Walking with Lamech

When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son and called his name Noah. Genesis 5:28

There are a lot of people in the Bible who only have their name mentioned within a genealogy, leaving us knowing nothing more about their life. From Adam to Noah (regarding the lineage of Jesus) there are listed ten names: Adam – Seth – Enosh – Kenan – Mahalalel – Jared – Enoch – Methuselah – Lamech – Noah. Although we know the stories of Adam and Noah, all we know for the most part about the others is how old they were when they died and the name of their firstborn son. In addition to this, we know that from the time of Seth people began to call upon the name of the Lord. Genesis 4:26

Lamech’s grandfather was a prophet who walked with God, and he probably learned a lot by watching and listening to him. I have no doubt that Lamech not only walked with God, but he talked with God as well, for when his son was born, he said,

Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands. Genesis 5:29

As Lamech called upon the name of the Lord because of the wickedness he saw all around him, and the judgement that would be executed, did God reveal that his son would have a pivotal role to play? I believe so, because how else could he say with confidence – ‘this one shall bring us relief’ – except by revelation from God? Relief was coming for the earth and Noah was certainly front and centre in God’s plan, but maybe not quite in the way that Lamech thought.

I believe that because Lamech’s heart was turned toward God, he was spared the pain of what was about to happen. When Lamech was born, Adam was still alive, along with every other firstborn son mentioned above. When Noah was born, only his father and grandfather remained. Five years before the flood, Lamech died, and the year the rains came, Methuselah died. Everyone in the genealogy of Jesus was spared the devastation that Noah endured.

Our prayers to God may not always (or often) be answered in the way that we think, or hope, because our view is limited. God sees the whole landscape and knows what we can endure, and then, when to spare us from the pain.

We cannot walk with God unless our hearts are turned toward him, and we cannot know the direction unless we call upon his name.