Our Legacy

How will you be known after you die? I am not sure how many people spend time considering this and similar questions, but the significance of a human life and its impact on others seems to occupy some piece of mental landscape in our minds. We’d all like to think that our lives will matter, that someone will mention us in a meaningful way after we are gone from this life. We yearn to be appreciated.

Genesis 5:1-31
"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."

There are two basic theories of explanation for this passage, assuming that you take the Bible seriously. The first is biological: the genetic material of the human race had not yet produced mutations and errors, and so human beings were still free from much of the chronic diseases and conditions which hasten old age. This, combined with an atmosphere full of moisture (it had not yet rained upon the earth) that protected people from radiation, allowed the early humans to live a very long time. The second explanation is literary. Noting parallels of very long lifespans in other geneologies (Babylonian lists of kings include some who had reigns over 10,000 years), these names may represent ancestral family dynasties and their relative importance rather than the lifespan of one individual.

Did any of these men realize that we would be considering them and their significance, thousands of years later? Methuselah lived 969 years, Jared lived 962, Adam 930, Seth 912 years. But, apart from their prodigious long lives, what else is there to say about them?

They mattered to God. Each life He creates contains His image, and is therefore sacred. Apparently Enoch found favor with God, because God took him away. A whole 90 chapter book was written about Enoch (1 Enoch), speculating about where exactly God took him, and what he did there.

Each life is given meaning and significance because of its origin in God. What they do to enhance and build upon that meaning and significance is up to them, whether it was when the human race was young or 3,000 years from now, floating through space in vast city-ships, light-years from Methuselah’s grave.