In Genesis 5, we are treated to the genealogy of Adam. There are three important observations from this chapter. The first thing we notice is that mankind lived for a considerable length of time on earth during that period. This continued well until the flood of Noah. From then lifespan was drastically reduced to what we can relate with today. This shows us the degenerative influence of sin. As sin multiplied, lifespan reduced. This reminds me of a statement from the late Evangelist T. L. Osborne. He said when you sin, something dies in you! Not all sins will immediately result in the cessation of physical life, but something dies each time a sin is committed. It could be the death of a moral compass or interpersonal relationships. Be sure that nothing remains the same after sinning.
His life is a lesson that it is not necessarily how long we live that matters, but how impactful.
The second observation is that of all the characters listed in Genesis 5, Enoch lived the shortest. When compared with the likes of Methuselah who lived for 969 years, his 365 years were short indeed. However, whatever he lost in years must have been compensated for with his intimate walk with God. His life is a lesson that it is not necessarily how long we live that matters, but how impactful. His intimacy with God led to his being taken by God. He did not go through the natural route of leaving the world – death. This brings us to the third observation. Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians that we shall not all die, but we shall all be changed. He wrote this concerning the generation that will be on earth when Jesus returns. We have no specific time frame for this; but we are called to watch and pray so that the day will not meet us unawares.