21 “And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah; 22 and Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 and all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years; 24 and Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him.”
1 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born unto them, that 2 the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose. And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for that he also is flesh; yet shall his days be an hundred and twenty years. 4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them; the same were the mighty men which were of old, the men of renown. 5 And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. 7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
9 “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.”
13 “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make thee an ark of gopherwood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15 And this is how thou shalt make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16 A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17 And I, behold, I do bring the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”
QUESTIONS.
(1) Name the patriarchs from Adam to Noah. Note 1. (2) What brief biography is given of Enoch? Gen. 5:21-24. Note 2. (3) Notwithstanding his preaching and influence, what wickedness prevailed? Gen. 6:1, 2. Note 3. (4) What solemn statement and prophecy did the Lord make concerning man? V. 3. Note 4. (5) Describe the natural ability of the antediluvians. V. 4. Note 5. (6) What was their character in general? V. 5. Note 6. (7) How was the Lord affected by their course? V. 6. Note 7. (8) What did He say He would do? Why? Verses 7, 13, 17. (9) Who found grace in the eyes of the Lord? Verse 8. (10) Describe Noah’s character. V. 9. (11) Give the names of his three sons. V. 10. (12) What was the condition of the earth? V. 11. Note 8. (13) What made it so? V. 12. (14) What did the Lord tell Noah to do? V. 14. (15) Describe the ark. Vs. 15, 16. (16) What covenant did God establish with Noah? V. 18. Note 9. (17) What animals was Noah to take into the ark with him? How many of each kind? Note 10. For what purpose? Vs. 19, 20. (18) How were they to be provided for? V. 21. (19) How faithfully did Noah obey? V. 22. (20) What lessons do you learn from the lives of these two holy men?
ADDITIONAL NOTES.
(For original notes, see Lesson Quarterly and “Patriarchs and Prophets,” pp. 80-98.)
1. The patriarchs.—Will the student include chapter 5 in his study; we have not space for it all. The chapter opens with a brief reference to the creation, and states that the name of the race, male and female, was Adam. The record then gives Adam’s line through Seth to Noah’s sons inclusive. Their ages were as follows: Adam, 930; Seth, 912; Enos, 905; Cainan, 910; Mahalaleel, 895; Jared, 962; Enoch, 365 (translated); Methuselah, 969; Lamech, 777; with Noah 500 at the time of the Deluge.
2. Walked with God.—Not in dream or vision, but in all the practical realities of daily life. See Psalms 1; Micah 6:8; Amos 3:3. Enoch agreed with God,13and therefore God made him His friend. See John 15:15; Jude 14.
3. Sons of God.—The church, those who called upon themselves the name of the Lord. Gen. 4:26, margin. “Sons of God” is “sons of the chiefs” in the Samaritan, Arabic, and others. Daughters of men who knew not God. So Satan has used the evil among women in all ages to seduce the servants of God.
4. My Spirit shall not always strive.—Boothroyd renders: “My Spirit shall never pronounce judgment on men unwarned. They are but flesh. Their days shall therefore yet be one hundred and twenty years.” Lessons: God’s Spirit strives as long as there is hope. He will always forewarn of coming judgment.
5. The Nephilim, mighty men . . . of renown.—Think of the perfection of the physical machine, the nearness to Eden, the long period of life—why should not those giants have become mighty? Man now compared with them is doubtless but a pigmy in every respect. Boothroyd translates the Nephilim, “lawless warriors.”
6. Evil continually.—They had so separated from God that he gave them up to their own evil way. They came to that place where His Spirit did not even restrain them. So it will be just before Christ comes. Then it was “filled with violence;” “in the last days perilous times shall come.” 2 Tim. 3:1; Matt. 24:37. When the Spirit of God leaves men, they are left the sport of Satan and the slaves of unrestrained passions.
7. Repented the Lord.—Speaking after the manner of men from the viewpoint of that time, the making of man was an unprofitable investment. So it would ever be were it not for God’s boundless grace and mercy.
8. Corrupt.—God’s grace would purge the corruption, but they rejected it. His servants, “the salt of the earth,” they had rejected with His message. And yet God would give them one more warning, that He might save them from their own corruption and violence.
9. My covenant.—God’s “everlasting covenant” of grace and power and salvation, of which the Gospel is the good tidings, of which the law is the “precept-mold.”
10. Two of every sort.—There must at least be a pair of each to preserve seed alive. There were seven pairs of clean animals, provision being made for sacrifice and food. Gen. 7:2; 8:20.
ADDITIONAL STUDY.
(1) How did Enoch know that he pleased God? Heb. 11:5. May we also have this evidence? (2) Of whom was Enoch a type? (3) What revelations did God make to Enoch concerning the future? Jude 14, 15. (4) By what did Noah obey the Lord in preparing the ark? Heb. 11:7. See also Rev. 14:12. (5) Of what was Noah a preacher? 2 Peter 2:5. (6) What false science is taught now the same as was taught by the unbelieving antediluvians?—The exaltation of nature above nature’s God. 2 Peter 3:4. (7) Compare Noah’s time and ours. Matt. 24:37-39; Luke 17:26, 27.
