Close but no Cigar!

Genesis 5:28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed." 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.

Where did the phrase" Close, but no Cigar" originate? I looked on the site theidioms.com for the answer. Here is what I found. 

"The phrase... originated in the United States, likely during the 20th century or earlier. It alludes to the practice of stalls at fairgrounds and carnivals giving out cigars as prizes. (It) would be used for those who were close to winning a prize but failed to do so."

So, you are at the basketball toss stall,, and there is a giant teddy bear that you want to win for your girlfriend. You get three chances and are a great shot from the free-throw line, so you shoot with confidence. 

However, all three of your attempts bounce off the rim. Except for the one that does a double circle before it hits the ground. What just happened? You were SO close, but there will be no teddy today. 

After your futile try, you notice that the rim is not an Official-sized target! So the game was rigged,, and you were close, but there'd be no cigar. 

Deep down in your heart, you knew that you would miss unless you were fortunate. You knew that the rim was tiny and that only a perfect shot would win the prize. So, who is really at fault for your loss? 

What does this scenario have to do with cigars and teddy bears? Not much. However, many people get close to the truth, yet they miss the point in the end. 

Take Lamech, for example. He lived a long time. His son would save the world and become a type of Christ. Lamech even seems to say something profound about the future his son would bring when he utters these words," He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed."

It seems like Lamech knew that his son was destined for greatness. Yet he (Lamech) missed the boat. 

Notice that in the lineage mentioned in Genesis 5, all lived 900 plus years for for the most part the most part. Lamech only lived 777 years. Though that is a huge number for us to comprehend, Lamech died in middle age. Lamech died in the Flood! Lamech didn't heed what God was doing in his son, Noah's, life. 

Noah was a preacher of righteousness for the 120 years that it took to build the ark. Yet Lamach never totally believed in the God who was directing the construction project. 

As we look at this sad chapter in human history, Genesis 5 shows us that people like Lamech were blind to God's word, just like most people today. Though the Bible is more prevalent than ever before, it has become the most ignored book. It outsells all others and is on all of our devices, yet few read and meditate on its plenteous truths. 

Most, like Lamech, will be swept away by current unbelief, never to understand the grace of God. Are you Lamech?