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". . . . . he begat a son: and he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us
concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath
cursed" (Gen. 5: 28, 29).
While this Lamech did not live to experience the deliverance accomplished through
Noah, his attitude is the one that should be ours, who are redeemed. While "we use the
world" we do not `use it to the full' (literally, `Abuse' A.V.) or as Moffatt translates it:
"Let those who mix in the world live as if they were not engrossed in it, for the present
phase of things is passing away" (I Cor. 7: 31).
The subject is vast in its scope and in its associations. It implies the pilgrim character
of the redeemed and warns of the pitfalls that harmless and necessary things may become
if once we yield to the false assurances and reasonings of Satan, the enemy of truth. We
pass on to:
Noah, the Second Man.
Rom. 5: 14 tells us that Adam is `a figure of Him that was to come'. Adam is one of
the names of Christ as `the second Man' (I Cor. 15: 45, 47), and in the typical teaching of
the first part of Genesis, Noah is the type of Christ in this respect. This can be seen if the
following parallels are considered:
ADAM
NOAH
"Be fruitful and multiply, and
"Be fruitful and multiply, and
replenish (fill) the earth" (1: 28).
replenish (fill) the earth" (9: 1).
Possible judgment in the background
Judgment in the background (6: 7).
(1: 2).
Let the dry land appear (1: 10).
The ground was dry (8: 13).
Have dominion and subdue it (1: 28).
Fear and dread (9: 2).
The image of God (1: 27).
The image of God (9: 6).
Three sons (4: 1, 2, 25).
Three sons (10: 1).
Nakedness covered (3: 7, 21).
Nakedness covered (9: 22, 23).
Cain cursed (4: 11).
Canaan cursed (9: 25).
The ground cursed (3: 17).
The ground no more cursed (8: 21).
A careful study will add to these, but the above correspondencies will at least show
that Adam found his complement in Noah and illuminates Lamech's resolve already
noted.
The Two Prophecies of Enoch.
Noah was the grandson of Methuselah who lived longer than any other man on earth,
reaching the great age of 969 years, thus nearly attaining a millennium. Enoch called his
son Methuselah because of the prophetic meaning of his name `at his death it (the flood)
shall be', or as The Companion Bible puts it, `when he is dead it shall be sent'. Simple
arithmetic will reveal the exactness of this prophecy: