Mysteries & Intrigues of the Bible

SECTION ONE

Strange but True

Shrinking Life Spans

Why did human life expectancy decline sharply in early Bible times?

ENOCH WAS A MERE CHILD when his life on earth ended at age 365. Today, at the ripe old age of thirty, most people find they cannot run the mile quite so fast as those younger kids they used to compete against. At forty, fathers begin to lose arm-wrestling matches with their sons, and at fifty with their daughters. At sixty, you may be feeling young but a look in the mirror prevents self-deception. At seventy, you have qualified for every senior-citizen discount ever invented, and people say, You’re so young looking, only to coax you for a walk around the block. How did those people in the Bible live so long, when in comparison many of us grow tired and old so soon?

One of the oldest people in the Bible was Methuselah, a man who lived 969 years, nearly a full millennium. Most of these people had begun raising kids when they reached our age of retirement. How did these ancients live so long? Did they have a purer air and water? Was their some type of enzyme or protein in the food they ate that gave them immunity against diseases that plague our populations, such as cancer? What secret did the ancients possess that enabled them to live superhuman lives? Was there actually some Fountain of Youth, the same one that Ponce de León searched for in Florida in the sixteenth century?

Although the Bible lists the names and ages of these ancient heroes, it does not provide any explanation for the longevity of the people. We can well imagine that in those days stress wasn’t as prevalent, food was purer, the environment was less toxic, disease was less virulent, and the air was less adulterated than it is today. The agricultural pace of life was most likely slower, giving the ancients time to achieve mental peace. The rat-race pace of life was still to be invented by distant descendants who would look back disbelievingly at the incredible life spans once enjoyed. Perhaps environmental and lifestyle factors explain much of the disparity between the modern person’s life expectancy and that of the ancients of old. The fact that these extremely old people existed before the biblical account of the flood might account for some of the differences in life expectancy. An extensive flood may have changed prehistoric atmospheric and climatic conditions that supported human existence much more readily than the environmental conditions we endure today. Still, a person’s body must be unusually strong to last seven, eight, or nine centuries.

A more theological explanation is that the life expectancies declined according to a divine plan; as the earth became more populous, the need for such long life spans disappeared. God’s displeasure with human behavior enters into the explanation as well. Genesis 6:3 contains this terse comment: Then the LORD said, ‘My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.’ The life expectancy after Noah indeed drops sharply; Noah himself lived 950 years, his son Shem only 600; six generations later, Terah, the father of Abram, died after 148 years of life.

The reason why these ancient people lived so long continues to be a complex puzzle, and we may never have the pieces necessary to provide a complete answer.

For some ancient genealogical data, read Genesis 5.

Giant Questions

Who were the mysterious sons of God described in Genesis 6:1?

IN A CRYPTIC PASSAGE just before the story of Noah’s ark, the writer of Genesis tells us that sons of God looked down on the beautiful women on the earth and took them as wives. Their offspring became a race of giants called the Nephilites (some Bible versions say Nephilim), who became the heroes of ancient lore.

That is the extent of our knowledge of this moment in early history, a puzzle that raises more questions than we have answers. Who were these sons of God? What do we know about the Nephilites?

One theory suggests that these giants were descendants of Seth, a godly line of people, who had intermarried with the wicked descendants of Cain. You’ll recall that Cain murdered his brother Abel; Seth was born later to Adam and Eve. A problem with this theory is that Genesis seems to draw an obvious difference between mere mortals and supermortals in this story, a difference too plain to avoid.

Another theory proposes that these sons of God were great men—rulers and kings. The appeal of such an explanation is that it smoothes away the difficulty of imagining that angels (or some other spiritual beings) were intimate with women. The impression we infer from the passage is that of extraordinary, supernatural beings who somehow entered earth’s realm to choose earthly wives.

A third theory is that these sons of God were unlike anything seen on earth, then or now. They were from another spiritual realm—some would say a demonic one—but had certain physical capacities. They had a sex drive, and their offspring were giants, powerful men—the stuff of legends. That might be too difficult to fathom: part-angelic, part-human beings. But whatever the Bible was speaking of in this mysterious chapter, it is clear from the books of Jude and 2 Peter that any angelic being who sins by transgressing the gulf between human and angelic will endure the full wrath of God. These angels can only expect the gloomy dungeons of God’s judgment (see 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).

