GENERATIONS
Who do you know? How far back does your family history go? How much have previous generations passed down to you about people and family events? More importantly what do you know about your parents, your grandparents and a maybe great grandparent who lives in the Truth? Our lives are indeed short compared to the early patriarchs.
Consider Adam for example who lived for 930 years (Gen 5:3-4), meaning that he was contemporary with:
Seth (compensation) for 800 years
Enos (man) for 695 years
Canaan (possession) for 605 years
Mahalaleel (praise of God) for 535 years
Jared (descent) for 470 years
Enoch (dedicated) for 308 years
Methuselah (man of the dart) for 243 years
Lamech (powerful) for 56 years
Methuselah is of particular interest because he not only lived the longest (969 years Gen. 5:27) of all Adams descendents, but was also contemporary with all the pre flood generations from Adam through to Noah (rest).
Methuselah was contemporary with Adam for 243 years. Thus we can imagine him learning directly from Adam about the time of creation and life in Eden. We can imagine the sorrow with which the disobedience of Adam and Eve and the subsequent condemnation that fell upon Adams race was related directly to him by Adam himself. What an impact that would have had upon Methuselah, who was given a direct eyewitness account of those tragic events.
Methuselah outlived his son Lamech and was also contemporary with his grandson Noah for about 600 years. He then knew his great grandson Shem for around 97 years. Thus although dying prior to the flood, Methuselah was probably able to support and encourage Noah and Shem through some of the period during which the Ark was being built.
Noah is of equal interest, being 84 years old when Enos died. Noah may have been contemporary with Adam for about 16 years, but in all probability certainly had been able to see all the patriarchs who lived before him. Thus Noah may have had opportunity to learn about creation and the subsequent events at best firsthand from Adam or at least from Seth, Methuselah and the other patriarchs. Thus for Noah the account of creation and knowledge of the purpose of God was still very fresh. He demonstrated his remarkable faith by building the Ark, whilst the bulk of mankind despite this direct knowledge turned aside and corrupted the earth.
Following the flood Noah lived for approximately 350 years. Thus not only Shem, but also several generations who followed, for example Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor and Terah, the father of Abraham, had opportunity to know Noah. Noah died somewhere around the time of the birth of Abraham. Thus the life of Noah had spanned between the time of Enos and the time of Abraham.
Next we can consider Shem who was the patriarchal father of the Semitic races. Some commentators suggest he may have been Melchizedek identified as the Priest of the Most High God (Gen 14:18) Shem was contemporary with Methuselah for about 97 years, was 100 years old when Arphaxad was born and lived a further 500 years after the birth of Arphaxad. Thus Abraham would have had opportunity to talk with him, as would Isaac for about 52 years.
So just think how few generations span from Adam to Abraham. Abraham would remember Shem, who would remember Methuselah, who would remember Adam. Just a mere three people in the line from the creation of Adam! Alternatively a closer family line of Abraham would give direct knowledge from his father Terah, who could have talked to Noah, who knew Methuselah, who knew Adam.Which ever way we look, only a few people span from Abraham, down to the time of Adam, The knowledge passed from one generation to the other would have been so wonderfully full of detail and experience.
So much had passed over the intervening centuries; the flood had swept away the bulk of mankind, who despite this close proximity to Adam had corrupted the earth and forsaken their Creator. Adam had lived to see an earth populated by his descendants and long enough to know the outworking of human nature. We can only imaging his feelings seeing the earth go from an Edenic state, to one full of corruption. Certainly we do know how the heart of Yahweh was grieved as He saw the violence that filled the earth.
Abraham would know this firsthand from the eyewitness account of Shem. Shem in turn would have seen the earth go from the few who came out of the ark, to a world that once again was becoming corrupt. Yet Shem may have taken heart from seeing the faith of Abraham and knowing the outworking of Yahweh’s purpose in faithful Abraham.
But what of us? How far back do our memories go? Maybe to grandparents or maybe even great grandparents, but how limited the time span. At best for the older ones amongst us we may have known those who could tell us about Bro John Thomas or Bro Robert Roberts. But if like me you were a teenager when your great grandparents died, maybe little thought was given to asking about their memories.
Just consider those generations of the patriarchs of old. Can you imagine how you would react if you spoke to somebody today who was able to relate to you an eyewitness account about the events surrounding Jesus, just as Methuselah could tell Shem about Adam? How remarkable that would seem!
Well here we are about two thousand years or so from the Lord Jesus Christ. Not that much longer than the time span from Adam to Abraham, but how many generations have come and gone. A sad tide of humanity crumbled back to the dust. Generations of lost lives, loves, dreams, fears, wars and cruelty. All for nothing, what a sad waste. Now here we stand at the end of time, all things coming full circle and the world back to the evil days of Noah.
Time is short; the time of the end is upon us, yet like Noah we really are not so far removed from eyewitness accounts of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each time we open the scriptures and read from the gospel records the detail is there. Then as we read our imaginations can allow us to walk with the Disciples, with Paul and the many other faithful of old. We have no excuse for following the world along that self destructive path to oblivion. Though few in number in these last dark days, we walk in good company and can follow the examples recorded about the lives of the few who were faithful in patriarchal times.
Their hope, is our hope, their faith is our faith. Their joy when they are raised can be our joy, if we also remain faithful.
Just consider that one day, in the mercy of God, you may hear for yourself an eyewitness account of how His purpose worked out in their lives, spoken from their own lips. Just imagine talking to Methuselah, Noah or Abraham!
Andy Peel