Recently, I've been asking myself a question that will probably sound really odd. So maybe I'll give some background before I ask it. Fact-according to the scriptures, the City of Enoch and all of its inhabitants were translated-that is, they were taken up into the presence of God to live with Him until Christ's Second Coming upon the earth (see Moses 7:69, cross reference Genesis 5:24). However, according to the genealogy set forth in the book of Genesis, Noah was clearly a descendant of Enoch. Which means that when the City of Enoch was taken up, somebody got left behind. I guess I've been wondering, what was that like? How did it happen? Was Noah's family just out on a picnic one day and didn't make it back in time? Most of all, I wondered, how did it feel?
I've had a lot of experiences recently where I feel like I've "missed the boat", so to speak. And it hurts a little bit. I feel like I'm doing the best I know how, and yet here I am, left behind. This leads to a lot of introspection on whether I'm worthy, whether I'm really doing my best. And discouragement. A lot of that.
So, this morning, I had a little study time left, and I decided to see what I could find out. I ran the chronology according to what's given in Genesis, and found a slightly different account in the Doctrine and Covenants. Either way, it turns out that Noah was not born in the City of Enoch, but rather a few years after it was taken up (see Genesis 5, and D&C 107). So, Noah probably grew up at the feet of men--his father, Lamech and grandfather, Methuselah--who had lived among Enoch's people. Not only that, but who had been ordained to the priesthood under the hands of the first and second generations of men on this earth. At least one of them--Methuselah, who ordained Noah--was present at a meeting three years prior to Adam's death, in which Adam blessed him, and in the which Christ Himself appeared to comfort Adam in his age (D&C 107:53-57). Translation: the guys who were left behind when Enoch's city was taken up were not exactly what you call slouches. Although little is known of Lamech, in the Bible Dictionary it describes Methuselah as " a righteous man," and "a prophet", and in both the Bible and modern revelation, Lamech is seen to prophesy concerning his son Noah (Genesis 5:29, Moses 8:9). So, Noah certainly wasn't left behind unaided. I figured that was all I was going to get. And then I read Moses 8:2-3:
"And it came to pass that Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins.
I've had a lot of experiences recently where I feel like I've "missed the boat", so to speak. And it hurts a little bit. I feel like I'm doing the best I know how, and yet here I am, left behind. This leads to a lot of introspection on whether I'm worthy, whether I'm really doing my best. And discouragement. A lot of that.
So, this morning, I had a little study time left, and I decided to see what I could find out. I ran the chronology according to what's given in Genesis, and found a slightly different account in the Doctrine and Covenants. Either way, it turns out that Noah was not born in the City of Enoch, but rather a few years after it was taken up (see Genesis 5, and D&C 107). So, Noah probably grew up at the feet of men--his father, Lamech and grandfather, Methuselah--who had lived among Enoch's people. Not only that, but who had been ordained to the priesthood under the hands of the first and second generations of men on this earth. At least one of them--Methuselah, who ordained Noah--was present at a meeting three years prior to Adam's death, in which Adam blessed him, and in the which Christ Himself appeared to comfort Adam in his age (D&C 107:53-57). Translation: the guys who were left behind when Enoch's city was taken up were not exactly what you call slouches. Although little is known of Lamech, in the Bible Dictionary it describes Methuselah as " a righteous man," and "a prophet", and in both the Bible and modern revelation, Lamech is seen to prophesy concerning his son Noah (Genesis 5:29, Moses 8:9). So, Noah certainly wasn't left behind unaided. I figured that was all I was going to get. And then I read Moses 8:2-3:
"And it came to pass that Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins.
And it came to pass that Methuselah prophesied that from his loins should spring all the kingdoms of the earth (through Noah), and he took glory unto himself."
So, Methuselah "took glory" in the fact that he was left behind for the Lord's purposes. And I guess that's what makes all the difference. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels a little left behind sometimes, and wonders if the Lord has a reason for not catching him up. In those situations, though, I know from experience that beating yourself up doesn't help, and neither does envy or impatience. It is probably healthy in these situations to ask oneself whether one is where they are because of unworthiness, and if so, to make the necessary changes. After we look at our lives, though, and resolve to improve where improvement may be needed--after we have dedicated ourselves to the Lord, and asked Him to make this trial to our benefit--the best we can do is do our best to be what we God has called us to be, and take glory in the blessings that will surely follow.
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