Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008
THE CHARACTER AND MESSAGE OF TWO GREAT HEROES
Gen. 5:18-32
PE Time = Preparing the Ears {To the kids up to 15 before the main message}
Have the young ones come down or stand up…
Do you have any heroes in life? Just think of one of your heroes. Heroes can come from lots of different places. Sometimes a person chooses a movie star as his hero. I wouldn’t recommend it. Another person might choose a star from the sports world. Someone else might choose a fictional character, like Batman. I want to encourage you to choose heroes that are really heroes. There is no better place to find them than in the Bible.
You may wonder why I am singling you out this morning as young people. Please allow me to tell you. You sit there 30-45 minutes every Sunday morning while I speak about the truths of the Bible. God has convicted me that I need to help you to listen as much as I can. I realize that I can’t make that happen; you are the one who has to decide whether you will listen or whether you will tune me out. But I want to do my part. That’s why I gave you an assignment last week. I want to help you sustain an interest in what you are talking about.
Some of you are tempted to think, “Oh this stuff is for adults. I’m just a kid; I can’t understand what he is talking about.” Let me remind you that there are very few things I say that you can’t understand. And if I do talk about something that is hard to understand, you can ask your parents. As a matter of fact, if you make a habit out of asking your parents questions about the sermon, you will be encouraging them to listen too.
Or you may think that what we talk about is not very important. I guarantee you the day will come when you will wish you had paid very careful attention. When we talk about truths from the Bible, we are talking about the most important things in life. All the rest of your thoughts will amount to very little; but we are talking about the things that have eternal value. Parents, I want to ask you to help me. Prepare your kids before you come. Take time to pray with them, asking God to give them grace to listen. For Sunday lunch, don’t be content with meat and vegetables. Have a healthy helping of “what did you learn from the Bible this morning?”
Parents, let me be perfectly honest with you. It’s really not a matter of you helping me; it’s a matter of me helping you. You have the primary responsibility for instructing your children in the things of the Lord. But I do want to be a part of that.
So, young people, today we are going to be looking at two heroes from the Bible. When we get through, you should know them pretty well. We will be focusing on one other person, because that person is a link between the two. By the way, who is the oldest person who ever lived? Yes, Methuselah. And how long did he live? 969 years. He is the person who links our two heroes together. And, yes, I do remember that I gave you an assignment. During the sermon I will be asking you that question about when Methuselah died in relation to the flood.
Let’s pray…
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Please turn to Hebrews 11. I trust that by now when you hear “Hebrews 11,” you already know what that chapter is about. This is “the faith chapter.” Or we might refer to it as the roll call of the faithful. This morning I want us to begin by reading the first seven verses of this chapter. Read Heb. 11:1-7…
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2. For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 5. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 7. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
There are three people mentioned in these verses. Who are they? Abel, Enoch, and Noah. We have encountered all three of them in Genesis. During the first ten generations of mankind, these were three great men of faith. That doesn’t mean that no one else had faith, but simply that these are the most notable. You might say, but what about Seth? Perhaps Seth isn’t specifically mentioned because he was the replacement for Abel. At any rate, these three – Abel, Enoch, and Noah – represent man’s faith in a great God.
The title of the message this morning is “The Character and Message of Two Great Heroes.” The heroes I am speaking of are Enoch and Noah. We have already taken a good look at Abel and last week we were introduced to Enoch and Noah, but this morning we want to focus on these latter two – Enoch and Noah. We might conclude that Noah is the greater hero, because we know more about him. Someone else might argue that Enoch is the greatest hero, because there is nothing negative said about him (not true of Noah).
