"Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Gen. 5:24).

He "walked with God"! Could grander words be written?
Not much of what he thought or said is told;
Not where or what he wrought is even mentioned;
He "walked with God"_brief words of fadeless gold!

How many souls were succored on his journey_
Helped by his words, or prayers_we may not know;
Still, this we read_words of excelling grandeur_
He "walked with God," while yet he walked below.

And, after years, long years, of such blest walking,
One day he walked, then was not. God said, "Come!
Come from the scene of weary, sin-stained sadness!
Come to the fuller fellowship of Home!"

Such be the tribute of thy pilgrim journey;
When life’s last mile thy feet have bravely trod;
When thou hast gone to all that there awaits thee:
This simple epitaph_He "walked with God"!

(Ed. note:This is the first of a series of three articles on Matt. 18:20 and the Lord’s Supper. All
three are based on lectures given at Bible Truth Hall, Nassau, Bahamas, April 1995.)

"Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and
him alone:if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then
take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church:but if he neglect to hear
the church, let him be to thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on
earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as
touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together [unto] My name, there am I in the midst of them.
Then came Peter to Him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive
him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times, but until
seventy times seven" (Matt. 18:15-22).

The power for believers to walk together in grace and truth is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I think that is the basic truth that runs through this passage. We have in these verses broad
principles as to how God’s order or government in the assembly is to be carried out. These verses
have to do with the assembly’s gatherings together, the assembly’s corporate testimony to the Lord
as gathered unto His name.

What His Name Expresses

The name of the Lord Jesus Christ tells us who He is. Today, in our modern society, we do not
think too much about names and what they mean. But all through Scripture we are taught that
names are very important and have meaning. So the names and titles of the Lord Jesus Christ
express the whole truth about Himself. When we study our Bibles, it is not just to gain knowledge
from Scripture, but to learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ. His name tells us who He is. His
name also tells us about all the work He has done. His name includes all the truth that we are
called upon to walk in as believers.

What His Name Expresses Is Needed

We need to read Matt. 18:20 in the context of verses 15-22 to understand the full truth of that
verse. If things come in to upset or to spoil fellowship and testimony in holiness and truth, then
we must bring in all the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ in order to judge what is wrong and to
discern what needs to be done. In this way, our walk together in grace and truth can be restored
to what it should be.

The Church Is a Collective Testimony to Christ

I believe that God’s great purpose for the Church on earth is to be a testimony to the Lord Jesus
Christ. This testimony is a collective testimony. One believer, by himself, cannot be a complete
testimony to Christ. Surely he, as an individual believer and one who trusts the Lord, can honor
the Lord in his life, serve the Lord, and bring glory to God. Each of us as individuals can do that
and should do that. But the whole testimony to Christ is the testimony of the whole Church on
earth. Indeed, if every believer on this earth were walking according to the truth of God and under
His authority, pleasing the Lord, doing the work of God by the leading of the Spirit, giving God
all the glory, then we would have on earth a perfect testimony to Christ. That is why we are here.
This is the purpose that God has for us as he leaves us on this earth.

Power Is Dependent on the Spiritual State of the Assembly

There is power expressed in Matt. 18:19. As we agree as touching any thing, and we ask the
Father, He will do it. But of course the setting of this is our walking together to please Him, to
glorify Him. No selfish request will be answered. Realization of the power of God depends upon
the spiritual state of the assembly as seeking to do the will of God in order to glorify the Son who
is Head over all things to the Church.

A Spirit of Grace Is Needed

How many times are we to forgive our brother? Countless times! I think the seventy times seven
is not a literal number to be recorded till we get to that point. No, it is a number which would
almost say, "As often as your brother offends you, forgive him." Our passage in Matthew 18 tells
us about seeking restoration of the offending one. And how often we ourselves need to be
restored. This spirit of grace, then, is what should characterize us as we seek to walk in the truth
that the Lord has committed to us to hold for Him.

