Surprises in Genesis Chapters 1–5
Comfort After the Curse
“he had a son. He named him Noah.” (Genesis 5:28–29 [NET])
My head throbbed, like it would explode from heat exhaustion. After a full day of labouring on the farm, and the draining of my remaining energy, the heat and dehydration from the hot summer sun compounded my pain. A large glass of water, a pain-killer, and fifteen minutes brought much needed relief. Comfort came after the pain subsided.
Pain also results after the fall in the Garden of Eden, and comes with a promise for a future way out. When Adam and Eve bear the consequences for their sin, God makes a promise that an offspring of Eve’s would strike the head of the serpent, the evil one, and the serpent would strike the male offspring’s heel (Gen 3:15). The evil serpent’s head would be struck, foreshadowing a future hope. Comfort would come. And as Moses continues to write about the early world events, we find our third broken pattern pointing to future comfort.
The genealogy pattern in Genesis chapter 5 breaks again with the mention of Lamech. The Sethite Lamech in chapter 5 is not to be confused with the Cainite Lamech in chapter 4. Moses mentions the names of Enoch and Lamech in the lines of both Cain and Seth, and Enoch and Lamech are the two that break the pattern in chapter 5. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, brings hope when he walks with God and does not die, see Part 2 of this series. Lamech, in the line of Seth, prophesies hope by naming his son “Noah” (נוֹחַ, noach), a wordplay on the Hebrew word for “comfort” (נַחַם, nacham) that sounds like Noah in Hebrew. [1] Lamech anticipates his son will bring comfort from the curse on the ground, as God told Adam after the fall that he shall eat food from the ground through painful toil. Little does Lamech know God will bring comfort in the form of a destructive flood.
Another observation from the text is the Cainite Lamech speaks—the only person who speaks in the genealogy of Cain. Lamech’s quote references if Cain is avenged seven times, he will be avenged seventy-seven times. The Sethite Lamech also speaks in the genealogy of Seth. The Sethite Lamech lives 777 years, a number that often represents completion, and he dies before the flood waters begin. [2] A point hides in the mundane. Completion of an era will come with the beginning of the flood. The flood brings comfort for Noah and his family who walk with God; mankind had become wicked and would be wiped out. Lamech imparts that glimmer of hope. The pattern is broken. Not only would this hope lead to God’s grace, demonstrated by saving eight people during the flood, but a greater comfort would come when Jesus died on the cross to forgive sin. We still live in a broken and pain filled world. And as Elisabeth Elliot stated, “The will of God is never exactly what you expect it to be. It may seem to be much worse, but in the end it’s going to be a lot better and a lot bigger.” [3] The promise of an eternity without sin and pain exists for those who believe by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone. A glowing hope found in the midst of the mundane! Comfort comes after the pain.
[1] Brian Algie, “Lamech, Son of Methuselah,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), accessed March 19, 2023, Logos Bible Software.
[2] Brian Algie, “Lamech, Son of Methuselah,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), accessed March 19, 2023, Logos Bible Software.
[3] Debbie McDaniel, “40 Inspiring Quotes from Elisabeth Elliot,” CrossWalk (blog), June 17, 2015, http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/inspiring-quotes/40-inspiring-quotes-from-elisabeth-elliot.html
References
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