THE L.I.F.E. PLAN METHUSELAH BLOCK 1 THEME 6 - PEOPLE PROFILES LESSON 3 (23 of 216)
BLOCK 1 THEME 6: PEOPLE PROFILES LESSON 3 (23 OF 216): METHUSELAH LESSON AIM: Briefly survey the life of Methuselah SCRIPTURE: (Genesis 5:21-27) Genesis 5:27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. When we read the few verses in the Bible about Methuselah, our first observation is that we are talking about an extremely old individual. He lived to be 969 years of age. The length of his life is the longest of all of those recorded in the Bible. Today, when we want to make reference to something or someone that is of great age, we often say, He (it) is as old as Methuselah. Since his name means man of the javelin we might guess that he was a warrior or a hunter, or both. While we do not have many verses devoted to Methuselah, we can draw from them several pieces of information which have relevance to our lives today. Let s look first at the things we do know about Methuselah and his family. We know that Methuselah had a godly father by the name of Enoch. For the first 300 years of Methuselah s life, he had the godly influence of his dad. Enoch walked with God in an intimate relationship. This had to leave some deep impressions in the life of Methuselah, although we can only speculate to what degree. The Bible does not say specifically that Methuselah followed in the footsteps of his father. We might think or hope that he did, but we cannot say for certain. One day, Enoch simply disappeared from the face of the earth. Having the recorded story of this occurrence in the Bible, we know what happened. God translated Enoch to be with him where he is. Methuselah and his family did not have the benefit of this knowledge. All they knew is that their dad and family patriarch was no longer with them. He was there one day and gone the next. There was not a trace of his disappearance or any clue as to what had happened to him. All they knew is that their dad was gone. Imagine the questions that must have filled their minds. What happened to Dad? Where did he go? Why did he leave? Does he not love us anymore? Was all this God-talk of the last 300 years just a show? This is the kind of event in a person s life which can make them very angry with God and want nothing to do with him. Just as the arrival of Methuselah in the life of Enoch drew Enoch toward God, the leaving of Enoch could have pushed Methuselah away from God. And the spiritual condition of mankind in those days was no help to keep this from happening. Man, at the time, was evil in his heart. God had gotten to the point where he was sorry that he had even created man. We also know that Methuselah had the experience of being a father himself. He had many sons and daughters; how many, we do not know. We do know that one of his sons was Lamech. When Lamech had a son, he named him in hopes that this son would bring them some comfort concerning the work of their hands due to the curse of God upon the earth. This may also be suggestive of a hard life under the hand of his father. Perhaps Lamech noted the difference in the life of his dad before and after Enoch had disappeared, and with the birth of his own son, hoped for better days. Lamech died five years before Methuselah, so Methuselah also had to go through the experience of the death of a child.
Methuselah had the experience of having grandchildren. His grandson, Noah, son of Lamech, became one of the most well-known people of the Bible. His story is one of the most well-known and loved stories of the Old Testament. Almost everyone knows the story of the flood, the building of the ark, and the coming of the animals, two by two, into the ark. Methuselah also had the experience of having great-grandchildren. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. These boys might possibly have been triplets since they were born when Noah was 500 years old. The most significant thing about them is that the earth was repopulated through them after the flood. Everyone today can trace their ancestry back to one of these three men. One other fact we know about Methuselah is that he died in the year of the flood. Methuselah was 187 years old when Lamech was born. Noah was born 182 years later. Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born when Noah was 500 years old. The flood happened 100 years later when Noah was 600 years old. This adds up to 969 years, the age of Methuselah when he died, placing his death in the year of the flood. Other information we can gather about Methuselah comes to us by way of speculation. We have already speculated his occupation; a warrior or a hunter, based upon the meaning of his name. We also have to speculate that he was exposed to the ministry of his grandson, Noah. Assuming that since they were family, and that they probably lived in the close proximity of each other, Methuselah would have known and would have been exposed to Noah s ministry. He would have heard his preaching or at least, would have heard of it through others. He probably would have seen the ark under construction. And, he probably would have had conversations with Noah about all of this. If