Responsibility to Hold and Walk in the Truth

We have a great responsibility. Much truth God has revealed. Much truth we have learned. We
are responsible to the Lord to be faithful to Him in holding that truth and walking in it. What
privileges we have in Christ. We have responsibilities too. It should be a glad thing for us to carry
out whatever responsibility the Lord puts into our hands, to be faithful for Him. We should
consider it a privilege to be God’s servant. May the Lord put into our hearts as our motive to love
to do this for His name’s sake_the One who did so much for us, who continues to serve us from
the glory, who leads us, who keeps us in the path, who gives us power to keep us from failing.
We approach the throne of grace and get the help we need at just the time we need it. The Lord
will not cease to help us as long as we are on this earth. Then on that wonderful day when He
comes and takes us home so we can be with Him where He is, "we shall be like Him, for we shall
see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). But until then, here we are, left on earth. We have had the truth
of Himself, of who He is, of His name, committed to us.
The Importance of Being Gathered Together

We can see then the importance of our being gathered together, and the strength and power that
we can derive from our fellowship together as the Lord works in our midst. We are not simply

individual Christians in this world, each of whom should be faithful to the Lord. We are a body
of believers joined together in an indissoluble relationship by the bond of God’s love that will
never be broken. What we experience here as members of the body of Christ, will become fully
appreciated by us when, in the glory, we shall be the bride of the Lamb. The relationship that
exists among us now according to God’s purpose will never cease to exist.

Gathered Together by the Power of the Spirit

We are in this world, then, to testify of Christ. Matt. 18:20 is the meat of this truth:"For where
[or wherever, that is, any place] two or three are gathered together [unto] My name." Let us look
at the two words "are gathered." My understanding is that this implies a power outside of
ourselves that produces in our hearts a desire to be gathered, and thus gathers us together. I am
sure we know what that power is. It is the Holy Spirit. He is the power working in us to gather
us together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gathered Together unto the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ

The Holy Spirit only gathers the believers together unto the name of the Lord Jesus. The work of
the Holy Spirit is to take of the things of Christ and show them unto us, to take all His glories and
reveal them, make them plain and clear so that we can understand these things as much as is
possible in weak and failing bodies and minds (John 16:13-15). Little by little we are learning, we
are growing. The Holy Spirit gathers us together unto the name of the One whom He glorifies as
He ministers to us. He gathers us unto the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, unto His name. It is not unto
Him, as it were, in person, because, in person, He is not on the earth. He is in the glory, a Man
at the right hand of God. In His absence we are gathered unto His name, and yet we have Him in
the midst.

Implications of Being Gathered unto His Name

What does it mean to be gathered together "unto His name"? Is it just that we are redeemed by His
blood and therefore Christians? Is it that we all profess, "I am a Christian"? I think it is much
more than this because it is what the Holy Spirit is doing, gathering those who are redeemed by
Christ unto His name. First, He is the Lord. Would it not then mean that to be gathered together
"unto His name" would be to acknowledge His authority over us as Lord? He is Head over all
things to the Church. In the testimony of the Church there are many aspects of service. We come
together to remember the Lord in His death for us. Scripture gives us an order of worship that is
from God. The Lord taught the woman at the well that we are to worship God in spirit and in
truth. The nature of our worship is spiritual because God is spirit. And we must worship Him
according to the truth that the Holy Spirit reveals concerning who God is. So in acknowledging
the Lord, we are glad to know what the Lord teaches us from His Word as to how we should
worship Him. God has His order of worship for us. It is acceptable because it is according to the
truth that He has given us. So we would acknowledge God’s order of worship.

The Spirit’s Leading Is to Be Followed in Service

The Holy Spirit guides us in our service_in the use of the gifts that Christ has given us_as well
as our worship. "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences
of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same
God who worketh all in all" (1 Cor. 12:4-6).

