Wednesday 1st July 2020 Devotion
Scripture:- Genesis 11:10-24
Topic:- About Methuselah
Text:- Genesis 6:3
Methuselah was a descendant of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. Methuselah’s father was Enoch, the man who walked with God, his son was Lamech, and his grandson was Noah, who built the ark and rescued his family from perishing in the great Flood.
Before the Flood, people lived extremely long lives: Adam lived to be 930; Seth, 912; Enosh, 905; Lamech, 777; and Noah, 950.
All of the pre-Flood patriarchs died natural deaths except one. Enoch, Methuselah’s father, did not die. He was one of only two people in the Bible who were “translated” to heaven.
The other was Elijah, who was taken up to God in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Enoch walked with God at age 365.
Bible scholars offer a number of theories as to why Methuselah lived so long:
One is that the pre-Flood patriarchs were only a few generations removed from Adam and Eve, a genetically perfect couple. They would have had unusually strong immunity from disease and life-threatening conditions.
Another theory suggests that early in humanity’s history, people lived longer so that they could populate the earth. As sin increased in the world, however, God planned to bring judgment through the Flood. See Genesis 6:3.
Although several people lived to be over 400 years old after the Flood (Genesis 11:10-24), gradually the maximum human lifespan went down to about 120 years.
The Fall of Man and the subsequent sin introduced into the world corrupted every aspect of the planet. See Romans 6:23.
In the above verse, the Apostle Paul was speaking about both physical and spiritual death. The Bible does not indicate that Methuselah’s character had anything to do with his long life. Certainly, he would have been influenced by the example of his righteous father Enoch, who pleased God so much he escaped death by being “taken up” to heaven.
Methuselah died in the year of the Flood. Whether he perished before the Flood or was killed by it, we are not told in the Bible. Scripture is also silent as to whether Methuselah helped to build the ark.
He lived to be 969 years old. Methuselah was the grandfather of Noah, a “righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” See Genesis 6:9.
It’s reasonable to assume, then, that Methuselah was also a faithful man who obeyed God since he was raised by Enoch and his grandson was righteous Noah. Methuselah is named among the ancestors of Jesus in the genealogy of Luke 3:37.
Everything we know about Methuselah is found in three passages of Scripture: Genesis 5:21-27; 1 Chronicles 1:3; and Luke 3:37. Methuselah is likely the same person as Methuselah, who is mentioned only briefly in Genesis 4:18.
Prayer Point:- Oh Lord God, help me to fulfil my days on earth and to do that that befits You henceforth by fire, in the name of Jesus Christ.
Happy New Month!
