Genesis Ch 5

This is just a reflection from a bit of bible reading I was getting into this morning. Very rough thoughts, but for what it's worth . . . Genesis Ch 5 is one of the 'read over quickly' passages in the Bible, which is probably a bit of a shame. It's a record of the patriarchs before flood, just as Ch 10 is a record of them after the flood. What grabbed my attention is verses 1-2. "When God created man, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created He called them 'man'. " We are reminded of chapters 1 and 2 where God creates man in likeness and by naming. 'Image' and 'likeness' describe the fact that Adam and Eve were God's deputies to rule His world. By naming them God puts His stamp of authority over them (just like when Adam names the animals and then names Eve). So there is the recognition of responciblity and freedom within the boundry that this mandate for ruling God's world comes under God's authority. Genesis Ch 5 re-establishes this pattern in the first few verses and then lets it apply 8 times for the next 8 generations. Just as God made Adam in his image and named him, so the sons of the patriarchs are made in their image and are named by them. It culminates with Noah, who breaks the pattern of repetition by having his name explained fully. Is he the serpent crusher we have been hoping for since Ch 3:15? No, but he will be a comforter. Anyway, this got me thinking. As fathers had their sons, there is the recognition of responcbility and freedom for them to rule within the assumption that this comes under the authority of the father, who named them. The pattern that God establishes with His children is probably not a bad pattern for us to follow as we seek to raise ours.