Enoch
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had
translated him:for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Heb. 11:5).
Enoch was one of only two men honored with being caught up to heaven without dying.
(Quick_who was the other one?) What did Enoch do to deserve such an honor? "He pleased
God."
Does not every true Christian please God one time or another? Yes, every true Christian will bear
fruit for God (John 15:2), and, on the other hand, one who has no works has no living faith (Jas.
2:17-26). But with Enoch there was more:"He had this testimony, that he pleased God." Enoch’s
works that pleased God were not done in a corner at midnight. They shone out at midday so that
everyone in the community could see them.
But wasn’t Enoch in the line of the faithful descendants of Seth, rather than the fleshly, worldly
descendants of Cain (Gen. 4:17-24)? Yes, it is true that Enoch was Seth’s great-great-great
grandson, and in fact, Seth was still living (857 years old) when Enoch was translated to heaven.
So why was Enoch picked out by God to be so honored?
Let me suggest two answers to this question. First, Enoch was translated only 69 years before
Noah was born (Gen. 5:21-29). In the days of Noah, "God saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5).
This wickedness was not confined to the descendants of Cain. How do we know this? Because of
what we know about the survivors of the great flood. Of all the hundreds of thousands of
descendants of Seth alive in Noah’s day, how many survived the flood? (You count them; see Gen.
6:10; 8:16.) Thus we may surmise that the great wickedness existing in Noah’s day must already
have been developing in Enoch’s day. What a bright light must Enoch’s testimony of pleasing God
have been in those darkening days.
For a second answer to the question of "Why Enoch?" let us turn to the miniature history of Enoch
published in the Old Testament:"And Enoch lived 65 years and begat Methuselah; and Enoch
walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years, and begat sons and daughters; and all the
days of Enoch were 365 years. And Enoch walked with God:and he was not, for God took him"
(Gen. 5:21-24).
Notice what we find in Genesis 5:"Adam lived … Adam lived … Seth lived … Seth lived … Enos
lived … Enos lived … Cainan lived … Cainan lived … Mahalaleel lived … Mahalaleel lived …
Jared lived … Jared lived … Methuselah lived … Methuselah lived … Lamech lived … Lamech
lived" (Gen. 5:3-30). But when we read of Enoch, what do we find? "Enoch lived … Enoch
walked with God." Yes, Enoch not only lived 300 years after begetting Methuselah, "Enoch
walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years."
Think of it:Walking with God_not just for that hour of quiet time, not just for those few days
during a Bible Conference or camp or retreat, not just for that month of vacation, not just for that
year of recuperation from the serious illness, but for 300 years!
An interesting link is found between the expression, "Enoch walked with God" in Gen. 5:22 and
24, and the expression, "He pleased God" in Heb. 11:5. The Greek word for "pleased" in Heb.
11:5 is euaresteo. The Greek Septuagint translation (around 250 B.C.) of "walked with" in Gen.
5:22 and 24 is the same word, euaresteo. This word means not only "to please," but "to please
well."
Let us dwell a bit on this matter of walking with God. The word for "walked" in Gen. 5:22 and
24 is found in the Old Testament in connection with man walking through a parcel of land to
explore and possess it (Gen. 13:17; Josh. 18:18; see also Job 38:16), or to a certain place to get
information (Esth. 2:11). Satan speaks of "walking up and down in the earth" to learn what
different people were doing, no doubt to see what mischief he could do (Job 1:7; 2:2). The word
is used of God walking in the midst of His people (Gen. 3:8; Lev. 26:12; Deut. 23:14; 2 Sam.
7:6,7; 1 Chron. 17:6). And it is used for God’s people walking before and with Him (Gen. 6:9;
17:1; 24:40; 48:15; 1 Sam. 2:30; Psa. 56:3; 116:9; Isa. 38:3).
Putting these usages of the word "walk" together, we see that walking with God involves
"exploring" Him or getting to know Him through the revelation of Himself in His Word_what
He is like, what His attributes are, what pleases Him and what doesn’t; going to Him and His
Word for information, wisdom, counsel, advice, and guidance; keeping our eye on Him so that
as He walks in the midst of His people, we will walk in step with Him, neither lagging behind nor
jumping ahead of Him; seeking to know and to do His will in all things (Col. 1:9,10); keeping our
eye on His eye since He guides us with His eye (Psa. 32:8).
