Did Methuselah Have A Midlife Crisis?

“Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” – Psalm 39:5


Genesis tells us that Methuselah lived to be 969 years old. That’s old. As I have come to the realization that there is more sand at the bottom of my hourglass than at the top, I marvel that this patriarch was a mere child at the age of 60. I know I think about things that most people would consider frivolous, but I must tell you that this man fascinates me. Let your mind wander for a few minutes as I take you into my world of thinking. After 20 years of marriage you may say to your wife, "Honey, where have the years gone?" Whereas Methuselah on his 300th anniversary may have said to his wife Molly (probably not her real name), “Where have the centuries gone? Why it seems like just yesterday that our son Lamech (his real name) was 200." Does all this seem absurd to you? It doesn’t to me. All things being equal he probably lost his baby teeth at 65, which is when the rest of us start thinking about dentures. No doubt he had his aches and pains like the rest of us, only on a more protracted scale. Perhaps a touch of stiffness or a little arthritis began to set in around 600. These incidentals, however, are not what really intrigue me. The big question that I have for Methuselah is – did he have a midlife crisis? At 500 did he start to panic and realize he only had another four to five hundred years left? Did he go out and buy a red chariot? Did he change his hairstyle?

Hold on to these thoughts as we take a look at another extreme. There are microscopic organisms that only live a few hours. Suppose the life expectancy of humans was only a few hours. If you were born at 9:00 a.m., you would be middle age by lunch. For one of your friends, born at 11:00 a.m., to tell you they’re going shopping but will be back by dinner would convey to you that they care more about stuff than they do about attending your memorial service, which should be right around 5:00 p.m.

Well I don’t know what Molly, microbes, or Methuselah thought about time, but I do know what God thinks; and He tells us they all had the same length of life. Their lives were but a vapor. When James made that statement he did not have an asterisk by Methusaleh. The term vapor includes all of humanity. Our lives are also described in Scripture as a moment, a handbreadth or like grass that grows up in a day and withers at the end.

Regarding the midlife crisis, this should never be in the vocabulary of the believer because he has eternal life and there is no midpoint in eternity. So rejoice in that you live forever, which is just as long as Methuselah, and that’s why I call these articles, THE WAY I SEE THINGS.