By Pastor Greg
A bald, wrinkled little man was in a
rocking chair on his porch, smiling happily. A passerby, charmed by his smile, came up to
him and said, "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look. What's your secret
for a long happy life?" "I
smoke three packs of cigarettes a day," he said with a toothless grin.
"I drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fast food, and never exercise." "No way”, exclaimed the visitor. “How old are you?" "Twenty-six", the old man proudly
proclaimed.
Okay.
So much for maintaining that youthful appearance. Can you imagine his tenth high school
reunion?
It’s amazing the difference
medicine and hygiene has had on the health of humans. At the beginning of the 20th
century the average life expectancy in the United States
Science has not been able to discover
why we die. They speculate, and every
year a new theory emerges (remember the hype on eliminating free radicals by
eating antioxidants?). Science has
discovered, though, that most of the body is replacing itself. New cells are being made to replace old cells
that have died. According to Jonas
Frisen, a stem cell biologist from Sweden
Read through Genesis 5. It’s a real eye opener.
I mean, look at the age of some of these men; Adam – 930, Seth – 912,
Methuselah – 969, Noah – 950. Did they
really live that long, and if they did, then why and how? Well, before we write this off as biblical
nonsense, let’s take a look at some events that unfold in the Bible. First of
all, humanity was not created to die.
Death was not part of Adam’s DNA because death later became the curse of
sin. In Genesis 2:17 God warned Adam
that to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree would result in death. Granted, that verse does say “for in the day that
you eat from it you will surely die.” [4] We could argue why Adam didn’t die instantly,
and bring in all sorts of scripture references which point out that Adam didn’t
live a thousand years, which is like a day to the Lord. But the point is that death became a reality.
The second biblical lesson is found in
Genesis six. After the wickedness of Man
had become worse, God made another pronouncement about the age of Man. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans
for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their
normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.” [5]
(Genesis 6:3). And if you consider the
age of those who lived after the flood, there is a sharp decline in the average
lifespan from Noah to Abraham. It’s
pretty clear that God changed something after the flood that made it nearly
impossible to live longer than 120 years. God placed a boundary on the age of Man, yet
the power of science has not been able to unravel the mystery of death.
So the age of the men listed in
Genesis 5 is quite possibly true. People
lived longer back then because it was natural to live that long. But God intervened and changed something that
caused us to live much shorter lives.
And by the way, since these men did live longer, it’s interesting to
note that Adam would have been alive to pass the creation story along to
Methuselah, who would have been alive to tell it to Noah. But maybe the length of years isn’t the point
we are to learn from this. Maybe the
significant part of this family tree is found in God’s fulfilled promise. Except for Enoch, each of these men died. Death claimed them just as God said.
Do you want to know what lesson
I’ve learned from this? I’ve learned
that God is the Master death. Death is
the servant of God, and for a time He has made us its slave. And I know this because God is true to His
word. He spoke the curse of death as the
consequence of sin, and death entered our reality. He placed a boundary on the age of Man. Sodom
and Gomorrah Israel ’s sin, and used Assyria and Babylon
But God is also the Master of
life. Life is also the servant of
God. God spoke of deliverance and
protection to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. He caused death to pass over Moses and Israel Israel
Marvel not that Adam or Noah lived
over 900 years. Instead, marvel that
God’s word is forever faithful and true.
And God, whose word does not change, is the giver of life. If God’s word was seen to be faithful in the
past, His word will be faithful in the present.
God’s word is faithful and true yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And in this I find hope, strength, and
assurance.
In pursuit of a bigger God I have
found a Creator that holds death in one hand and life in the other. He is Master of both. And true to His word, God has said, “For I have no
pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore,
repent and live.” [6]
(Ezekiel 18:32 ). And true to His word, God has provided a
means to be freed from the shackles of death.
For God
loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [7]
(John 3:16 ).
God is faithful. His word endures forever. Just as His word was faithful and true in
Adam’s day, so too is His word faithful today.
Believe in Jesus, and at the end of your life, a life held captive by
death, you will find life. Adam found
life after death. Noah found life after
death. So too did Moses and David, and
Josiah, and Peter, and John. And I’m
wondering what you will find. You see,
no matter how long we might live (even 969) we will all face death. Each of us has an appointment with death (see
Hebrews 9:7 ). But for those who believe in Jesus the
promise is life.
[1]
According to a 2003 report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
[2] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ps 90:10). LaHabra , CA
[3]
From a 2005 New York
Times article. See http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/02/science/02cell.html?pagewanted=all
[5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible : New Living Translation.
(3rd ed.) (Ge 6:3). Carol Stream ,
IL
[6] New American
Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Eze 18:32 ). LaHabra ,
CA
[7] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible : New Living Translation.
(3rd ed.) (Jn 3:16 ). Carol Stream , IL
No comments:
Post a Comment