GENESIS 11
10 These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11 And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.12 When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah. 13 And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah 403 years and had other sons and daughters.14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber. 15 And Shelah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years and had other sons and daughters. 16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg. 17 And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years and had other sons and daughters.18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu. 19 And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209 years and had other sons and daughters.20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug. 21 And Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years and had other sons and daughters.22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor. 23 And Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years and had other sons and daughters.24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah. 25 And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
– Genesis 11:10-26
GENESIS 11 GENERATIONS FROM SHEM TO ABRAM
In the following account, we see the lineage from Shem to Abram. I already touched on the descendants of Shem as the blessed ones that led to Christ’s birth in Genesis 10. But in this chapter, let us zoom in to the ages that each of them died. This reveals something about how the lifespan got shorter and shorter. From Shem up until Eber, they lived around four hundred to five hundred years old, but there was a change in the length of years lived from Peleg who only reached 239 years of life. Then another shift happened with Serug to Nahor from 230 to 148. Terah lived 205 and Abram 175 years.
What could have been the reason for the lifespan of man to decrease through the years? In Genesis 6:3 many people who read this verse thinks it is about man’s life span being shortened by God. But, if you take the context of the whole chapter, it was actually how long God was giving man to repent before he brought about the flood. We hear some people live up to over 130 years even at this age. God’s patience is evident in the length of days he gives us to repent and live the life he planned for us to live.
REFLECTION
- Why do you think God used sinful people to be Jesus’ ancestry?
