Not long after Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden of Eden did sin begin wreaking havoc on the world. Genesis 5 recounts Adam’s genealogy and not two generations pass before a pattern begins to develop: “When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son, in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died” (vv. 3–5). As for Seth, he “lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died” (vv. 7–8). “All the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died” (v. 11). “All the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died” (v. 14). And so on.
But something happens as we continue reading. The pattern is interrupted when we come to the son of a man named Lamech. “When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son and called his name Noah, saying, ‘Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands’” (Genesis 5:28–29). Rather than simply giving the name of Lamech’s son and an account of the years he lived, nestled between one death and another, we find an explanation. And just as quickly as the pattern is broken, it’s picked up again as we read that “Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died” (v. 31).
When we find these kinds of abnormalities in Scripture, we have to ask, what’s going on here? The name Noah literally means “rest.” So why the added explanation?
What we’ll find, as we delve into our study of the Noahic covenant, is that this “explanation” is not really an explanation at all. What reads like an explanation is actually a declaration of hope, a look forward to a promise of rest and relief in the midst of a world full of toil and struggle.
This is how we’re first introduced to Noah, and what a way to make an entrance! In a world surrounded by death, Noah’s birth breaks through with a promise of something better, a promise that there will come an end to the struggle and the toil. Pain and death will not rule forever. Something’s coming, and it will bring us rest.
This is what the Noahic covenant invites us into: hope. And isn’t that exactly what we’re all looking for? No matter our circumstances, we could all use hope, because we, like Lamech—and Enosh and Seth and Adam— know what it’s like to live in a world ravaged by sin. Sin has separated us from God, too, and we feel it. Death is in our world, too, and it robs us of the ones we love. But there’s good news. Hope has broken through to remind us that there is one who is coming to bring us relief, and in him we will find our rest.
Motherhood has found me weary. Weary of the demands and expectations. Weary of what I thought motherhood would be and weary of feeling that I am failing at how I imagined I would grow my children. Weary of the expectations I had that have not come to fruition. I have hope but oh to find rest! Not physical rest but mindful rest from the Lord.
Hi Carla
My heart goes out to you. Know that God is not judging you & does not place expectations upon you ; He is with you – give Him all those expectations & feelings of failure & trust Him to fill your mind with peace & joy inall the busyness of motherhood & strengthen you in your innermost being.
He loves you just as you are; He created you.
Yes, I am weary and overstretched in every direction. What would finding rest look like? It would look like gracing pouring out of me instead of being short tempered; impatient; critical; selfish… Trully rested I would be centered on connecting with God through his Word; in praise and prayer. I would walk every step in his strength; with his guidance; with his wisdom and I would offer grace constantly. Grace to myself; grace to my husband; Grace to our children; Grace to my family/friends/community.
Amen!
I am worn out. I am tired of trying to be present for everyone else ( specifically my husband and two adult children who live at home) and not showing up for myself. I wrestle with sin and alcohol abuse and although I start every day with new hope and renewed conviction to put my sobriety first by the end of the day through all its ups and downs and family presence I turn to the bottle instead of to God. I am so tired of this pattern. To find rest in this area would bring me so much peace and joy
I’ve been sober 5 years so I understand this type of struggle. The only way I did and continue to do is the covenant I made with God. I promised him I would not drink again if he got me through the difficult choice I made to spend 30 days in rehab. I do t miss alcohol any longer. Every day it gets easier to trust in His promises. You are in my prayers.
Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
May you run to our Saviour’s open arms when you are feeling weak today and may His Holy Spirit be your comfort. Praying for you today.