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| Methuselah: World's longest lived man |
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Gen. 5:21-26
The birth of a son to Enoch at age 65 had profoundly changed his life. Prior to the birth of Methuselah, Enoch had conducted his life much like the rest of the world around him, that of increasing moral decay and ignoring God. But God spoke to Enoch and told him to name his son Methuselah which means “when he is dead, it shall be sent.” Alternatively, the name could also mean “the man with a spear.” Either way, Enoch understood that this son was a sign from God that divine judgment was going to fall upon the earth.
Enoch walked with God and watched for the remainder of his life on earth. He had no way of knowing the length of his son’s life but whatever the length, Enoch wanted to be found by God to be walking faithfully with him. We know nothing about Methuselah’s manner of living except for the fact that he was the longest lived man in recorded history at 969 years. We know nothing about his son Lamech either, but we do know about his grandson Noah who alone (Gen. 6:8) found favor in the eyes of God.
But here is the amazing calculus of Methuselah’s life. He was 187 years old when his first son Lamech was born and 369 years old when his grandson Noah was born (Gen. 5:28). The Bible says that Noah was 600 years old when the flood came upon the earth (Gen. 7:11). If you add the 369 years that Methuselah lived before Noah and then the years of Noah, the total comes to 969 years, the exact amount of years Genesis 5:27 tells us he lived. What this means is that the flood came the exact year of Methuselah’s death. After his death, it shall be sent.
Why did God wait so long to judge the earth? 1 Peter 3:20 and 2 Peter 3:9 both speak of the flood and remind us that God delayed his judgment because of his longsuffering and desire that all would repent before that day. In Luke 17 the disciples of the Lord Jesus asked him when will be the final judgment and the day of his return. Jesus linked the conditions of that day to be like the days when the flood of Noah occurred. Jesus believed and is our confidence that God has judged before and will do so again in the future. The only question that remains is whether we like Enoch will take this knowledge to heart and walk with God that we might be delivered as he was from the wrath to come.
Sources:
M.R. DeHaan In the Days of Noah. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1963)
“Meaning of Methuselah” http://www.abarim-publications.com web 7/23/2014
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