Charles E.
Wigg
Genesis Chapter Five: This chapter is very
interesting, because it gives us the history of those antediluvian saints, and
also of others who sprang from them who chose the path of apostasy. It begins
with the creation of Adam and Eve, and then goes on to the birth of Seth, and
then proceeds to detail those that were his descendants, and completely ignores
the line of Cain, who became a murderer and the Father of those who turned away
from God.
It says
that Adam Begot sons and daughters but we are not told whether that was before
the murder of Abel, or afterwards. I would draw the attention of my readers to
this fact; because it is one of the favourite lurks of the scoffers to draw
attention rather mockingly to the fact that Cain was married, and they ask the
question “Where did Cain get his wife from?”, and the correct answer to that
question is that he married his sister. It was not until many years later that
God forbade such a close tie in marriage, after the human family had multiplied
greatly. For such a marriage to take place today would be sinful, and cause
those involved to come under the rebuke of the law of the land .But it was not
wrong in the days of Cain for at least two reasons one being that marriage was
commanded by God, the other being that the Human race was in its prime, and had
not been weakened by the practice of sin. God frowns on such a union today and
in any case the children born as the result of such a union would either be
deformed physically or mentally.
Adam lived
a hundred and thirty years and begot a son in his own likeness and after his
image and called his name Seth. It is said of Adam that he was created in the
image and likeness of God, that image and likeness had been forfeited because of
sin, and now it is being re-created by the indwelling Spirit.(1 Corinthians
15:49). Adam thus realised that all he could do was to impart his image and
likeness to all his progeny. He had fallen and was a sinner, and thus was cast
upon the mercy of God, and all those whom he would beget would be like him. Seth
then had a son, whom he called Enos, (Weak, Mortal, Perishing man), and it was
in his days that men, (because of the humility that they obviously felt), began
to call on the name of the Lord. Thus we learn that the more we feel our
weakness, the more humble we are, the better for us. So the genealogy follows as
is now detailed.