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Baptism: Its Significance, Its Nature, and the Necessity for It
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The Sunday School International Series
Lesson VI.—Sunday, August 7, 1898.
ELIJAH’S SPIRIT ON ELISHA.
Note.—Elisha had been chosen as the successor of Elijah by the direct command of the Lord (1 Kings 19:16), and after his anointing he had accompanied Elijah as a servant. There were schools of the prophets (schools where young men were taught by the prophets) at Gilgal, at Bethel, and at Jericho. Elijah and Elisha were at Bethel when the time came “when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven.” Elijah told his servant to remain there till he went to Bethel; but Elisha refused to leave his master, and they went together. At Bethel Elijah proposed that Elisha remain there while he went to Jericho, but his servant insisted on accompanying him; “so they came to Jericho.” At both Bethel and Jericho the “sons” (or students) of the prophets said to Elisha, “Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day?” and he told them that he knew it. These facts bring us to the lesson proper.
6 “And Elijah said unto him, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them afar off; and they two stood by Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof! And he saw him no more; and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13 And he took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back and stood by the bank of Jordan. 14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they were divided hither and thither; and Elisha went over. 15 And when the sons of the prophets which were at Jericho over against him saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.”
Golden Text:“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.”Luke 11:13.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What did Elijah say to Elisha at Jericho? What was Elisha’s reply? V. 6. Note 1. (2) What did some of the students at Jericho do? V. 7. (3) As the two men stood by the river, what did Elijah do? What was the result of this action? V. 8. (4) When they had passed over the river, what did Elijah say to his servant? V. 9. Note 2. (5) What was Elisha’s reply? V. 9. Note 3. (6) What did Elijah say to this request? V. 10. Note 4. (7) As they went on and talked, what appeared to them? What was the effect of this appearance? And what became of Elijah? V. 11. (8) As Elisha saw it, what did he cry? As his “father” went out of sight, how did Elisha manifest his feelings? V. 12. Note 5. (9) Then what course did he pursue? V. 13. (10) Coming to the Jordan, what use did Elisha make of the mantle? With what result? V. 14. Note 5. (11) What did the “sons of the prophets” recognize when they saw Elisha return over the Jordan? How did they show their recognition? V. 15. Note 6.
NOTES.
1. I will not leave thee.—The journey was revealed to Elisha only stage by stage, as his master bade farewell to the schools. In this way the faith of Elijah’s successor was tested, and proved to be unfaltering. Elijah had not told his servant that he was to be taken away, but Elisha was in some way conscious of the fact, as is shown in his answers to the young men at Gilgal and Bethel when asked if he knew it. See verses 3 and 5 of the lesson chapter.
2. Ask.—Elijah’s satisfaction with Elisha’s fidelity, and consequent fitness to carry on the work to which he had been anointed, is shown in his words, “Ask what I shall do for thee.” But what could he give who had no possessions save the common garments of one noted for his plainness of dress? When we remember that, though poor in this world’s goods, he was “rich in faith,” it is clear that there is no irony in the suggestion.
3. A double portion.—The “double portion” which Elisha asked and received is not to be understood as being twice as much of the Spirit as Elijah had, but it refers to the double portion which was the recognized lot of the first-born. See Deut. 21:15–17. Elijah had no natural children, but Elisha was his son in the faith, as Paul says of Timothy (2 Tim. 1:2; 2:1), of Titus (Titus 1:4), and of Onesimus (Philemon 10). Verse 12 of the lesson scripture shows that Elisha regarded Elijah in the light of a father.
4. A hard thing.—Elisha had asked what was to Elijah a hard thing, because it was a spiritual gift, which he could not bestow. However, the words, “If thou see me taken from thee” (R.V.), were an incentive to watchfulness and prayer as they continued their journey. We may be sure that Elisha did not lose sight of his master for an instant from that time till the parting took place, and his faith brought the desired blessing.
5. “My father, my father,” etc.—Elisha saw his “father” taken from him, and thus believed that the “double portion” was his. So he took up Elijah’s mantle and went back to the Jordan. Here was the first opportunity to test the promise that had been given, and the Lord honored His word which had been spoken through His prophet.
6. The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.—The students of the school at Jericho (called “sons of the prophets”) had gone out to see if there would be any unusual manifestation. It is evident that they saw the two men cross the Jordan together, and had observed the manner of their crossing. And as Elisha returned alone, and used the same means, with the same result, these young men had the ocular evidence that Elisha had indeed been endowed with the spirit of prophecy. The mantle of Elijah had fallen to him in more than a literal sense. From this circumstance the mantle is made a symbol of succession to office or authority unto this day.
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