Let’s read again this morning Genesis 5, which gives us the descendants of Adam through Seth. As we read, pay particular attention especially to Enoch and Noah. By the way, you understand when we read that Seth begat Enos, and Enos begat Cainan, etc. that it was really the wives who bore the children. Many things changed after the flood, but this wasn’t one of them. Even then, it was the woman who bore the children! Read Gen. 5:1-32 and 6:8-9…
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; 2. Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. 3. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: 4. And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters: 5. And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died. 6. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: 7. And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters: 8. And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died. 9. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: 10. And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters: 11. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. 12. And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: 13. And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters: 14. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died. 15. And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: 16. And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters: 17. And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died. 18. And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch: 19. And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 20. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21. And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 25. And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: 26. And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28. And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29. And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed. 30. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31. And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. 32. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:8-9, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
So let’s look at the character and the message of these two heroes, Enoch and Noah.
I. They Walked with God
Now when we talk about the character of men, there are many things we could discuss. That is especially true of Noah, because we know a great deal about him. With regard to Enoch, it seems that we know very little. We learned from Hebrews 11 that these two men have something in common – they were both men of faith. I don’t want to discount that in any way, but that isn’t what I want us to dwell on this morning (though it goes hand in hand with what we are going to talk about).
Here is the question I want to ask you. From Genesis 5, regarding character, what do Enoch and Noah have in common? Do a little review. You will find Enoch in verses 18-24 and Noah in 5:28-32, along with 6:8-9. By singling out these two verses in chapter 6, I have given you a great hint. So what did they have in common? That’s right; they both walked with God. 5:24, “Enoch walked with God.” At the end of 6:9, “And Noah walked with God.” Not only did Enoch and Noah share this common character, but the Bible says this about no one else. That certainly doesn’t mean that no one else ever walked with God, but surely it does mean that God wants us to take note of this fact.
But what does it mean to walk with God? How would you describe it? First of all, let’s take note that when a person walks with God, God Himself is pleased. We know this from Heb. 11:5. The writer talks about the fact that God took him, just as we read here in Genesis 5. And why did God take Him? Why did God translate him to heaven without him having to die? We find the answer at the end of Heb. 11:5, “…for [because] before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” In Gen. 5:24 we see that he walked with God; in Heb. 11:5 we see that he pleased God. It was this walking with God that was pleasing to the Lord.
But that still doesn’t answer our question: What does it mean to walk with God? We do find it recorded that men like Abraham, Isaac, and David walked “before” the Lord (Gen. 48:15; I Kings 9:4). David specifically prayed that he might walk before God in the light of the living (Ps. 56:13). So we might find some clues in looking at the lives of these men. Notice especially what Micah says. "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Mic. 6:8). Surely humility and walking with God go hand in hand.
In the scripture “to walk” speaks of lifestyle. To walk is to live. Enoch and Noah lived in the presence of God. The most common use of the word “walk” with relation to God is in the sense of walking in His ways, in His commandments, in His statutes. We find this language over and over in the Old Testament. This idea of walking with God seems to go even beyond that. To walk with God is to dwell in His presence. Surely it is described by the familiar words of Ps. 91:1, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." We find it in the attitude of David in Ps. 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple." We could turn to Psalm 15 and Psalm 24 and discover that the person who is in the presence of God walks uprightly and lives righteously and has clean hands. While those things are certainly true, this idea of walking with God goes beyond that. It speaks of intense fellowship, a fellowship that goes beyond even the intimate fellowship of husband and wife. This is fellowship with the One who created us and redeemed us.
Think about it for a moment. What is most amazing is that God would invite any human being to walk with Him, to live in His presence. Imagine Almighty God walking together with any man. No wonder David cries out in Ps. 65:4, "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple." This dwelling in the courts of the Lord speaks of walking with Him. How blessed is the person who has been chosen for such a walk with the Lord. There is no greater blessing in this life!
Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that this is a mutual walk. When a person walks with God, rest assured that God is walking with him or her as well. We first read about this in Gen. 3:8, "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." While Adam and Eve hid from the Lord on this occasion, the clear implication is that before this the Lord had walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. Of course, we might quickly say, “That was before sin entered the picture. After they sin, they hid from God. They no longer walked together with God, nor did God walk together with them.”
