The Bible is full of examples of accuracy that builds one’s faith. The study of apologetics is the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of information. This information includes countless examples from GOD’S word. There are so many places in Scripture where it would have been easy for man to make a mistake if he were not speaking from inspiration. Let us consider just one such example today.
If you have read my blogs for very long, you know I am a “numbers” guy. I taught mathematics in high school for a number of years and am intrigued by numbers. Beginning in Genesis 5, there is a long list of genealogies. And along with the names we have ages assigned. It is pretty common knowledge that the oldest man ever recorded in scripture was Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old (Gen 5:29). Actually, it is a pretty sad commentary on his life that nothing noteworthy is said about him. That is a long time to live without accomplishing something of note to be recorded. But that’s not our focus today. For today, let’s just note that he lived 969 years.
Consider the following:
Gen 5:25 Methuselah was 187 when Lamech was born.
Gen 5:28 Lamech was 182 when Noah was born (thus Methuselah was 369).
Gen 7:6 Noah was 600 when the flood destroyed the earth.
Adding the ages together gives one exactly 969 years!
Now what if the scriptures had said Methuselah lived 970 years? There would be an obvious problem. The fact is Methuselah died in the year of the flood. Maybe he died sometime that year before the flood came. But he was alive to at least see much of the ark built. It is sad to think that maybe he died in the flood. That we don’t know but we do know the scriptures are 100% accurate.
The more we study GOD’S word the deeper our faith grows. Isn’t that what Romans 10:17 tells us? “ So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of GOD.”