We frequently use the familiar term, gospel, or good news. Where is the
first place it appears in the Bible? The answer may surprise you.
An Integrated Message
The great discovery is that the Bible is a message system: it's not simply
66 books penned by 40 authors over thousands of years, the Bible is an
integrated whole which bears evidence of supernatural engineering in every
detail.
The Jewish rabbis have a quaint way of expressing this very idea: they say
that they will not understand the Scriptures until the Messiah comes. But
when He comes, He will not only interpret each of the passages for us, He
will interpret the very words; He will even interpret the very letters
themselves; in fact, He will even interpret the spaces between the letters!
When I first heard this, I simply dismissed this as a colorful exaggeration.
Until I reread Matthew 5:17 and 18:
"Think not that I have come to destroy the Torah and the prophets; I have
not come to destroy but to fulfill.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
(A jot and tittle are the Hebrew equivalent of our dotting an i and the
crossing of a t.)
An Example
A remarkable example of this can be glimpsed in Genesis Chapter 5, where we
have the genealogy of Adam through Noah. This is one of those chapters which
we often tend to skim over quickly as we pass through Genesis it's simply a
genealogy from Adam to Noah.
But God always rewards the diligent student. Let's examine this chapter more
closely.
In our Bible, we read the Hebrew names. What do these names mean in English?
A Study of Original Roots
The meaning of proper names can be a difficult pursuit since a direct
translation is often not readily available. Even a conventional Hebrew
lexicon can prove disappointing. A study of the original roots, however, can
yield some fascinating insights.
(A caveat: many study aids, such as a conventional lexicon, can prove rather
superficial when dealing with proper nouns. Furthermore, views concerning
the meanings of original roots are not free of controversy and variant
readings.)
Let's take an example.
The Flood Judgment
Methuselah comes from muth, a root that means "death";1 and from shalach,
which means to bring, or to send forth. The name Methuselah means, "his
death shall bring".2
Methuselah's father was given a prophecy of the coming Great Flood, and was
apparently told that as long as his son was alive, the judgment of the flood
would be withheld; but as soon as he died, the flood would be brought or
sent forth.
(Can you imagine raising a kid like that? Every time the boy caught a cold,
the entire neighborhood must have panicked!)
And, indeed, the year that Methuselah died, the flood came.3
It is interesting that Methuselah's life, in effect, was a symbol of God's
mercy in forestalling the coming judgment of the flood.
Therefore, it is fitting that his lifetime is the oldest in the Bible,
speaking of the extensiveness of God's mercy.
The Other Names
If there is such significance in Methuselah's name, let's examine the other
names to see what may lie behind them.
Adam's name means man. As the first man, that seems straight forward enough.
Seth
Adam's son was named Seth, which means appointed. Eve said, "For God hath
appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew."4
Enosh
Seth's son was called Enosh, which means mortal, frail, or miserable. It is
from the root anash, to be incurable, used of a wound, grief, woe, sickness,
or wickedness.
It was in the days of Enosh that men began to defile the name of the Living
God.5
Kenan
Enosh's son was named Kenan, which can mean sorrow, dirge, or elegy. (The
precise denotation is somewhat elusive; some study aids unfortunately
presume that Kenan is synonymous with Cainan.)
Balaam, looking down from the heights of Moab, uses a pun upon the name of
the Kenites when he prophesies their destruction.6
We have no real idea as to why these names were chosen for their children.
Often they may have referred to circumstances at birth, and so on.
Mahalalel
Kenan's son was Mahalalel, from Mahalal which means blessed or praise; and
El, the name for God. Thus, Mahalalel means the Blessed God. Often Hebrew
names include El, the name of God, as Dan-i-el, "God is my Judge", etc.
Jared
Mahalalel's son was named Jared, from the verb yaradh, meaning shall come
down.7
Enoch
Jared's son was named Enoch, which means teaching, or commencement. He was
the first of four generations of preachers. In fact, the earliest recorded
prophecy was by Enoch, which amazingly enough deals with the Second Coming
of Christ (although it is quoted in the Book of Jude in the New Testament):
Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, "Behold, the
Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of
all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against."
Jude 14, 15
Methuselah
Enoch was the father of Methuselah, who we have already mentioned. Enoch
walked with God after he begat Methuselah.8 Apparently, Enoch received the
prophecy of the Great Flood, and was told that as long as his son was alive,
the judgment of the flood would be withheld. The year that Methuselah died,
the flood came.
Enoch, of course, never died: he was translated 9 (or, if you'll excuse the
expression, raptured ). That's how Methuselah can be the oldest man in the
Bible, yet he died before his father!
Lamech
Methuselah's son was named Lamech, a root still evident today in our own
English word, lament or lamentation. Lamech suggests despairing.
(This name is also linked to the Lamech in Cain's line who inadvertently
killed his son Tubal-Cain in a hunting incident.10)
Noah
Lamech, of course, is the father of Noah, which is derived from nacham, to
bring relief or comfort, as Lamech himself explains in Genesis 5:29.
The Composite List
Now let's put it all together:
Hebrew English
Adam Man
Seth Appointed
Enosh Mortal
Kenan Sorrow;
Mahalalel The Blessed God
Jared Shall come down
Enoch Teaching
Methuselah His death shall bring
Lamech The Despairing
Noah Rest, or comfort.
That's rather remarkable:
Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down
teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest.
Here's the Gospel hidden within a genealogy in Genesis!
(You will never convince me that a group of Jewish rabbis conspired to hide
the Christian Gospel right here in a genealogy within their venerated
Torah!)
Evidence of Design
The implications of this discovery are more wide spread than is evident at
first glance.
It demonstrates that in the earliest chapters of the Book of Genesis, God
had already laid out His plan of redemption for the predicament of mankind.
It is a love story, written in blood on a wooden cross which was erected in
Judea almost 2,000 years ago.
The Bible is an integrated message system, the product of supernatural
engineering. Every number, every place name, every detail every jot and
tittle is there for our learning, our discovery, and our amazement. Truly,
our God is an awesome God.
It is astonishing to discover how many Biblical controversies seem to
evaporate if one simply recognized the unity the integrity of these 66
books, penned by 40 authors over thousands of years.
It is remarkable how many subtle discoveries lie behind the little details
of the text. Some of these become immediately obvious with a little study;
some are more technical and require special helps.
Many of these discoveries are described in our Audio Book, Beyond
Coincidence. Several are also highlighted in our Audio Book, The Creator
Beyond Time and Space.
Look behind every detail: there's a discovery to be made! God always rewards
the diligent student. What other messages lay hidden behind the names in the
Bible? Check it out.
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