Posted on 08/12/2015 7:23:42 AM PDT by Salvation
I sometimes get questions about the remarkably long lives of the patriarchs who lived before the great flood. Consider some of their reported ages when they died:
How to understand these references? There are many theories that have tried to explain the claimed longevity. Some try to introduce a mathematical corrective, but this leads to other pitfalls such as certain patriarchs apparently begetting children while they are still children themselves. Another approach is to say that the “ages” of the patriarchs are actually just indications of their influence or family line. But then things don’t add up chronologically with eras and family trees.
Personally, I think we need to take the stated ages of the patriarchs at face value and just accept it as a mystery: for some reason, the ancient patriarchs lived far longer we do in the modern era. I cannot prove that they actually lived that long, but neither is there strong evidence that they did not. Frankly, I have little stake in insisting that they did in fact live that long. But if you ask me, I think it is best just to accept that they did.
This solution, when I articulate it, causes many to scoff. They almost seem to be offended. The reply usually sounds something like this: “That’s crazy. There’s no way they lived that long. The texts must be wrong.” To which I generally reply, “Why do you think it is crazy or impossible?” The answers usually range from the glib to the more serious, but here are some common replies:
So I think we’re back to where we started: just taking the long life spans of the early patriarchs at face value.
There is perhaps a theological truth hidden in the shrinking lifespans of the Old Testament. The scriptures link sin and death. Adam and Eve were warned that the day they ate of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would die (Gen 2:17). But they did not drop dead immediately, and though they died spiritually in an instant, the clock of death for their bodies wound down much later. As the chart above shows, as sin increased, lifespans dropped precipitously, especially after the flood.
Prior to the flood, lifespans remained in the vicinity of 900 years, but right afterward they dropped by about a third (Noah and Shem only lived to 600), and then the numbers plummeted even further. Neither Abraham nor Moses even reached 200, and by the time of King David, he would write, Our years are seventy, or eighty for those who are strong (Ps 90:10).
Scripture says, For the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). Indeed they are, especially in terms of lifespan. And perhaps that is why I am not too anxious to try to disprove the long lifespans of the patriarchs. For what we know theologically is borne out in our human experience: sin is life-destroying. And this truth is surely writ large in the declining lifespan of the human family.
Does this prove that Adam actually lived to be more than 900 years old? No. It only shows that declining lifespans are something we fittingly discover in a world of sin. Since God teaches that sin brings death, why should we be shocked that our lifespan has decreased from 900 to 85 years? It is what it is. It’s a sad truth that God warned us about. Thanks be to God our Father who in Jesus now offers us eternal life, if we will have faith and obey His Son!
So how or even whether the patriarchs lived past 900 is not clear. But what is theologically clear is that we don’t live that long today because of the collective effect of sin upon us.
If we allow God's Word to be taken literally, we might just learn a lot more than we think we have learned independently of Him. Give it a chance.
Gen 6:3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.”
Finally, some one who reads the Bible instead of relying on their own understanding.......................
And the answer to why is that there was sinnin’ going on 24/7
Who wrote the Bible? Answer: God didn't.
Wrong answer.
Until one understands the mechanics of spiritual life, trying to explain spiritual things from soulish and physical perspectives will never adequately address the truth.
I heard the same thing CL. I think I remember them saying direct sunlight tends to kill us much more quickly, than when the firmament surrounded the earth. Could you imagine living among liberals for 900 years? I don’t think I could handle it.
When one accepts the much longer antediluvian lifespan, some interesting facets arise concerning the aftermath.
Consider the first generation or so after the flood.
It would be the first generation where the great grandparents outlived their children by several generations.
The continuity of generational thinking would have taken a different form, which nicely explains how some may have traveled in different directions and gave root to parallel accounts of the same events with slightly different perspectives, yet basic technologies still advanced.
Uh...
The BOOK says so??
Psalm 90:10 King James Version (KJV)
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Did Methuselah die in the FLOOD?
Jewish tradition records that the Flood was delayed until shortly after the death of Methuselah.
Could they have been extraterrestrials? Leading UFO experts say “Yes”.
Amen.
To me the decrease in longevity, though we have no hard evidence, was simply the rise in bacteria and viruses after the flood. A reasonable explanation for why Noah got drunk after he stepped off the ark was due to fermentation of the grapes (a breakdown). This may have been unknown before the flood and Noah didn't realize what would happen when drinking so much wine. Thus the curse of Ham for essentially laughing at his father's condition was understandable.
The world around us is decaying. So are we. The longevity of the patriarchs is evidence to this decay whether we choose to accept it. And yet, while we look for a "fountain of youth", God offers us living water.
Yet, some in our churches doubt the scriptures. One has to wonder how much doubt can exist before there is unbelief?
I’ve experienced all KINDS of ‘tradition’; but I’m more interested in what the BOOK says.
Now THERE's an oxymoron for the ages!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.