The Old Guys' Club

I hope you are fascinated by the Old Testament’s Really Old Men. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me introduce you to a few of them. I’m picking a few of the Very Old Guys, starting with the sixth generation from Adam. Each is the father of the man listed after him. Let’s name them, show you how long they lived, and then we’ll make further observations and some practical applications for us.

                        Enoch, 365 years

                        Methuselah, 969 years

                        Lamech, 777 years

                        Noah, 950 years

Enoch is one of two people in Scripture who never died. He walked with God, and then God took him. (Genesis 5:22, 24) He got to go straight to heaven. I’d love to have watched him go! Notice, he lived one year for every day in a year (above).

His son Methuselah was the longest-living man ever. He was born when Enoch was 65. He came closer than anyone to being a thousand years old.

Lamech is Methuselah’s eldest son. He was 182 when he fathered Noah. He named his baby son Noah (which means “rest”) because Noah would comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands (Get this next part: it’s a veiled prophecy about the Flood.) because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed (Genesis 5:29). Dear old Lamech lives to watch his son, at the “young” age of 500, begin to build the ark and preach righteousness. No doubt, Noah was a comfort to his father, who was now 682. Lamech dies at the ripe old age of 777, just five years before the universal Flood starts. He just missed riding in the ark. (Biblical numerology indicates that the number seven has to do with “completion” and “perfection.” I wonder about the significance here—7 hundreds, 7 tens, and 7 years? I guess his life was “complete” literally, and possibly in other ways, as well. I guess we’ll have to ask him how, when we get to heaven.)

Noah was 600 when the Flood started, 601 when he came out of the ark into a new world, worshiped God, and saw the first rainbow. He lived 349 years after that. Talk about life experiences! His must have been the ultimate.

Are these great old men an inspiration to you? They certainly are to me! Here are some lessons from them that we would do well to heed as we grow older. (Yes, I realize the world has changed, that people don’t live nearly as long, and all the rest, but I think we can learn some valuable concepts from these old guys.)

• From Enoch—Walk with God. Walk so close to Him that death will simply be moving on.
• From Methuselah—Hang in there. Persevere.
• From Lamech—Have godly hopes and desires for our own children. Encourage them to do something great for God. Live a complete and holy life.
• From Noah—It’s never too late to start a big project. Obey God’s prodding in your life, and see it to its end. Give God praise for His salvation. Take what God has given you and sacrifice it for Him. Revel in God’s rainbow promise (and in all the rest of God’s promises).
• From all the Old Guys—Live for God. Every year that God gives you is a gift, whether you’re given 13, 25, 50, 70, 80 years, or more. Make every year count for the Lord, according to the abilities and commands He gives you.
• Also, from all the “Club”—God cares how old you are. He counts every day and every year. He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). 

All scripture (even the listing of old men and their lengths of life in Genesis 5) is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17).