Friday, January 15: Genesis 5-Consider your life course

In this chapter we have the lineage of humankind from Adam to Noah. Every three verses or so we read of another generation. In a predictable formula we learn of generation after generation.

When A was xxx years old he became the father of B. After that A lived yyy years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether he was zzz when he died.

In this otherwise repetitive chapter, there are two surprises…

Verses 22-24 of Enoch: After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Verse 29 of Lamech: 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.

I pondered these surprises.

Regarding Enoch: I mused, we have an opportunity to chart our life course. Most people will marry and have children. Beyond progeny, what is the legacy of our lives? Enoch determined some how, some way to walk faithfully with his God. This was THE distinguishing factor of his life. Enoch walked faithfully with God. This set him aside from all the others listed in today’s chapter.

I wondered what set me apart from the others in my family lineage?  More directly, Enoch’s added line challenged me to live my life for the Lord God as Enoch did. Actuarially, I have 3+ decades of life remaining, more than enough time to create a ‘faithful to God’ legacy.

Lord help me to do this, I pray. Amen.

Regarding Noah: I mused about names. Certainly in ancient days names spoke of a person’s destiny and/or character much more so than today. Be that as it may, as a “William,” a name which means ‘conqueror’, I pondered how I might live into that name. The desires that rose up in me were not to be some kind of land or peoples’ conqueror. Instead I thought about being one who conquers fears, faults and obstacles on the way to living faithfully to the Lord.

Lord, my heart rejoices with the thought of making a difference for You. How can I do that, Lord? How can I best be used to live for and serve You faithfully? In and through Jesus, my Lord, I pray. Amen.