Methuselah s heart was like that of the others of the time, he would have stood against Noah, rejecting his warning of coming judgement. He would have rejected the longsuffering of God during the time the ark was being prepared. Since Methuselah died during the year of the flood, and since we are not told specifically, we have to make assumptions about when he died. There are only two possibilities. He could have died in the same year shortly before the flood came upon the earth, or he could have died in the flood itself. The Bible seems to indicate that Noah and his sons stood alone as the righteous witness of the times. It seems to indicate that after 120 years of preaching, Noah had no converts to show for his effort, including his grandfather, Methuselah. The entire population of the earth had corrupted its way upon the earth. God determined to destroy all flesh with the exception of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives; eight people altogether. Methuselah was not included in the group. If he died in the flood itself, he was indeed included with all the other ungodly of the day. The New Testament mentions the name of Methuselah only one time; in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. One might reason, Doesn t this suggest that Methuselah was a righteous man? Not necessarily. The bloodline of the Christ was not based on an earthly heritage. His bloodline was that of God himself. The earthly lineage of Jesus was like that of everyone else; interlaced with the good, the bad, and the ugly. This illustrates that righteousness before God is not dependent upon pedigree. Salvation cannot be passed from one person to another. The human bloodline, being tainted by sin, makes this an impossibility. The time in which Methuselah lived is interesting in that people lived to be very, very old. Nearly 1,000 years is a long time to live on this earth. This will apparently happen again during the millennial reign of Christ on earth. In that day, people will still have to make a personal, affirmative response to the preaching of the gospel just like the people of our day and the people of Methuselah s day. This has always been the difference between those who live with God and those who do not.
LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 1 THEME 6: PEOPLE PROFILES LESSON 3 (23 OF 216): METHUSELAH I THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT METHUSELAH A. His Father - Enoch 1. Walked with God 2. Disappeared B. He was a father 1. He had sons and daughters 2. Lamech C. He had grandchildren 1. Grandchild - Noah 2. Great-grandchildren - Shem, Ham, Japheth D. He died in the year of the flood II THINGS WE SPECULATE ABOUT METHUSELAH A. He was exposed to the ministry of Noah 1. Probably saw the ark under construction 2. Probably heard Noah s preaching B. He was unmoved by the ministry of Noah 1. Either died shortly before the flood 2. Or he died in the flood SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. The flood Genesis 6-8 2. Methuselah Luke 3:37 LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. BIBLE HISTORY The antediluvian period The patriarchal period
2. ESCHATOLOGY The millennial reign of Christ The longevity of life in the millennium 3. ANTHROPOLOGY The races descent from Shem, Ham, and Japheth LESSON GLOSSARY 1. Antediluvian Before the flood QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. How old was Methuselah when he died? 969 2. What two devastating things happened to Methuselah during his lifetime? The loss of his father; the death of his son 3. Have you had any experiences in your life that have made you bitter or angry toward God? What happened? 4. If you answered in the affirmative to the previous question, how did you get over it, or are you still dealing with it? 5. How do you respond to warnings and exhortations in the preaching you hear today? 6. People had 120 years to prepare for coming judgement during the building of the ark. The judgement of God again looms over the world today and one day will come. Have you made preparation for it? 7. How would you deal, or how have you dealt with the loss of a parent in your life? 8. How would you deal, or how have you dealt with the loss of a child in your life?
BLOCK 1 THEME 6: PEOPLE PROFILES LESSON 3 (23 OF 216): METHUSELAH QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. How old was Methuselah when he died? 2. What two devastating things happened to Methuselah during his lifetime? 3. Have you had any experiences in your life that have made you bitter or angry toward God? What happened? 4. If you answered in the affirmative to the previous question, how did you get over it, or are you still dealing with it? 5. How do you respond to warnings and exhortations in the preaching you hear today? 6. People had 120 years to prepare for coming judgement during the building of the ark. The judgement of God again looms over the world today and one day will come. Have you made preparation for it? 7. How would you deal, or how have you dealt with the loss of a parent in your life? 8. How would you deal, or how have you dealt with the loss of a child in your life?