Think about it. That makes it all the more remarkable that God would walk with man, for after Adam, all men were sinners. It is one thing for God to walk with a man and a woman who had never committed sin, but it is another for God to walk with a person who came into this world as a sinner, as a rebel, as His enemy. Nevertheless, we know that God does indeed walk with such men, for we see that both Enoch and Noah walked with God. You can’t walk with another person unless that person is willing to walk with you.
We used this illustration not long ago, but let’s use it again. The church is referred to in a number of ways; among them is the analogy of being the bride of Christ. We read in Rom. 7:4, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." We have become married to Christ. Now here’s the point. In a true marriage, there is a mutual longing for fellowship, for companionship, for intimacy. We are the bride Christ. Not only do we long to be close to the Lord, but He longs to be close to us. He desires our company. Yes, God longs to walk with human beings in close communion and fellowship.
I want to ask you a simple question this morning: Are you walking with God? Do you long to walk with God? Do you believe it is possible to walk with God? Do you believe it is possible for you to walk with God? Notice that there is nothing unusual about Enoch or Noah? They were born in the exact same way that everyone else was born. They had no special qualifications. As a matter of fact, notice that Enoch’s life is divided into two parts. He lived 65 years before the birth of his son Methuselah and then he lived 300 years after the birth of Methuselah. It was during those 300 years after the birth of his son that he walked with God. There is no indication that he walked with God before Methuselah was born. If Enoch lived 65 years before he walked with God, then there is hope for you and me. Brothers and sisters, we can walk with God. This is essentially the Christian life. May God work in each of us until we can say, “One thing have I desired – that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple” (Ps. 27:4).
We will talk in a little while about effect of the birth of Methuselah upon Enoch. No doubt, God used that birth in Enoch’s life. Nevertheless, regardless of what God did, Enoch himself desired to walk with God. God didn’t force Enoch to walk with Him. Enoch desired it.
Earlier we read what Hebrews 11 had to say about Enoch. That is in verse 5, but now notice what we read in verse 6. While it seems to be a general statement, it is in the context of Enoch’s God-pleasing faith. Heb. 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Enoch was a diligent seeker of God. We don’t seek God and then cease to seek Him because we have found Him. To find God is to long for more of Him. If we think we have found Him and don’t long to know Him more, then we have found only the counterfeit. A. W. Tozer makes this little statement: “It can be said without any qualification that every man is as holy and as full of the Spirit as he wants to be.” You may have to think about that for a while, but Brother Tozer is emphasizing the importance of seeking God.
O may God give us grace to long to know Him, to desire to walk with Him.
II. They Proclaimed a Message of Judgment
So we have looked at the character of these two early heroes of the faith. Now let’s turn from the fact that they walked with God and look at the message they preached. What kind of message would you expect to be preached by men who walked with God? (Give time to answer). We could spend a great deal of time speculating, but far better that we simply look at the Bible and see what it was that they preached.
Let’s begin with Noah, since we know more about Noah. Later we will read more of Noah’s story chapter 6, but most of you know it pretty well. Because of the great wickedness of mankind, God said that He would destroy mankind, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Now listen to what God said to Noah in Gen. 6:13-18…
And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 15. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 16. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
The Lord went on to say that he would also preserve two of every kind of the animals on the earth.
So what about the people on the earth. Didn’t God give them a chance? Or, was it too late for them? What did God do for them? As we will see later, it would take Noah 120 years to build the ark. It isn’t difficult to figure out what took him so long. This was no row boat he was building. It was one and a half football fields long, and best we can tell, Noah didn’t have any power tools. Add to that the fact that he still had to make a living for his family. If he had any help at all, it came only from his three sons. So for 120 years the people around Noah watched him build the big boat. No doubt, news of such a structure could not be confined to the local area. Word must have spread far and wide that crazy Noah was building a monstrosity. Don’t you know that people came to see it.