These three verses show us that a person’s proper use of a spiritual gift is a demonstration of the
power of the Holy Spirit working through that person. There are different gifts but one Spirit.
These different gifts perform various services or ministries, as verse 5 says. And these various
services are to be carried out under the authority of the Lord. Then verse 6 tells us that there are
various operations, or things that are accomplished, through the exercise of one’s gift. But in
every case, it is the work of God that is accomplished in souls, whether the edifying of believers
or the salvation of the unsaved. These truths concerning the exercise of our spiritual gifts are very
important in connection with being gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall
discuss this in more detail later.

The Truth Concerning Christ Is to Be Preached

The name of the Son of God on earth is "Jesus". His name means "Jehovah Saviour". Another
name given to the Son of God as Man on earth is "Emmanuel," "God with us." There is no other
Saviour, there is no other salvation. If we are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we will preach the truth concerning God’s salvation. We will not preach a salvation of works. We
will not preach a salvation that brings people under the bondage of law. I would suggest that where
error like that comes in, then believers are moving away from being gathered unto the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ. They are denying the revealed truth of Scripture that gives us the testimony
of Christ, who He is and what He has done and what He is doing. When the believers are truly
gathered together unto His name, the truth concerning Christ is going to be preached, taught, and
practiced_though perhaps imperfectly at times. In the practice of truth we are very imperfect, if
not outright failing sometimes. But the Lord comes in to recover, and He does.

Is the Truth of Matt. 18:20 Our Motive for Gathering?

When we meet together as believers in Christ, are we consciously gathered together unto the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we there for Him? Are we there to be part of the testimony to who
He is, and all the glory of His person, insomuch as we can do that according to the knowledge that
we have? Are we there because of His great salvation for us and our love for Him, and because
we want to be part of that testimony of Christ in this world? Some may be there because they were
brought up there, all their family is there, or the people they know best and like best are there. All
these are good things; I do not want to take away from any of that. But "what is the bottom line?"
as they say today in business. Why are you really gathered where you are? I trust that each one
of our readers truly desires to be gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

No matter what happens to any others, God forbid that there be a falling away from this precious
testimony. Sad to say, we do see a falling away, but those who seek to be gathered to the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ have nothing to boast in. If it is our deep desire to remain true to this
precious testimony, the Lord will hold us together. We are not going to hold ourselves together.

We are not going to stay together because we agree to. No no, no. If we are gathered together by
the Holy Spirit for the sake of Christ’s name and His testimony, then the Lord will guide us and
keep us together.

There are Special Blessings When Gathered unto His Name

Let us look now at the wonderful benefit and blessing of being gathered together unto the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ:"There am I in the midst of them." He is not simply speaking of the
presence of the Holy Spirit, or of the fact that the Spirit dwells in every individual believer. It
means much more than that. There is a special blessing that believers have as they are gathered
together in assembly corporately unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can and do have the
experience of the Spirit of God leading us corporately, collectively, resulting in blessing that far
exceeds that which might be experienced in meetings prearranged according to some human order.

The Remembrance Meeting

As gathered together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, believers remember the Lord on the
Lord’s day and wait for the Spirit of God to draw from hearts, as He is pleased to do, praise and
worship to the Father and His Son. What a blessing is experienced when the Holy Spirit is
permitted to have full control in orchestrating the various expressions of praise and worship from
whomever He wills. Those of us who are gathered in such a way have no reason to boast in such
activity. We are weak at best. But this is what the Lord would have us do. He will give us the
proof of His presence by the way He brings us blessing through the Spirit as we are yielded to
Him. Would that every remembrance meeting would happen this way. Would that each one came
with the eager anticipation of meeting the Lord there. Sometimes we may go to such meetings as
a matter of habit or routine or what is expected of us. And so we lose some of the preciousness
of it. Sometimes the meeting may turn out to be rather uninspired. This usually is evidence of
failure on the part of some or all to come in the proper spirit. But when we are gathered together
in expectation of meeting the Lord, really praising Him, thinking how we can honor Him, and
waiting on the Spirit to lead, the Spirit will lead, and it will be a most refreshing time.

