The Real Nowhere Man. Series

A boat docked in a tiny New England village. An American businessman complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the fisherman.

"Well, then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the businessman.

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The businessman asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife when I get home. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The businessman interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one-and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the fisherman.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the businessman.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the usinessman, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take naps with your wife, and spend your evenings seeing your friends, playing the guitar, and singing a few songs. You can have a full life."

Today as we continue to study the genealogy of Jesus, we are going to discover a man who without doubt had the fullest life of all of the descendants of Jesus.

Last week we looked at Adam. We discovered that he lived to be 930 years old. He had a son that he named Seth. Seth is mentioned solely because it was through his lineage that Jesus would come.

At 105, Seth had a son and named him Enosh. The name meant “mortal man.” Seth realized that man was mortal. That man’s days were numbered. Seth would experience his own mortality at the age of 912. This understanding of man’s mortality leads to what was possibly the first revival.

Genesis 4:26 “When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.”

We can be sure that Adam had shared the story of the beauty of the garden and how God would walk with him in the evenings since Adam was present and alive. It would have been a certainty that God shared his name with Adam as He would one day with Moses. In the face of being mortal and being in the barren world struggling for food, people began to worship God, seeking his favor.

The list continues. Enosh had a son and named him Kenan. Kenan had a son and named him Mahalalel. Mahalalel had a son and named him Jared.

Jared had a son and named him Enoch. Enoch is the character that we will discuss today.

Genesis 5:21-24 “When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”

Let’s take a moment to get a perspective on where we are at on the time line. 700 years has not yet passed since Adam was expelled from the garden. In fact, Adam is still alive at this time. He is 687 years old. He will die 57 years before Enoch disappears. Perhaps he spent time with Enoch telling him the stories of his relationship with a loving God. Perhaps it was these conversations that enabled Enoch to develop a relationship with that none have had since the garden.

We noticed in the scripture that Enoch had a son. He named him Methuselah. We have learned in the past that names had meanings. Methuselah meant “when he is dead it shall be sent.” We can assume from this name that God had given Enoch a vision of some event occurring at the death of Methuselah.