And what of the Nephilites? We encounter them again in Numbers 13:33 when the spies reporting from the Promised Land spoke fearfully of a race of giants that inhabited the land. Were they related to these giants of old? We can’t say. But we do know that the Israelites encountered giants during their early history, Goliath of Gath being the most famous example. Second Samuel 21:15–22 includes a brief chronicle of Israel’s battle with these large men.

For a firsthand account of the sons of God, read Genesis 6:1–8.

Without Beginning or End

Who was the mysterious priest who ministered to Abraham?

HE SHOWS UP ONLY ONCE during Abraham’s life, but he became an archetype of the high priest to whom Jesus himself is most often compared. Despite his remarkable association with Jesus, we have scant biographical data about him. This interesting and little known character in the Bible is the ancient king and priest named Melchizedek.

According to Hebrews 7:2, The name Melchizedek means ‘king of justice,’ and king of Salem means ‘king of peace.’ Most Bible scholars believe Salem was the ancient city that became present-day Jerusalem. He is the first priest named in the Bible, and though his priesthood was not necessarily connected to the Israelites’ priesthood descended from Aaron, Melchizedek is honored as God-fearing and even an exemplar of Jesus.

Melchizedek’s name survives because, unlike many other ancient king-priests, he did not exploit his subjects—in particular Abraham. When Abraham offered 10 percent of what he conquered to Melchizedek, the mysterious ancient priest gave Abraham a blessing and a banquet. By contrast, the king of Sodom, another ruler who accepted gifts from travelers and subjects, took nine times the tithe money and provided nothing in return.

The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews makes much of Melchizedek, calling him a priest forever, resembling the Son of God (Hebrews 7:3). These are extraordinary words of praise in the Bible for a mere ancient priest. Melchizedek is called a priest forever because he has no father, mother, or ancestors. Indeed, in a book like Genesis, where the whole human race’s ancestry is mapped out, there is no mention of Melchizedek’s ancestors. Who was this mysterious priest-king? Who were his parents? What is his complete story? These questions have confounded biblical scholars. Was Melchizedek an angelic appearance like others described in the Bible? Or was Melchizedek merely a righteous priest who became a symbol of the righteousness the Israelites could expect from a coming Deliverer? Was Melchizedek merely a righteous leader who represented for all time a greater truth than even he imagined? Whatever the facts, we recognize that Melchizedek symbolized the covenant relationship that would come to completion in Christ.

For Melchizedek’s story, read Genesis 14, Psalm 110, and Hebrews 5–7.

Desert Visitors

Who were the mysterious travelers who told Abraham about future events?

THE SUN SHONE HIGH one hot afternoon in ancient Canaan. Three dusty travelers slowly approached the several tents that had been placed amidst a pleasant oak grove. These were Abraham’s tents, and his family lived among these oak trees at Mamre. When Abraham saw the three approaching, he encouraged his wife, Sarah, to prepare a meal. Hospitality in this ancient culture was paramount; when even uninvited and unexpected guests arrived, they were greeted and fed.

Abraham ran to meet the men and welcomed them. They exchanged greetings, and Abraham urged them to stay as his honored guests. The three travelers agreed, and Abraham was delighted.

After a hearty meal, the men headed out toward Sodom. Since Abraham knew the way well—his nephew Lot lived in that city—he went with them part of the way.

But the talk of these three grew strange. One spoke of the city of Sodom with great displeasure. He had heard of the unspeakable perversions that thrived in that city. He even spoke of destroying the city for its wickedness. Abraham pleaded with the man to spare the city, bargaining down to the point of asking that the city be saved if only ten righteous people could be found there. The man agreed and Abraham returned home.

But the next day, Sodom was a smoldering ash heap. Had armies come and destroyed it? Had the trio sabotaged the city by torching it in the middle of the night?

These were all plausible explanations for the sudden destruction of a thriving city. But the villagers of the nearby towns told a far different story. They spoke of fire and burning sulfur raining down on the city, licking up all its inhabitants—save one man and his daughters.

The one man who had barely escaped this appalling plight was Lot, the nephew of Abraham himself. Filled with great fear, Lot lived the rest of his days in the caves of the region.