So what did Noah say to those people who observed him building the ark? If you read only the Genesis account, you might conclude that Noah said absolutely nothing. Praise God that we have the entire Bible, not just the account in Genesis. Let’s begin by looking at the testimony of Hebrews 11. "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Heb. 11:7). By building the ark, Noah comdemned the world. The building of the ark was a constant reminder that the flood was coming. While we are not specifically told that Noah told them about the flood, surely we can assume that. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the big question everyone was asking was: “Noah, why are you building this huge boat?” We could expect a man who walked with God to tell them the truth. “I am building this boat because God has revealed to me that because of man’s wickedness, He is going to destroy life on the earth by a huge flood.”
Now let’s come to II Peter. We read this little letter just three weeks ago. You may recall that chapter 2 deals especially with false teachers. In that context, Peter writes in 2 Pet. 2:4-5, "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5. And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly." Notice that Peter refers to Noah as “a preacher of righteousness.” Noah was not only a builder, but he was also a preacher. By the way, just because you are a teacher, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a preacher. Just because you are a retired person, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a preacher. This doesn’t mean that Noah had him a little church building and pulpit; it means that Noah went about proclaiming God’s truth. In this case, he proclaimed the message of righteousness to those who were watching him build the ark.
What is meant by the statement that he was a preacher of righteousness? Surely Noah preached the righteousness of God. When He told people that God was going to send a flood, no doubt, many of them questioned him. “What kind of God would destroy the earth with a flood?” Noah must have explained how God was perfectly righteous and just in doing so. He explained the judgment in terms of God’s righteousness. He likely also pleaded with people to pursue the way of righteousness instead of their current life of wickness. Surely the people around Noah heard him proclaim a message of the coming judgment of the righteous God.
But what about Enoch? Genesis 5-6 tells us much less about Enoch than about Noah. Did Enoch proclaim any message? Or did he just walk with God? There is certainly a sense in which walking with God is a message and a very loud message. But did he proclaim anything while he was walking with God? The name of this Enoch appears 9 times in the Bible, with 6 of them coming here in Genesis five. The other three are in the New Testament. In the genealogy of Luke 3 Enoch’s name appears, because he is one of the ancestors of Jesus (Luke 3:37). We have already read the record of Heb. 11:5. That leaves one other passage which mentions Enoch. We find it in Jude. It is very interesting that Jude has many parallels with II Peter 2, the chapter where we discovered that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Jude also is dealing with false teachers. In that context, let’s read Jude 14-15…
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15. To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Many of you remember us reading verse 14 last week, when we were confirming that Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam. We contrasted him with the seventh generation from Adam through Cain. That man was Lamech, in whom we found the climax of the wickedness of the descendants of Cain. Now we find out a good bit more about Enoch. How did Enoch prophesy of these false teachers? Back in verse 11 we read that these false teachers had gone in the way of Cain. It seems clear that Enoch prophesied of these false teachers when he spoke these words to the descendants of Cain. He told them, “Behold, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” What a description of society in the days of Enoch, when people (especially the descendants of Cain) were becoming more and more wicked. Though we are not told about the prophesying of Enoch in Genesis, we are told by Peter, who was being led along by the Holy Spirit as he wrote. Enoch was preaching a message of judgment to that ungodly generation.
So there we have it. These two men who walked with God were preaching a message of judgment from the righteous God. Brothers and sisters, does that have any implications for us? Let me ask you a simple, straightforward question: “Can a Christian walk with God in this wicked world in which we live and not proclaim a message of judgment?” But maybe we live in a day when people aren’t so wicked. I remind you that the scripture speaks of the last days, when perilous times shall come… (II Tim. 3:2-5)
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Who can deny that the wickedness of our day fits the description here, especially those last words, which describe the state of modern religion – “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
But shouldn’t we be proclaiming the love of God? Yes, but against a background of coming judgment. God’s love can never be appreciated by people who do not recognize their own sin and the righteous judgment of God against that sin. Tell people about God’s love, and they may say “Amen” or nod approvingly. But let a man despair of himself because of the depth of his own sin, and then watch him soak up the love of God like a thirsty dessert drinks in the rain. Let me say it again: God’s love can never be appreciated by people who do not recognize their own sin and righteous judgment of God against that sin.
