A Shortened Life

Genesis 5:21-24, 27 "And Enoch liced sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he bagat Methuselah three hundred years and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him...And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died."

OK, so I'm used to having learned that Methuselah was the oldest man to have ever lived on the earth, but not often to we hear about his father. I have also learned in the past that this man, Enoch, was taken up and did not die a normal death on the earth because he walked with God. What I didn't know, or at least had not registered in my brain, was that of those named in this family line in Genesis 5, Enoch was the youngest when his life on earth was over. All other mentioned here were at least 850 years, and only one less than 900 years. I will not go into why people lived longer here, as this is more suited for someone with more study and experience than I (Dr. Kent Hovind, for instance), but I simply want to point out that Enoch, who lived on this earth for 365 years, and was taken by God.

There are many questions that come to my mind as I read this. The first is from a quite utilitarion point of view. Why, if this man walked with God, did God not leave him to be an example to others who were still here? The second one is more from a view that things shold always be fair and equal, but why did this man get to walk with God when He had already kicked mankind out of His intimate presence? He is the first man mentioned to walk with God or to walk uprightly, and there are many to follow his life, even though he was not left on the earth for a long time.

So, my take-away from this is: the next time I think about someone's life being cut short, I will think of why God might have pulled them away and their walk with Him being something to celebrate. I know this does not apply to all cases, but it's a good foundation to think from. May the Lord bless your new year.