Let me elaborate on walking in step with God. There is a verse that is often quoted badly out of
context by God’s people to justify their hasty actions:"The king’s business required haste" (1
Sam. 21:8). The intended application by those who quote this verse usually is that we need to act
quickly on some assembly decision or matter of church discipline. However, the context of this
verse shows us that David made this statement while running away from Saul and trying to deceive
the priest into thinking that he was engaged in an assignment for King Saul. All too often in our
zeal we run ahead of God, before we have all the needed information, or before God has done His
needed work in a soul. But just as often, in our laziness and apathy, we lag behind God, saying,
"Let someone else do it," "Others are more gifted, more capable, more experienced that I am,"
"I’m too busy (fishing? watching TV? making a living?) to visit that shut-in or to witness to my
neighbor." Enoch walked "with God," not ahead of God or behind God.
Let us try to illustrate some aspects of our walk with God by eavesdropping for a few moments
on a father and his son who are taking a walk together.
Daddy:What did you learn in school today, Bobby?
Bobby:I learned the difference between "through" and "threw." Oh yes, and we just started a unit
on long division. I think it’s going to be hard. But I’ve already started praying that the Lord will
help me to understand it.
Daddy:Good for you, Bobby! Let us try a simple problem while we are walking. How about 156
divided by 12?
Bobby (after a few moments of thought):Uh oh!
Daddy:What’s the matter, Bobby?
Bobby:There is a big bumblebee buzzing around my head. Can you chase it away?
Daddy:I’ll try.
Then Bobby notices a big, evil-looking man walking down the sidewalk in their direction. Bobby
snuggles closer to his father and watches the man warily. His father puts his arm around him. The
man passes without incident.
Bobby:That reminds me. There is this seventh-grader, Butch, who rides on the school bus. He
always teases me about my glasses and calls me a nerd and sometimes says bad things about you
and Mom. What should I do?
Daddy:What have you been doing so far, son?
Bobby:I just try to pretend I am reading a book and don’t hear him.
Daddy:And what does Butch do then?
Bobby:He usually gives up and tries bothering someone else.
Daddy:It sounds like you are doing just fine. Can you think of a Bible verse that says something
about this situation?
Bobby:Umm, something about loving your enemies or something?
Daddy:Yes, very good, Bobby. And it says, "Do good to those who hate you and pray for them."
So you should try to remember to pray for Butch that he might be saved. If you can find out when
his birthday is, maybe you could surprise him by giving him a bag of M and M’s and a gospel
tract.
Bobby (after pondering his father’s advice for a few moments):What causes an eclisp?
Daddy:The word is "eclipse," Bobby, and it is caused when the earth gets between the sun and
the moon, keeping the sun’s rays from reflecting off the moon."
Bobby:Ohh, I think I understand now. (Pause.) Daddy, I’m tired. Will you carry me?
Daddy:You are getting pretty big for that, but I’ll put you on my shoulders for a little bit.
A few minutes later Bobby is walking again. They are heading back toward home.
Bobby:What is that shiny thing on the other side of the road? (He starts to dart across the street.)
Daddy (as an oncoming car comes to a screeching halt):Stop!!
After giving Bobby a stern reminder about the importance of looking both ways before crossing
the street, the father instructs his son in some things he can do to get along better with his younger
sister and older brother. Before long, they are back home again.
Our walk with God has some parallels with Bobby’s walk with his father. We learn to talk with
God, bringing every matter to Him, no matter how huge or how trivial, whether a success or a
problem, a happy time or a bad time. We go to God for wisdom and guidance with respect to
difficult decisions or situations. We turn to Him for help and protection in times of perceived
danger. And even if God knows there is no real danger, He comforts rather than rebukes us. When
we are exhausted, either physically or emotionally or mentally (Question:Is it possible to be
exhausted spiritually?), we pray to God for the strength to get through another day.
