Life is meaningless.

Not the most uplifting, motivating words to get us rolling into the New Year. Yet, this is how the richest and wisest man on the face of the earth, King Solomon, described life about 3,000 years ago. He had it all. He tried it all. And, at the end of the day, he described life as meaningless, like chasing the wind.

I get it, Solomon. You chase different things in life. You look for joy, fulfillment, but there is always the thought of, “does this really matter?” I believe we all want to make a difference. To make a difference, one has to be different.

In Genesis 5, after the story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, the Bible records ten generations. The description of each generation states the person, followed by the number of years they lived, and the name of the first son, to continue to the next generation. For example, in Genesis 5:12-14:

When Kenan was 70 years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. After the birth of Mahalalel, Kenan lived another 840 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

Over and over, through the generations, we see the same description. From Seth to Enosh to Cainan to Mahalel, each individual received the same description. I am sure these people accomplished some things worthy of mentioning. There was little innovation on the earth at the time, so surely one of these people was an entrepreneur, creating something revolutionary, say a wheel or fire. But no mention. It is as if there lives were meaningless, like Solomon said.

But, there is one guy, in Genesis 5:9, that has a different description of his life. His name was Enoch.

When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

Enoch is described differently. He had a different life. He walked in “close fellowship with God.” Apparently, this was a different way to do life, as no other person is described this way. Nothing that he accomplished made him different. The only difference given is that he walked with God. So much so, that he is mentioned in Hebrews 11 in the New Testament. Hebrews 11 is described as the “faith hall of fame” with individuals like Moses and Noah and Sarah and Abraham. Also listed in Hebrews 11:5 is Enoch.

It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.

What a legacy. Enoch is remembered as a person who pleased God. His legacy isn’t material possessions or riches or wisdom. His legacy is faith. This made Enoch different.

Faith is the only meaningful legacy mentioned in the Bible. A legacy of faith makes the meaningless life meaningful. All other legacies are like chasing the wind. A life of faith is lived differently.

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