WHO WAS LAMECH?

Wow, the power of SiteMeter! I discovered that not only does it count the number of hits your page receives, but it can also show you the referring pages on which folks found a link to your site. In the past week, although my ultralong and boring Debate Post is driving zero traffic, several people found me just by Googling "Lamech." If you do that you'll see my site at the top of the list. Now granted, the number of people trying to learn about this Biblical figure is not large. But since Google says I am the number one site for the guy, I figured I would say something about him.

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.
When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son and called his name Noah, saying, "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." Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5:21-32 ESV

There are actually two different Lamechs mentioned in Genesis. One was a descendant of Cain and not a nice guy. The other one was a descendant of Adam's son Seth, and he's the one I had in mind when I named this web site.

Lamech's grandfather was Enoch, who the Bible says did not taste because of his great faith in the Lord (see Hebrews 11:5). Lamech was born before Enoch was taken up, so it is safe to assume Lamech learned some things about the God of heaven directly from his faithful ancestor.

Lamech's father was Methuselah, who lived a longer life on earth than anyone in history. Now the first commandment in the law of Moses with a promise says, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12 ESV). I conclude that Methuselah may have honored his godly parents better than anyone apart from Jesus. And again I gather Lamech learned from his father's example. Methuselah died in the same year as the Genesis flood; since there are no grievous sins attributed to him it can be argued that he died before the flood began, but it is possible he was swept away in the flood. Some have guessed that God was actually waiting for the of Methuselah, as a sign of his long patience with a sinful world before bringing judgment.

Lamech named his firstborn son Noah, which in Hebrew means "one who comforts." Lamech saw his son grow strong in faith, and lived long enough to see most of the construction of the ark. However, Lamech died 5 years before the flood. I wonder if it was Noah's obedience and faithfulness to God's call to build the ark that comforted Lamech in those days, knowing that despite the extreme evil that had captivated nearly the entire human race, there was one family of men and women called by God to a personal relationship with the Creator.

Noah comforted his father Lamech. Lamech raised a son who remained steadfastly within God's will, when all others had violently turned away.

I want to be like Lamech.