Even the most mudane parts of Scripture can have great significance. One example is the list of ancestors leading from Adam to Noah, which can be found in Genesis Chapter 5. Ancient names were not just randomly selected but chosen to convey a meaning. For instance, Adam means “man” and his son Seth means “appointed,” because he was appointed to take the place of Abel. Looking at the entire list:
Adam means “Man”
Seth means “Appointed”
Enosh means “Mortal”
Kenan means “Sorrow”
Mahalalel means “The blessed God”
Jared means “Shall come down”
Enoch means “Teaching”
Methuselah means “His death shall bring”
Lamech means “The despairing”
Noah means “Comfort (or rest)”
Putting it all together, we find that the very names of the first 10 generations of mankind form the promise of our coming Savior. “Man [is] appointed mortal sorrow; [but] the Blessed God shall come down, teaching [that] His death shall bring the despairing comfort (or rest).”
Could this be a coincidence, or can we see that the Holy Spirit truly directed both history and the writing of every detail of Scripture?
From A Closer Look at the Evidence by Kleiss, February 20.
