Genesis 5:25-27 “And Methuselah lived an hundred and eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech; and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.”
Enoch cracked the longevity code by walking with God in wholehearted obedience for three centuries (Proverbs 3:1-2), and remains the oldest man alive, a title he will hold for eternity. His son Methuselah, however, holds the record for the longest-lived man on the planet, dying just a year and three decades short of a millennium. He also set a new record for the longest wait before having children, which may or may not have any causal relationship to his extra years of life. Did he marry later than most, did he and his wife just opt for a longer honeymoon, or were they trying to have children to no avail? Did the prevailing iniquity in the world make them think twice about trying to raise good kids? The Bible limits us to knowing only that Methuselah waited a long time, 122 years longer than his father had, although if we’re talking percentage of years lived, his wait was nowhere near as long or miraculous as those of Abraham and Zacharias! (Genesis 21:5, 25:7-8, Luke 1:18).
Interestingly, there is Scriptural evidence that God often extends life for individuals and nations to give them a chance to bear fruit. He gave Adam, Eve and Cain extra time. He also suffered long with the Jewish nation (Compare Matthew 3:7-10 with Luke 13:6-9) Nevertheless, “when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come” (Mark 4:29). God prefers to harvest ripe fruit rather than let it get overripe. Read the story of Hezekiah for an example (Isaiah chapters 37-39). In any case, Methuselah’s extra-long life was an opportunity to bear more fruit, not only physically, but spiritually as well.
Beyond any personal reasons, however, the meaning of Methuselah’s name (when he dies, then comes the forsaking) gives a globally-relevant, divine motive for his longevity: the long-suffering of God toward the sinful race. As his grandson began to preach of the coming flood, Methuselah’s every additional birthday was proof of God’s patient mercy, not only to him, but to the whole world. Did Methuselah connect the dots when, as a grandfather of 849 years, God sent the message that mankind’s probation would close in 120 years? (see Genesis 6:3.) If so, he, like Hezekiah, were in that regard the only men like Jesus Christ who could count down their remaining years with complete certainty because they knew far in advance the exact time of their death. While Hezekiah rested on past achievements and selfishly wasted his remaining time, Jesus pressed forward making every day count toward the fulfillment of God's plan. How about you? You don’t need to know when your life will end to learn to number your days: all you need is a heart that trusts and obeys the teaching of the Word of God. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalms 90:12). Will you start counting your days today and making them count for the kingdom of heaven?
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