The tale Lot told of that harrowing night filled everyone who heard it with dread. He told of two visitors who insisted that he leave his hometown that instant. After some hesitation—it was their home, after all—Lot’s family fled, only to barely escape the hot sulfur that rained down from the sky. Lot’s wife stole a quick look back and with that glance, lost her life (see the next story, The Saline Fräulein).

We may never know with complete certainty whom Abraham hosted on that hot day—although Scripture makes it clear that one of these men was the Lord himself. Given the sudden fiery destruction of Sodom and nearby Gomorrah—by means unavailable to ancients—it’s obvious that Abraham’s visitors were from another realm.

For more on Abraham’s visitors and the subsequent destruction of Sodom, read Genesis 18–19.

The Saline Fräulein

What really happened to the woman who looked back at Sodom?

LOT IS ONE of the Bible’s most famous husbands, not for anything he did to win points with his wife, but for the distinct and unusual honor of being married to a block of salt. Here’s how it happened.

Ancient Sodom crawled with seedy behavior. Its name has come to stand for debauchery. Its character was worse than daytime TV soap operas. One night around the year 2050 B.C., Lot was instructed to evacuate the city, for the anger of God was about to fall upon it. He had too little time to arrange for the sale of his residence, but at least he had his life. The one condition: Don’t look back.

So Lot and his family got away before fire poured from heaven on the sorry city of Sodom. But Lot’s wife did glance backward, a quick look over the shoulder. After all, her home, her possessions, her friends were back in the city. As the deafening noise came from the heavens, as screams rose from the city, she turned around to look. In the next instant, her body became a block of salt. How can such a dramatic chemical change happen so fast?

Maybe she was hit by debris from the firestorm—hot lava that turned her corpse into crystalline salt. A more literal interpretation suggests that God turned her body into an inert block of sodium chloride.

No wonder Lot and the rest of his family moved on hastily and never looked back.

For more on Lot’s wife, read Genesis 19.

HOLY VENGEANCE

Scripture outlines the fates of families, nations, and peoples who died defying or neglecting the power of God.

The Deception

A father’s blessing and curse that couldn’t be undone.

WHY—WHY CAN’T YOU BLESS ME? The loud cry pierced the silence. Bless me, too, came the anxious plea again. The wrinkled and gray old man was sitting straight up, a troubled look on his face. His son, a livid young man named Esau, was pacing back and forth in the tent. Please bless me, father, he cried. Please bless me." Isaac stared straight ahead, seemingly unaffected by the commotion. Blind for many years, Isaac could not see his anguished son; but he certainly could hear his loud pleas.

Finally Isaac spoke, Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing…. I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?

Esau collapsed, weeping bitterly, Do you have only one blessing?

As Esau sobbed, his face buried in his hands, Isaac slowly stretched out his bony hand and placed it on his son’s head. In quiet monotones, Isaac pronounced, You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck (Genesis 27:34–40).

These were not the words Esau was looking for. They fell on his ears like pelting rain. His heart sank. His stomach churned. Finally he stormed out of the tent, vowing to kill his brother Jacob. That brother of his had stolen his blessing and left him with his father’s curse.

How could the words of a feeble old man hold so much power? Why couldn’t Isaac take his blessing back from his conniving younger son, Jacob? How could mere words change the destinies of these two young men?

Isaac’s curse did come true. King David, a descendant of Jacob, conquered the Edomites, Esau’s descendants, around 1000 B.C. For centuries after that, the Edomites lived to the south of Israel in a desert region under Israel’s dominion (see 2 Samuel 8:14).

Why did Isaac’s words hold so much power? The ancients believed that a spoken curse contained inherent power to accomplish itself. This explains Esau’s reaction. But it does not explain why Isaac’s words came true or why Isaac couldn’t take his blessing back. Could Isaac, although physically blind, see centuries into the future? Did Isaac hold the future of his sons in his wrinkled hands?

The key to this mystery lay in the heart of Rebekah, Isaac’s wife. Decades earlier, she had buried a secret deep within herself. When she was a young woman pregnant with twins, her days and nights had been filled with great pain. The two babies she had been carrying in her womb were continually struggling, kicking, and fighting. The pain kept her up late into the cool desert nights and filled her days with agony. Finally in desperation, she sought out a place to be alone. There, she poured out her grief to the God of Abraham. Why this pain? Why her?

God spoke to her: The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son (Genesis 25:23).

It was obvious to Rebekah that God had ordained Jacob’s and Esau’s fates long before their father