Our walk with God is never perfect; no doubt even Enoch’s walk was flawed in some ways. But
when God shows us, through the Scriptures or through the testimony of others, ways that we can
please Him better, if we are truly walking with Him we will gladly accept the reproof, confess our
failure, and seek to make the necessary corrections in our life and ways. If we leave His side for
a moment, He may shout out a warning to us, though it may not be quite as obvious as Daddy’s
shout of "Stop!" to Bobby.
As we walk with God, He puts us through His school. We all know that to be promoted from one
grade to the next, we need to take examinations and get a passing grade. Just so, God gives us a
variety of tests as we go through His school. His tests may include difficult decision, having to
live or work or ride the bus with difficult people, having an accident or illness, suffering the loss
of a loved one or a job or a possession, having a difficult job or assignment to carry out, and so
on. If we are truly, consistently walking with God, each of these tests will cause us to draw all the
closer to God and depend all the more on Him.
Bobby’s father, has the task of gradually preparing his son to grow up into a responsible adult who
can live independently of his parents (Gen. 2:24). At the same time_if he is very wise_he will
train his son to become more and more dependent upon his heavenly Father instead.
Bobby’s walk was with a human father whom he could see with his eyes, hear with his ears, and
touch with his hands. Enoch’s walk with God was a walk of faith_not physically seeing, hearing,
or touching the One he walked with, but sensing His presence and communicating with Him at a
spiritual level. May we be encouraged by the example of Enoch to engage in such a steady,
consistent, long-term walk of faith with our God and Father.
We may not, like Enoch, be translated to heaven without passing through death; but then again,
maybe we will if Christ should return in our lifetime (1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:15-18). Even
while we are still alive on earth, the closer we walk with God, the more we will realize and enjoy
the blessing of being now raised up together with Christ and made to sit together in the heavenlies
in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). The closer we walk with God, the more we shall become holy,
sanctified, separated from sin and uncleanness, changed into the image of Christ, carrying out
God’s will more completely, and filled with the Holy Spirit. In turn, all of this will result in our
beginning to experience the joys and blessings of heaven before we actually get there, for "In
[God’s] presence is fullness of joy; at [God’s] right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psa.
16:11).
The lesson of faith that we learn from Enoch is this: Faith walks with God, turns to God in
every circumstance, and pleases God well, even though not able to see, hear, or touch God.
Noah
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark
to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith" (Heb. 11:7).
Many of the things we have said about Enoch can be said of Noah as well. If wickedness was
developing in Enoch’s day, it was full blown in Noah’s. Noah also, like Enoch, "walked with
God" (Gen. 6:9). And while Enoch was rewarded with being caught up to heaven while still alive,
Noah and his family were rewarded for their faithfulness by being the only survivors of a world-
wide flood. Every person living upon the earth today has descended from Noah as well as Adam.
Some of our readers may be the only born-again Christians in their class at school, or at their
place of employment, or on the athletic team, or in their family, or in their neighborhood. Yet,
all of us have been able to find many other Christians with whom we can enjoy fellowship and find
mutual encouragement. But consider poor Noah. In a world that may have had a population of
hundreds of thousands or maybe even a few million, how many God-fearing people did Noah find
to have fellowship with, or to encourage him? Precious few! Besides his own immediate family,
perhaps he could count on his father Lamech and grandfather Methuselah_both of whom died
shortly before the deluge_for encouragement. But it would appear that Noah and his family pretty
much stood alone during those 120 years of building the ark (Gen. 6:3). Noah was a "preacher
of righteousness" (2 Pet. 2:5), but how discouraging the results of his faithful preaching and the
testimony of his righteous life (Gen. 6:9; 7:1).
How easy it might have been for Noah and his family to fall in with the wicked masses all around
them. But he and his family remained faithful to God, and were wonderfully rewarded for their
faith.
What is the lesson of faith here? To put it in modern-day terminology, Faith is not influenced by
the philosophy of "everyone is doing it, why shouldn’t I?" Next time you are afraid of being
different from everyone else in the crowd because of your Christian beliefs and standards,
remember faithful Noah. God wonderfully rewarded Noah, and He will do the same for you if you
are willing to stand alone with Him in separation from the ungodly masses.