The Bible tells us that Adam has many sons and daughters, but it only lists three sons by name. They are Cain, Abel, and Seth.
Most people know about Cain and Abel, with Cain killing Abel out of jealousy. He then flees his family to live in the land of Nod.
As a result, Adam and Eve effectively have no sons. One is dead, and the other is gone. Adam and Eve then have Seth. The meaning of the name Seth may be “granted,” for God granted Adam and Eve another child.
He’s essentially a replacement for Cain and Abel.
We may be uneasy about the reason for Seth’s conception. This could be a positive development, with him being elevated as Adam and Eve’s primary heir. Yet the idea that Seth’s creation is merely to fill the void left by his murdered brother, Abel, is disconcerting.
Regardless, Seth is born.
Scripture notes that after Seth’s birth is when Adam’s many sons and daughters are born. Implicitly, this makes Seth Adam and Eve’s third child.
The only other things we know about Seth are his descendants. The Bible lists the successive generations as Enosh, then Kenan, followed by Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah.
Therefore, Noah follows Seth by eight generations.
What’s even more significant, however, is that Luke lists Seth in the family tree of Jesus. Yes, Jesus descends from Seth.
If the circumstance regarding our conception is less than admirable, do we let it define who we are or do we rise above it?
Though we don’t know what our descendants will do long after we’re gone, how should their potential inform what we do today?
[Read about Seth in Genesis 4:25–26 and Genesis 5:3–8. Discover more in 1 Chronicles 1:1 and Luke 3:38.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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