When we have assembly meetings for ministry, we wait on the Lord to guide as to who should
speak and what he should say (1 Cor, 14:29). Very precious, wonderful times of ministry come
from waiting on the Lord, possibly with a period of quiet, letting Him put the ones of His
choosing on their feet to speak. On the other hand, when a brother seems to be in a great rush to
get up and say something because he has something he wants to say, the blessing may be wanting.
This happens at times and it can be rather discouraging. At best, we practice these things
imperfectly.

The same holds true in our assembly prayer meetings. We should only pray what the Spirit of God
lays on our hearts to pray for, not try to think of everything we should say and pray. There is
nothing wrong with repetition, brothers praying the same thing. But if we prayed according to how
we were burdened by the Lord, the prayer meetings would be much more powerful.

Value the Truth of Matt. 18:20 and Desire to Be a Testimony

Dear ones, as I think of this very important verse and all the truth that it contains, I think we
sometimes take things for granted. We sometimes miss the exactness of the way Scripture speaks
to us, and therefore we can miss a great deal of blessing. May our hearts be stirred up to engage
in a fresh reexamination of our ideas, our thoughts, our motives. Let us refrain from thinking of
what other Christians are doing in this regard. No, let us take this Scripture, and if what I have
said is the truth of it, let the truth of this Scripture search us out. Let us ask, "Is this where I am,"
and "Is this where I want to be?" May God help us to walk together in grace and truth, that which
came by Jesus Christ, that into which the Spirit of God will ever guide us. Then the name of
Christ will be the focus and the power of our testimony.

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.

There are three men mentioned in Hebrews 11, all living before the flood, who are specially cited
in order to bring out three great principles of faith. These are principles as much needed by men
today as they ever were.

Abel

"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained
witness that he was righteous, God testifying of His gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaks"
(Heb. 11:4).

Abel gives us the beginning of life, and the principle of faith as the ground of righteousness, based
on the revelation which God had given. Abel saw that the only way to approach God was by a
living sacrifice_by the shedding of blood. He saw that he had sinned against God, and he came
with his confession. And "God had respect unto Abel and to his offering." The sacrifice that he
brought gave him acceptance, and this he had not thought out for himself, but was based on the
revelation that God had given of the woman’s Seed which should bruise the serpent’s head. Faith
taught him that his sacrifice must speak to God of that. Man had forfeited the life he had with God
when he sinned, and since Adam’s fall all men have been born in sin and under
condemnation_without life as God views it. Abel saw and owned it, and the offering he brought
was a type of Christ, the "Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). How
beautiful was this faith of Abel’s. It is a living faith today. "By it, he being dead yet speaks." He
is still pointing out to men the only true way of approach to God.

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 please God" (Heb. 11:5).

Enoch gives us the principle of the life of faith in dependence upon God. It is a life before God
and for Him. It is a life of testimony to God’s goodness and care, as well as to His holy character.
It is a life in which there is constant self-judgment practiced. If Abel shows us the life obtained
by faith, Enoch shows us that life now sustained by faith. In the former it is justification by faith;
in the latter it is the practical life, acceptable to God by faith, it is a good conscience before God
and men, a life victorious over sin in communion with God. Enoch was thus identified with God,
and God was identified with him. He was thus delivered from himself and was in fellowship with
God. God’s things and interests were his object in life. He may have been limited in every way,
but there are no limitations to God. He needed wisdom, power, and grace, and found them all in
God and not in himself. Enoch is a type of the Church, for just as Enoch was translated, so the
Church is to be translated. He was God’s delight, and God took him to be with Himself.

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).

Noah gives us the principle of faith for the inheritance of God as a future thing, which is not in
a scene so defiled as the one in which he lived. He did not lay up treasures here, but for a new
scene entirely. By faith he condemned the world. He knew that the present scene was to be visited
with God’s judgment, and so his faith laid hold of God for the new earth. The world could not
give him anything nor take away what he had by faith in God. God’s dwelling-place is not in this
present corrupt scene, and neither was the inheritance that Noah looked for. God may visit this
world in His grace, but it is only as a visitor. So Noah could not settle down where God was not.
By faith he received warning of coming judgment, he believed God, and built the ark. There were
no signs to be seen, but faith counted upon God’s Word. The men of that day may have thought
Noah to be a strange character, but that did not concern him. They were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage_making the most of this present life, and living in independence
of God. But faith made Noah a stranger to all that, and gave him the hope of eternal things.

