Outline

«　WEEK 2　DAY 2　»

　　Gen. 4:26 And to Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of Jehovah.

　　5:24 And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

　　Let us now look into the life that changed the age. This life always inherits the godly ways of the forefathers. Thank God that Noah, the tenth generation from Adam, had many good forefathers. Enoch was the seventh generation, Methuselah the eighth, Lamech the ninth, and Noah the tenth. All of Noah’s nine forefathers from Adam to Lamech were godly men. Although Genesis gives us a record of man’s fall, that is only a background showing us the true picture of the godly ways.

　　Noah inherited Adam’s way of salvation (3:20-21)…Although Adam had fallen, he was given the way of God’s salvation. If you had never fallen, you would never be able to taste the sweetness of God’s salvation. Since we have been fallen and saved, we can testify of the sweet taste of God’s salvation. Let us come with rejoicing to draw water from the springs of God’s salvation (Isa. 12:3). Adam was the pioneer in drawing water from the springs of God’s salvation. He was so joyful that he called his wife’s name “Living” (Gen. 3:20— Eve means “living”)…I am quite sure that he drew water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. I have no doubt that Noah inherited this way of salvation. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 387-388)

　　Noah also inherited Abel’s way of offering (Gen. 4:4). Adam’s way was the way to get himself saved, but Abel’s was the way to please God by offering gifts to Him (Heb. 11:4). Can you imagine that a fallen man could please God?…His way of pleasing God was that of offering the type of Christ to God. I can please God in the same way. Although I am a fallen man with a fallen nature, I can please God by offering Christ to Him as a gift. I am not boasting, but I can declare to you that I have pleased God very much in these recent days…Even this morning and this afternoon I was happy because my God was pleased. My God was happy, and I was happy too. What is the way to please God? It is the way of Abel, which is to offer Christ to God, not only as the sacrifice for our sins but also as a gift for pleasing God…Whenever we bring Christ to God, He is very happy with our gift. God is pleased with Christ. Noah surely adopted Abel’s way. The third godly way that Noah inherited was Enosh’s way of calling on the name of the Lord to enjoy all that He is (Gen. 4:26)…It was not only a matter of being saved or of pleasing God but of participating in and enjoying what God is by calling on His name. We may partake of the riches of God by calling on the name of the Lord. Noah must have practiced this.

　　Noah also inherited the way of living and begetting (5:3-28). Noah, like his forefathers, was not idle but was living with a purpose for God and begetting children for man’s proper multiplication that God’s purpose might be fulfilled on this earth through mankind. Noah also inherited the fifth way, the way of walking with God (vv. 22, 24)…Although it is marvelous to see that a fallen man can be saved, we must further realize that such a person can walk with God. In the seventh human generation, Enoch discovered the way of walking with God. We can be saved, please God, call on His name, live and beget, and walk with God. What else do we want? It seems that we have been fully satisfied. We are saved; we can please God; we can call on His name to enjoy all that He is to us; we can live with a purpose and beget, that is, bear fruit, for God’s multiplication; and we can walk with God. What do we lack? Nothing. We are pleased and satisfied. However, God has not been satisfied. This is the burden that the Lord has shown me. It is inadequate simply to see that Noah inherited all the godly ways of his forefathers. If this ministry only helps you to see this much, it has failed God. We must see something more. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 388-390)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 29