Seth's Family (Genesis 5)

Genesis 5 focuses on Adam’s other son, Seth. Chapter 5 goes through each member of Seth’s family and gives their names and how long they lived (these guys lived for a long time!). There is a bit of a contrast between Cain’s side of the family and Seth’s. Cain’s family tree is without years, only their names are mentioned (read Genesis 4:17-22), so we don’t know how long they lived. Compared to Genesis 5, which tells us how long Seth’s family lived for, Cain’s family comes out looking less significant. There are some interesting people introduced via Seth’s bloodline in chapter 5. We meet Enoch in verse 21. God took Enoch away in verse 24,

And Enoch walked with God; and he was no more, for God took him.

We’re not told anything else. Why did God take Enoch? Where did he go? It’s interesting that Jude 1:14-15 has a direct quote from the apocrypha book of 1 Enoch (written in the time between the Old and New Testaments, possibly the 2nd century BC). Enoch supposedly was taken to heaven and given some prophetic visions. He wrote about his trip and experiences in heaven and put them in his book, 1 Enoch. He talks about the fall of Satan and how the fallen angels (demons) intermingled with humans to create a subhuman race. This is part of the reason, according to the book of Enoch, of why God flooded the earth. There’s definitely some interesting reading in the book of 1 Enoch, but God didn’t see it necessary to include this book as part of our Bible so we don’t have to worry about undiscovered truths. God has given us everything we need to know in our Bible.

If any of you are interested in reading more about 1 Enoch and its history click this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch This site provides some excellent background information.

Questions:
- What are your initial thoughts over Genesis 5?
- What differences do you see between Cain and Seth’s families?
- Is there a difference?
- What are your initial thoughts over Enoch being taken up with God?