(From Seed for the Sower.)

"Enoch walked with God" (Gen. 5:24). What does it mean to walk with God? It is to live in the
consciousness of God’s presence, in conscious companionship with God. It is to have with you,
as you go about your daily affairs, the realization that God is with you, so that you may speak to
Him and Him speak to you, and sometimes be with Him in a silence that means more than talk.

What are the results of walking with God?

1. Abounding Joy

"In Thy presence is fullness of joy" (Psa. 16:11). Do you think the psalmist was speaking entirely
about the future? I am sure he was not. Right here in our everyday life in His presence is fullness
of joy.

One of the sweetest joys of earth is congenial companionship. Is not one of the brightest hopes and
gladdest joys of heaven the society or companionship of heaven_especially of the Father and Jesus
Christ the Son. If we have this conscious companionship with God in our present life we have two
heavens. We have the future eternal heaven to which we are hastening and the present one. Oh,
the joy of sweet fellowship with God every day!

We know the joy of walking and talking and being with loved ones on earth. But that is nothing
to the joy of walking with God and talking to Him and having Him speak to us. Fellowship with
God is infinitely better, dearer, and more glorious than any earthly companionship.

2. Security and Peace

"I have set the LORD always before me:because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved"
(Psa. 16:8). War, pestilence, famine may come, but if God be for us and with us, who can be
against us? O friends, if we live in the power of that thought we shall have undisturbed peace. No
matter how war increases, how near it comes to our doors, we shall hear God saying, "Fear not,
for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, yea, I will help
you, yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness" (Isa. 41:10). (Editor’s note:
This article was written in 1918 during World War I.) "Though a host should encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear…. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after, that I may
dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to
inquire in His temple" (Psa. 24:3,4). The secret of abiding peace is conscious companionship with
God.

3. Spiritual Enlightenment

The secret of having an understanding of the truth is communion with God. Look at Enoch; there
is no record that he was a great scholar, yet we are told in Jude 14 and 15 that way back in that
ancient time, thousands of years before Christ, Enoch saw the truth of the Lord’s second
coming_probably the only man in his day. Why? Because he had the spiritual enlightenment that

comes from walking with God. If I went to anyone to learn something about the Word of God, I
would not inquire how much knowledge he had of philosophy or psychology. I would ask, "Does
he walk with God?" In the things of God, in the things that are eternal, the condition of wisdom
and understanding is fellowship with God.

4. Purity of Heart and Life

So many things that we have tolerated become unthinkable when we see them in the true light of
God’s presence. So many things that are done under cover of night would never be done if the
thought that God is with us possessed the soul.

A man who had been given to profanity found it very difficult to overcome it. He went to a godly
minister for advice. "Charlie," said the minister, "would you swear if your father were with you?"

"I don’t think I would," he answered.

"Well, tomorrow when you go to work remember all the time that God is there with you." The
next day, as he went about his work, that thought of God’s presence was with him, and to his
amazement, as he went home at night, he realized that he had been kept from this sin. How many
things we do, say, or think, that we would not do, say, or think if we lived in the consciousness
of God’s presence with us.

5. Beauty of Character

We become like the people with whom we associate. If we associate with God, we become like
Him. When Moses came down from the mountain where he had been for forty days alone with
God, his face shone. So if we habitually are with God, it will illumine and glorify our lives.

6. Usefulness

It is the quiet, potent influence of a holy life that tells. Enoch wrought more for God by just
walking with God than did Nebuchadnezzar who built the grand structures of Babylon or the
Egyptian monarch who built the pyramids and the sphinx to amaze and mystify coming
generations. So today, the men and women who walk with God do more than the political
reformers with all their fair-appearing schemes for transforming this world.

