December 30, 2017: Day 5 – Genesis 5

As old as Methuselah.  Have you ever heard that?  Well, if you have, this is where it came from.  He is considered the oldest person in the Bible having lived 969 years.  That’s quite an accomplishment, but how is that possible?  I don’t consider the book of Genesis to be a science or a history book, but I do believe it simply because I have no reason not to believe it.  Why couldn’t the relatively pristine state of the world have created an environment where our organs had minimal stress and people just lived longer?  I’m okay in believing that, but if in the future, or even now and I’m not aware of it, it is proven that they only lived about 35 years, that wouldn’t rock my world.  I could be okay with that.

Here we find ourselves introduced to Noah who is going to play a pivotal role in the the course of the history of the world.  From his birth he was considered someone who just might do something different and provide relief to the hardship which was life in that day.  We see that those who are born with significant roles ahead of them, at their birth someone makes a significant statement about them.  You can look at John the Baptist and Jesus for examples.  Even in Isaiah where the birth of the Messiah is foretold, we are introduced to him as someone who will do significant things.

But I want you to notice that once again we are reminded that we are made in the image of God and that God created us as male and female and as equals.  Look at the beginning verses of this chapter.  There is constant theme of differentiation and yet equality which resonates through all of Scripture.  This is crucial to understanding how God views us today and how we are valued by the one who created us and views us with grace and love.