III. The Bridge Between These Two Heroes
Now we come to the oldest man in the Bible. Who was he? Methuselah. And how old was he when he died? Yes, he was 969 years old. Now let me ask you a question: Why do you think the Lord let him live so long? Oh yes, we read here in Genesis 5 of several men who lived over 900 years. Adam died at 930 and Jared lived to be 962 years. Nevertheless, it was Methuselah who topped them all at 969. Do you think it is important that Methuselah lived longer than any other man? If so, what is the significance of it.
Let’s begin by looking at the birth of Methuselah. Let’s read again Gen. 5:21-22, "And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters." Earlier we noted that it was at the birth of Methuselah that Enoch began to walk with the Lord. Why was that?
Remember that the biblical names have meaning. So what did the name “Methuselah” mean? While there is some debate about the meaning of his name, I think we can be sure about the general meaning. The name contains two words: “death” & “to send” (or “to bring forth”). The idea seems to be that there is a death that will bring forth something. Just keep that in mind.
Now let’s go back again to Jude 1:14-15…
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15. To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Enoch prophesied of a coming judgment. While there is a sense in which this speaks of the ultimatele judgment of God that will come at the end of the age, was there a nearer judgment coming? All we have to do is turn to the very next chapter, Genesis 6, and we begin to read about that judgment. Of course, we are talking about the flood. Just three generations from Enoch the flood would come upon the earth.
So if Methuselah’s name means “death shall bring forth” and there is a coming flood, is it possible that Methuselah could have been a part of this prophecy? Remember that it was after the birth of Methuselah that Enoch began to walk with God. Consider this idea. God reveals to Enoch that He is going to send judgment on the earth. He also tells him to name his son Methuselah, “death shall bring forth.” In other words, the death of your son will bring forth God’s judgment. If that is the way it happened, it could explain how the birth of Methuselah impacted Enoch’s life. It could explain why Enoch began to walk with God. He was living under impending judgment. The judgment of God could come at any time. That made life urgent. There is only one place where a person can escape God’s judgment, and that is in the presence of God Himself.
So maybe that is a plausible theory. But now let’s bring in the last piece of the puzzle. When did Methuselah die? Nine hundred sixty nine years after he was born. But when did he die in relation to the flood? We find the answer here in Genesis 5 and 6, as we simply add up the numbers. (See the chart below). 187 years after Methuselah was born, Lamech was born. Add to that 187 the 182 years of Lamech’s life before the birth of Noah. Now we have 369 years between the birth of Methuselah and the birth of Noah. And how old was Noah when the flood came? The answer is found in Gen. 7:6, "And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth." Now add that 600 to the 369, and what do we have? 969. Does that number ring a bell? That is how old Methuselah was when he died. Methuselah died in the year of the flood. That is a fact.
Of course, some would say that is very easy to explain. They would say that Methuselah died in the flood, just like multitudes of other people. While that is possible, it does not fit with what we know of his name – “his death shall bring forth.” The fact that Methuselah died in the year of the flood confirms the idea that his life was a living proclamation of Enoch’s prophecy. Enoch prophesied of coming judgment, and the presence of Methuselah was a constant reminder of that prophecy. When Methuselah dies, the judgment will come, and so it did.
