Genesis 5 You’re Never Too Old To Rest

On August 31, 2005 Guinness World Records announced that Lizzie Bolden of Memphis, Tennessee had become the oldest living person in the world. She is 115 years old.

The previous title holder, Hendrikje Van Andel-Schipper of the Netherlands passed away at the ripe old age of 115 years and 62 days.

According to the latest U.S. mortality statistics life expectancy for Americans has reached an all-time high. The Center for Disease Control reports life expectancy in the United States has risen to 77.6 years in 2003, up from 77.3 in 2002.

Most of us do not personally know people who have lived longer than 110 years, because life spans of that length are very rare in our day.

The Bible presents quite a contrasting picture.

Genesis 5 is a chapter many of us many tend to read very quickly or even skip altogether. It records the descendants of Adam to the birth of Noah, the next major person in the Genesis account.

Before moving to the story of Noah and the condition of the world in his day, we should spend some time in Genesis 5. It communicates some important truths to us.

First, Genesis 5:1 reiterates the truth that Adam was created “in the image of God.” We should never lose sight of this truth.

Everyone in our world in some way reflects the image of God. If we could keep that truth in mind we might be more likely to behave differently toward all people, including our enemies. In addition, we might come to appreciate the importance of life.

The unborn, the very old and the mentally handicapped are all precious in God’s sight because they are made in His image. If these people are precious to God, we should treat them with dignity and respect as well.

Second, notice the formula that appears over and over again in Gen 5. A person is said to live a number of years, then he gives birth to a child. Next the father lives another period of years and gives birth again. Finally, the total years of his life are recorded. Then he dies. Over and over again we read “he dies.”

The death of these people is the result of the curse that came about on account of the fall of man in Gen 3. Recall that God said to Adam, you may eat of any of the trees in the garden except for the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). Then He warned, “In the day that you eat from it you shall surely die” (2:17). Genesis 5 is the painful reminder of the fulfillment of that curse.

God’s promises and warnings always come true. He will bless us just as He has promised, and He will also bring about judgment just as He has promised.

We reject God at our own peril. He does not force us to walk with Him. He does not make it impossible for us to do evil. We make these choices.

You and I must be careful in the choices we make. They can affect not only the short-term but the long-term as well.

Third, Genesis 5 surprises us as we read of the long lives people enjoyed in Adam’s time. They lived for hundreds of years. How can this be the case, especially in light of today’s longevity tables?

Recall that God created Adam to live forever. Had he not sinned, he never would have died. Because God created him with this capacity, it is no surprise that he could have lived 930 years. Compared to today’s standards that is a long time, but compared to eternity it is a short time.

Sin has terrible consequences. It ruins lives and destroys our relationships with each other and with God. As wonderful as it is, all of our modern medicine will not make up for the destruction that sin has brought about in the human race.

Finally, Lamech gives birth to a son and names him Noah saying, “This one shall give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed” (Gen 5:28-29).

The promise of rest is an important theme in the Bible. We have already seen that the Lord rested on the seventh day. The Jewish people would likewise be commanded to rest on the seventh day of the week (Ex 5:10-11).

Moses spoke of God’s promise to give the Promised Land to the Israelites. He would give them rest as part of that blessing (Deut 3:18-20). As the Israelites prepared to go into the land Joshua reminded them, “The Lord your God gives you rest, and will give you this land” (Jos 1:13).

Jesus also spoke of rest, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28).

In our day many of us our tired from the pace and difficulties of life. We seek to build up our strength through exercise, diet and vitamins. Healthy lifestyles are very important, and we should continue to exercise and eat right. However, our ultimate rest is not found in these things. We find our greatest rest in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to give us rest. Noah is merely a foretaste of the rest found in the Savior.

If you are weary today, you may find some relief in changing your exercise habits, eating right our taking vitamins. However, also know that Jesus is the One you must know personally in order to have the rest you seek. He came to give us life and life more abundantly.