Walked With God

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

WALKED WITH GOD

Gen 5:1-32

5:1 This is the written account of Adam's line.

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them "man."

3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died. 9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died. 12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13, And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died. 15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died. 18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died. 28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed." 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died. 32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

NIV

We have the genealogy from Adam to Noah, and if we add up the ages of each father when their son was born, in that line, the total is 1,056 years. There are a few interesting facts. Many of the sons in that line were born early in their fathers' lives. We also have Noah's grandfather, Methuselah, who is the longest-lived man on record at 969 years. This would have meant that he met his death in the flood, as he would have been alive the whole time Noah was building the Ark. However, the most interesting event within this lineage from Adam to Noah is in the life of Enoch, the father of Methuselah. We know from the next chapters in the life of man that God was not pleased or grieved that he had made man because every inclination of their hearts was bent toward evil all the time. Yet, during the life of Enoch, we are told he walked with God. The result of walking with God did shorten his life span, but in the most glorious way, as God took him away. How wonderful that must have been to just resurrect up into heaven to be with God, right in the prime of life, as he was only 365 years old, especially when his son was the longest living man to ever live. Here, we are given a clue to God's mind and to how we should respond to his thoughts. Every person has a personal choice to make: either to let the thoughts of their heart be bent toward evil all the time or to walk with God. We know what happened in the world after Noah was instructed by God to build the Ark, and all the rest of mankind perished. Another perishing is going to happen, but not to those who are like Enoch and walk with God. The question that is before us is, what does it mean to walk with God? We sing those words, He walks with me, talks with me, and calls tells me that I am his own. Yet that does seem in reverse order, saying that God walks with me,  when instead we should be walking with him, because that means he is the one leading the way. When we walk with God, someday he will take us away.