Genesis 5 Amazing Dad!
There are only two men who didn’t die. Elijah was taken up in a fiery chariot and Enoch walked so closely with God that he simply wasn’t there one day. He was an amazing dad until then.
I know this is a bit of a departure from my usual direction, but I felt compelled to take a closer look. I made a chart showing the ages of fatherhood from listed in Genesis 5. I also included ages of death and who was alive when the future generations were born. I shared this chart with you some time ago but went back today for another look.
At first, I only looked forward. I noticed that Enoch, who NEVER died, lived on earth long enough to see his grandchild Lamech but not any Lamech’s son Noah. We don’t know if Lamech had any children before Noah. I say this because we KNOW Adam had children before Seth, yet Seth is the one listed in the genealogy. Therefore, we don’t know how many sons and daughters were born prior to the ones identified in the list.
This got me thinking about what kind of father he must have been. We have seen some poor examples of fathers throughout our walk through the bible, but few good examples. For 365 years Enoch walked with God. He HAD to have walked with Him for a LONG time. One day doesn’t make God so enthralled with a man that He would snatch him off the earth at that moment. His whole life must have been exemplary. This does NOT mean he was without sin, for we know that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But his life was so focused on God that one day, while on their walk together, Enoch ‘walked into heaven’.
So, this leads me to believe that he must have been an amazing parent. He would have taught his children and grandchildren all about God. This would mean that he instilled in them a love, or at least great respect, for God. And his children passed that on to their children. Enoch never met Noah while he walked the earth, but his lessons were passed down to him in good measure.
After thinking about this, I looked backward and noticed that Enoch could have learned at Adam’s knee. Enoch was 309 when Adam died. I wonder how many times Enoch asked Adam about his time in the garden with God. How many stories must Adam have told him about the nights when he walked with God? And how many times did Adam weep as he retold the story of how their time in the garden ended? All these stories had an impact on Enoch. So much so that he dedicated his life to finding that same kind of relationship with God too.
This didn’t make Enoch “so heavenly minded that he was no earthly good.” Enoch had many children and cared for each of them. It’s no wonder that he is in the line of our Savior.
Father God, I wish I could claim to be a parent like Enoch must have been. I KNOW that You can mitigate the damage I did in my walk through parenthood with my children. I KNOW You are still working on their lives and mine as their parent.
One day in Jeaven, will I get to sit and listen to Adam’s stories? Will I meet Enoch and hear of his time with You on earth? I’m looking forward to ALL the stories of Your “fingerprints in men’s lives. I’ll share mine too!
