“Seth also lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enos. And Seth lived after he begot Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. And Enos lived ninety years, and begot Cainan. After whose birth he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years, and he died. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Malaleel. And Cainan lived after he begot Malaleel, eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. And Malaleel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared. And Malaleel lived after he begot Jared, eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Malaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died. And Jared lived a hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Henoch. And Jared lived after he begot Henoch, eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.”
The line of Adam through Seth shows the heavenly rewards of God, where the line of Cain, those who turn from God, shows the destruction that sin leads to. The heavenly rewards are indicated by name, with the extraordinarily long lives of the patriarchs being precursors to the eternal life that those who walk in love will receive. “Seth,” as mentioned earlier, means “resurrection,” for when the soul is removed from the body and goes to God, it is so overwhelmed with love that it desires to share this love in every possible way, including with the body with which it used to be linked. That this may be so, you are promised the resurrection, that love may be expressed through your entire person, body and soul. Seth’s son is Enos, which means “weak and social man,” for all fallen people are weak, but the beauty of the Church is that in community, those weaknesses are made up for by the communion of persons: “For as the body is one, and hath many members; and all the members of the body, whereas they are many, yet are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), for your weaknesses are many. But in community you are strong: “And if a man prevail against one, two shall withstand him: a threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12), and you have a place in the body of Christ, that your love may be complemented by the love of others, making up one body of love. Enos had Cainan, which means “acquirer,” or “to make a nest.” You have acquired love, for Love has found you, and in His Church you make your nest: “For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones: thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God” (Psalm 83:4). You may let your heart rest, for it has found love, and you don’t need to work to please Him, for in Him, “Thou art my beloved [child]; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). The Father said this to Jesus upon His baptism, before He had done any of His great work. So too is the Father pleased with you and loves you, not counting your work but simply is in love with you. “Malaleel” then means “Praise of God,” for in finding the love of God, He desires to open your heart to continual praise: “A hymn, O God, becometh thee in Sion” (Psalm 64:2). When your heart is perpetually rejoicing in love, this is extremely pleasing to God: “A cheerful and good heart is always feasting” (Ecclesiasticus 30:27). He loves you, and longs to see you happy, so when your heart is bubbling with joy, He smiles with joy at your joy. “Jared” means “descent,” specifically from a mountain, because when you descend from the mountain of contemplation to God’s people, you bring God’s love with you. Or it can mean that no matter the depths to which you have sunk, God’s love will follow you, that He may take you by the hand and draw you back to Himself: “If I ascent into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell, thou art present” (Psalm 138:8). Thirdly, it can mean that Christ descended from His place on High to take on human nature for you. He lived the life He lived for you, that He might free you from the bondage that once held you and show you the magnificence of His love. He made all things, became Incarnate, suffered, died, and rose again, just to hear you say you love Him. For this, He descended to you.