Turn to Genesis 7 for a moment. In verses 1-3, the Lord tells Noah and his family to get aboard the ark. Also, He instructs Noah to bring in the animals. Now notice verse 4, “For yet seven days and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights…” It wouldn’t take long to get the eight people on board, but it would require some time to load the animals. So Noah did what he was commanded (vs. 5). Then we read that note in verse 6, “And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.” Verses 7-9 tell of the actual boarding. Then verse 10, “And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.” This reference to seven days is very interesting. Jewish writers taught that the seven days represented the time between the death of Methuselah and the beginning of the flood. So Methuselah dies; God tells Noah to get everyone aboard; after the loading of the ark, the flood comes, seven days after the death of Methuselah. While we cannot be sure of that, I can’t find any good reason to discount it.
I must tell you that there are those who disagree with the idea that Methuselah’s name means “death shall bring forth.” One commentator renders it “man of the dart,” but in the end he too believes that Methuselah’s death was the signal that the judgment had come. He just uses a different explanation to get there.
The other thing I need to mention is the problem with genealogies. There are many who would say that we cannot take Genesis 5 at face value. In other words, there may have been other men in between some of these generations. Why would anyone say that? Because of other examples in the Bible itself. For example, consider the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. Pick it up in verse 7. Now while you follow in Matthew 1, I am going to read you the same genealogy from I Chronicles 3. Please follow in Matt. 1:7-10, while I read I Chron. 3:10-14…
Matt. 1:7-10… And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8. And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9. And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10. And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
1 Chron. 3:10-14… And Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11. Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12. Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, 13. Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14. Amon his son, Josiah his son.
Did you follow with me? We did fine until we came to Joram. But after Joram, I read three names that you didn’t have – Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah. At the end of verse 8, Matthew 1 reads, “And Joram begat Ozias. Ozias is a variant name for Uzziah, as is Azariah, which is the name used here in I Chron. 3. Nevertheless, there are three generations included in I Chronicles 3 that are not included in Matthew 1. If you follow the historical account in II Chron. 21-27, you will find that it follows I Chronicles 3 very exactly. So why does Matthew skip three generations?
First of all, we need to know that this was sometimes common in Jewish genealogies. “Begat” didn’t always mean a father-son relationship. In this case, it speaks of a great great grandfather. I imagine Matthew did it to aid in his memory device. Let’s read Matt. 1:17, "So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations." In order to make everything fit, he had to skip those three generations. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t telling the truth. After all, most everyone that read the genealogy knew well that there were three generations between Joram and Uzziah. Furthermore, a number of other scriptural texts make that fact very clear. So Matthew was not leading anyone astray.
So here is the question: How do we know that the same thing isn’t true here in the genealogy of Genesis 5? Can we believe that there were actually 1656 years between the creation of Adam and the flood of Noah’s day? Let me tell you why I believe that the genealogy here in Gen. 5 can be taken at face value, that all the generations are included and none have been left out. First of all, this is not the only record we have. Please turn to I Chronicles 1 and Luke 3. Luke 3 is another record of the genealogy of Jesus, but Luke doesn’t stop with Abraham, he takes it all the way back to Adam. Look first at I Chron. 1:1-4, "Adam, Sheth, Enosh, 2. Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, 3. Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 4. Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth." Other than the variation in the spelling of the names Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, and Enoch, they are identical to what we have in Gen. 5. Now go to Luke 3:38 and work your way backwards through the list (backwards, because the genealogy begins with Jesus and proceeds back to Adam). You find the names Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Malaleel (variant spelling), Jared, Methusala, Lamech, and Noe (the NT spelling of Noah). Without question, these records are identical. So unlike the deletion in Matthew 3, there is no record anywhere in the Bible that would indicate that there are not exactly ten generations between Adam and Noah.
There is a second reason I believe this is to be taken exactly as it is. It has probably occurred to many of you as well. If some generations have been left out, it is a powerful coincidence that there just happened to be 969 years between the birth of Methuselah and the coming of the flood. Do you see it? The inclusion of the exact number of years each man lived and the age at which the first son was born makes it very difficult to believe that some of the generations were left out. All the evidence supports the idea that these ten generations were all there were between Adam and Noah and that these numbers represent actual times that can be added together to arrive at some amazing facts. Just in passing, do you realize that Methuselah bridges the gap between Adam and Noah? In other words, could have known the first man Adam and the man who built the ark, Noah. That fact underscores the dramatic length of the lives of these men.
