What is Man?

What is Man?

And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos. Genesis 4:26

Read Genesis 4:25, 26

At the end of Genesis 4 we are again confronted with the birth of a child. Adam again receives a son, Seth, by whom a new lineage begins. From this lineage a grandson of Adam is brought into the world. He is named Enos. In a certain sense you could say that he was named after his grandfather, for this name has basically the same meaning as that of Adam, namely, man. This name also emphasizes that mankind is no longer what he was at creation. Enos’ birth took place outside the boundaries of Paradise. Because of man’s deep fall, he is like all other men: weak, fallible and mortal. But when we examine the family of Enos, we see a completely different atmosphere than in Lamech’s house. As we read previously, the descendants of Cain were praised for their accomplishments. In our text, however, we meet people who have been made honest and have no pretenses. These people realize their weakness and frailty; therefore they called upon God for help. They looked forward to the coming of the Son of God.

Do you know what is so remarkable about this? When the Lord Jesus is revealed later on in the Bible, he is called the Son of Man. The meaning of this expression, however, is not to be found in Adam, but according to Daniel 7:13 Christ became a son of Enos. That is the message of the Gospel for weak and sinful mortals. God’s Son became like man in all things, sin excepted (Heb. 4:15). As a result, Enos, meaning man, can be saved. Have you already become an Enos in God’s presence?

Question: Where do you feel at home the most: in a family like Lamech or that of Seth?

Psalter 392:2 (based on Psalm 144) Lord, what is man, what hath he wrought, The son of man, that in Thy thought To hold him Thou shouldst deign? For man is like a breath, a sigh, His days on earth as quickly fly, As shadows o’er the plain.