you wish to confess, “I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior,” please write to the Kurobe Charis Agape Church HP or call.

Age does not matter. 

God’s invitation has no age limit for the young or those in the latter half of life.

For those who think, “But I am too sinful,” Christ came precisely for you.