Genesis Genealogy

We all have mixed interpretations on whether Genesis is literal, metaphorical, or just a story. We should take out our preconceived biases when we analyze this book of the bible. Our own views on evolution can easily pollute the waters of analysis here. I’m not going to validate or invalidate the ideas presented in the theory of evolution. What I am going to do is let the scripture speak for itself. Genesis 5 is the chapter I will analyze but will only quote a snippet from the chapter.

Genesis 5:32 (NASB):

“Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

This chapter talk about the genealogy from Adam to Noah. The names included are: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and finally Noah. This chapter is detailed to how many years are between the individuals mentioned here. You read specific names associated with numbers. It is very difficult to reach a conclusion that this chapter is metaphoric. If you state it is metaphoric it is incumbent on the individual to explain what the metaphor is. Genealogy isn’t metaphorical, period.

If Genesis 5 isn’t metaphorical then how should we describe it? It should be described as a narrative. A narrative is a spoken or written account of events. What we see in this chapter is an account of the people from Adam to Noah. The debate should be whether the narrative described in Genesis 5 is true or false. Did Moses receive a false narrative or true narrative within this chapter?

I find it very strange that people that have the bias of gap theory are incredibly dismissive about a false teaching. They believe it to be a false teaching because humans are thought to be around for 250,000 years. Essentially believing Adam to Noah was approximately 248,000 years. The people who believe in the word of God and the gap theory are believing that God is lying in this chapter. If God is lying here where else is he lying. The ramifications of this are astronomical. Did Moses or God lie? I choose to believe that the bible is the word of God and He is telling the truth.