Okay, it is harder to get spirituality out of genealogies than stories for sure. If you read the King James Version, this is where you get into the "begats" which get a little tedious.
The genealogies of Jesus are reflected in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38. Luke's list includes the reading today although if you compare the names, the spellings are a little different.
We see the name Lamech emerge again but this one is the father of Noah and we would see him as different from the Lamech of chapter four.
We also see Methuselah listed. At 969, he is the oldest person listed by the Bible. Of course, these extreme ages begs the question, "Did they really live that long?"
And if they did live that long, were they fairly young in physical stature at 100 or would they be frail? It seems less blessed to live a long life if they spent the majority of their years in need of care by others.
While it is not impossible if we were looking to the miraculous, in looking at human longevity, it is very improbable. What would the author of Genesis have communicated with these long lives? In a world where the average life span would be much younger than today, a life of long years was considered a blessing by God. In this time, infant mortality was much greater. People were much more likely to die of disease, famine, injury, illness, wild animals, or simply from the hands of their fellows through disputes and outright warfare.
The human population was more fragile during the Neolithic period. As they were telling the story, the long years of their ancestors was a literary way of sharing how blessed they were by God. It is a way of showing how close they were to God. This is expressed in especially clear terms by the life of Enoch. Twice it mentions that Enoch walked with God. It is also stated that Enoch never died but was taken up into heaven by God similar to the later prophet Elijah.
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My great-great-great grandfather was a
Methodist pastor serving churches in Ohio
and Illinois. Our family histories may
shape us in ways we don't even know.
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What would this have said to Jesus who according to Luke was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry? He seemed to understand that the road to Jerusalem was leading to his death. Jesus also walked with God and is later taken by God in the ascension following the resurrection.
What does it mean for us today to walk with God? We would like to deepen our relationship with God. We would like our lives to be blessed. Most people seek a long life if it contains good health and mobility. I think we begin to walk with God by remembering that God walks with us. It may be a way of seeing that Jesus certainly expressed in his parables.
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore.
Amen
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