Conclusion
So we have viewed the lives of two men who walked with God and who preached a message of judgment. There is a message here for us. Anyone who walks with God will be keenly aware of coming judgment. But wait a minute, the flood is behind us. Is there a judgment in the future? Indeed there is. Is the Lord going to destroy the world again with a flood? No? Then what? We will read the answer in just a few moments.
Before we read about the coming judgment, let’s consider this great comforting truth. I’m sure it has already occurred to you, but let’s make sure we give it some emphasis. Methuselah was a living prophecy that God’s judgment was coming. When Methuselah died, judgment would come. Isn’t it wonderful to know that Methuselah lived longer than any other human being (at least, that we know of)? God sent judgment, but it delayed it for 969 years. That is a long time. No wonder we read in Ps. 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” We could find many passages that proclaim the same truth, but Methuselah is the living illustration of that truth. We have the record of his life to continually remind us that though He is a God who executes judgment, He is also a God who is longsuffering and merciful to those who deserve His judgment. Yes, the time of mercy will come to an end, but praise God that He extends that mercy. If He hadn’t been longsuffering and merciful, none of us would have any hope.
Now let’s read of both the judgment and longsuffering of the Lord God in II Peter. Let’s just go ahead and read all of II Pet. 3...
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2. That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: 3. Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6. Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13. Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
PE Time = Preparing the Ears {To the kids up to 15 before the main message}
Have the young ones come down or stand up…
Do you have any heroes in life? Just think of one of your heroes. Heroes can come from lots of different places. Sometimes a person chooses a movie star as his hero. I wouldn’t recommend it. Another person might choose a star from the sports world. Someone else might choose a fictional character, like Batman. I want to encourage you to choose heroes that are really heroes. There is no better place to find them than in the Bible.
You may wonder why I am singling you out this morning as young people. Please allow me to tell you. You sit there 30-45 minutes every Sunday morning while I speak about the truths of the Bible. God has convicted me that I need to help you to listen as much as I can. I realize that I can’t make that happen; you are the one who has to decide whether you will listen or whether you will tune me out. But I want to do my part. That’s why I gave you an assignment last week. I want to help you sustain an interest in what you are talking about.
Some of you are tempted to think, “Oh this stuff is for adults. I’m just a kid; I can’t understand what he is talking about.” Let me remind you that there are very few things I say that you can’t understand. And if I do talk about something that is hard to understand, you can ask your parents. As a matter of fact, if you make a habit out of asking your parents questions about the sermon, you will be encouraging them to listen too.
Or you may think that what we talk about is not very important. I guarantee you the day will come when you will wish you had paid very careful attention. When we talk about truths from the Bible, we are talking about the most important things in life. All the rest of your thoughts will amount to very little; but we are talking about the things that have eternal value.
Parents, I want to ask you to help me. Prepare your kids before you come. Take time to pray with them, asking God to give them grace to listen. For Sunday lunch, don’t be content with meat and vegetables. Have a healthy helping of “what did you learn from the Bible this morning?” Parents, let me be perfectly honest with you. It’s really not a matter of you helping me; it’s a matter of me helping you. You have the primary responsibility for instructing your children in the things of the Lord. But I do want to be a part of that.
So, young people, today we are going to be looking at two heroes from the Bible. When we get through, you should know them pretty well. We will be focusing on one other person, because that person is a link between the two. By the way, who is the oldest person who ever lived? Yes, Methuselah. And how long did he live? 969 years. He is the person who links our two heroes together. And, yes, I do remember that I gave you an assignment. During the sermon I will be asking you that question about when Methuselah died in relation to the flood.
Let’s pray…
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