When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. – Genesis 5:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 16, 2018): Genesis 5

Over the past decade, I have been intrigued by the Celtic idea of “a thin place.” In Celtic thought, a thin place is a spot on the earth where the realms of heaven and earth seem closer, almost touching. It is here that God can be felt the most clearly. The belief about the existence of thin places in Ireland and Scotland long predates any Christian conversion or thought, but this concept has taken root in Celtic Christian theology. Franciscan Priest Richard Rohr calls these places “the edge.” “The edge is a holy place, or as the Celts called it, “a thin place” and you have to be taught how to live there. To take your position on the spiritual edge of things is to learn how to move safely in and out, back and forth, across and return.” After all, in these places, heaven touches the earth.

While I think that it is quite possible that thin places exist, I often wonder if these thin places are more transient than we sometimes believe. As God’s Spirit covers the earth, the flow deepens in places, maybe for a moment or sometimes for much longer, creating a thin place. There are many examples of these thin places or thin times in the Bible. Moses seemed to know about thin places. He experienced one in the wilderness when he confronted the fire that did not consume the bush. The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, appear to be an example of a thin place. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego seemed to find a thin place in the furnace, as did Daniel in the Lion’s Den. The manger in Bethlehem was a thin place, as was the cross at Golgotha. In all of these places, God seems to have touched the earth in a very special way.

Enoch also seems to have walked on a thin place. Genesis openly states that Enoch walked faithfully with God for 300 years (Genesis 5:22). If we take the 300 years literally, then we can begin Enoch’s walk with God from the birth of his son Methuselah. At the moment of his son’s birth, Enoch discovered a thin place.

And as further proof, we have the name he gave to his child, Methuselah. The origins of the name are now lost in time, but we do know what the name means. Methuselah means “when he dies, it comes.” Methuselah was Enoch’s prophecy. Something was going to happen when Methuselah breathed his last breath.

Of course, we know what the something was. Methuselah is probably best known for being the longest living person in the Bible. He lived an incredible 969 years. But he died in the same year as the Great Flood of Noah. God waited until Methuselah died, and quite possibly kept Methuselah alive until the time was right and Noah was ready with his Ark. And then, as Methuselah breathed his last breath, the rain began to pour down on the earth. God had kept the word that he had given to Enoch at that thin place. “When he dies, it comes.” 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 6