Q. Hi. I’m eleven-years old. I’m wondering why Seth lived to be 912 years old? How could he live so long? (C.D.)
Answer:
This is a fascinating question. You are right. Genesis 5:8 says that… “all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died” (NASB).
God’s Plan
The first answer to your question is to remember that it was God’s plan and desire that Adam, Eve, Seth, Methuselah and everyone else live longer because the Bible records this. But this was not to last because people turned their backs on God and His provisions for living longer. Mankind disobeyed God and the result was that their lifespan became shorter and they began to die. “Yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3). God is “life” and if we walk away from Him we walk away from life and begin to die.
What does Modern Science Say?
Scientists who are Christians offer us guesses or speculations as to why many of the men listed in Genesis 5 lived such long lives. We really do not know just how it happened, but, their guesses are pretty good and they are based on some facts. Here are some examples;
Closer to Original Genetic Bloodline
First, the earliest people in Genesis were closely related to Adam and Eve. They were healthier than later generations. That means the terrible effects of sin including decay or the process of dying wasn’t as strong as it would be thousands of years later. This is because the earliest families were close to the original genetic bloodline of Adam and Eve.
2nd. Law of Thermodynamics
In your science textbooks the Second Law of Thermodynamics includes the process of decay (or sin) that “infected” the entire universe. We can’t save ourselves from this law. Only God can save us from dying.
Water Vapor Canopy
Second, before the flood some scientists believe there was a canopy of water vapor around the earth that helped to shield the planet from harmful, cosmic rays. The canopy would make the entire earth like a greenhouse. There would be no need of rain because the canopy atmosphere and rivers would have provided healthful moisture to plants, animals and men.
North & South Poles
In fact, scientists now know for a fact that the North and South Pole regions once were lush with tropical growth – similar to Hawaii or the rain forests.
Garden of Eden-Type Beauty
The earth must have been beautiful in those days. Fruits and vegetables would have been nutrient-dense and extremely healthful. Men would not have succumbed to certain types of cancers or other degenerative diseases because there would have been fewer problems with radiation from the sun. The air would have been rich with oxygen – far more than today.
All of this would have contributed to much longer life spans than we have today. It isn’t hard to imagine men living as long as hundreds of years like Seth, Enosh, Kenan, and others.
Post Flood Devastation
However, after the flood the topography of the earth changed drastically. Men, animals, and plants were subjected to dangerous levels of radiation from the sun. Deserts formed, the oxygen content of the air lessened, and fruits and vegetables would not grow as nutrient-dense.
Mutations & Diseases
As a result, biological life forms probably began to mutate and die faster. New or mutated kinds of bugs developed, and mutated germs and other things began to cause terrible problems for mankind, animals and plants. Diseases and germs began to spread. All of us began to die earlier and earlier.
Short Lifespans
Most of us now live between 70 to 80 years of age – with some living into their mid-nineties.
It is interesting that Psalm 90:10 says,
“As for the days of our life,
they contain seventy
years,
Or if due to strength,
Eighty years…”
Since that is true today, it is probably also true that earliest men lived for hundreds of years. All of us need to understand that our life spans are really very short (even though it seems long to younger people). We need to accept Christ’s generous offer of eternal life to overcome the effects of sin (or decay).
God offers us a Forever Life
What a wonderful, loving God who offers us a new, forever life with a forever family. Our Christian family will live longer than Seth – that’s for sure! There is no end to eternity. Isn’t it fantastic that God loves you that much?
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Suggested Resources:
http://drdino.com.
http://reasons.org.
Strobel, Lee. 2002. The case for faith. (Student Edition). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.