7. Pleasing God

There is another result of walking with God that is far better than all of the foregoing:we please
God. Enoch "had this testimony that he pleased God" (Heb. 11:5). God wants our service, but He
wants our hearts more.

8. Spending Eternity with God

"Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). If we walk with God

here, we will spend eternity with Him yonder.

What must we do if we are going to walk with God? First, put our trust in the atoning death of
Christ. In the passage about Enoch in the New Testament it says, "By faith Enoch … pleased
God." The preceding verse shows that faith is rooted in the atonement. God is holy, you and I are
sinners, and there is that great chasm of sin between us; so there is no getting to Him, and no
walking with Him, until that chasm is bridged. That chasm can be bridged in no way except by
the atoning blood of Christ:"Without shedding of blood there is no remission."

If you were to be with God without having come under that atonement, the companionship would
not be joy but agony. Even the seraphim in the presence of God, with two of their six wings cover
their faces and with two their feet, and cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:2,3).
But if we take the testimony of this Book, our sins were laid on Christ on the cross and blotted
out. So we can come into His presence and say, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). Some people are
afraid of God. But the one Being in all the universe I will tell everything to is God.

(From Help and Food, Vol. 36.)

In crossing the street on a wet muddy day,
A dear little child was heard proudly to say:
"See, father, I’ve walked in your steps all the way!"

The path, fellow-pilgrim, we oft thoughtless make_
Is that what we’d like our dear children to take?
Perhaps we’d not thought there was so much at stake.

Have we, as we walked, said, Not only for me
This step, but for those who must come after me:
It might be a misstep for eternity.

Would we in God’s pathway have them to walk here_
Though costing them sorrow and many a tear?
Or would we not want them to come quite so near,

But find through this world, for each dear little one,
A pathway less thorny, and smoother to run,
Where pleasures and joys of this world might be won?

To walk through the world as we’ll wish we had done,
When we shall behold the blest face of God’s Son,
All hungering to hear His most welcome "Well done."

Ah, then we shall value as ne’er we have done,
The footsteps through earth of each dear little one.
And ’tis not too late if we’ve not yet begun.

Oh, then, let us walk in the steps of our Lord;
Just follow the path as marked out in His Word,
And pray that the little ones’ steps may accord.

Then how we’ll rejoice in that soon coming day,
To hear the dear children triumphantly say:
"See, father, I’ve walked in your steps all the way!"

(From Help and Food, Vol. 33.)

What is this "walk with God" that characterized Enoch? I suggest that it involves suffering and
loss as well as self-abandonment every step of the way! This is because we walk with God when
everything is in revolt from Him. If there were more self-abandonment among us, many of our
difficulties would vanish. If it is a simple question of God_His claims, His pleasure, His
interests_why the difficulties are overcome at once! If God’s will is sweetest to me, even though
it triumphs at my cost, look how well out of the difficulty I am!

Looking at the pathway of the Lord Jesus as a Man here, was He successful as a man? Was it not
shame, scorn, contempt, reproach, and loss all the way for Him? We find with Him the
abandonment and surrender of everything that belonged to Him, from the throne of God to the
cross. Is that the pathway into which you and I are called? How little we consider these things.

If I set out to follow One who had not a place to lay His head, I cannot go on with trying to make
the best of everything around me. I must banish the idea of trying to surround myself with
anything that would make me comfortable. On the contrary, I seek to have as little as I possibly
can in this world if I am truly "walking with God."

There is another side to this "walking with God." While there may be loss and suffering as to
things here below, at the same time there is the blessed reality of Christ’s presence, of the joy of
walking the same road with Him. What is the end of such a walk? As with Enoch, it is to be taken
out of the world; it may be today! Is it the expectation of your heart that you should be translated
and not see death, like Enoch? There was a power of life in him that completely overcame the
power of death.

It may be noted that a good assembly state is the result of a close individual walk with God on the
part of all. You never have assembly power apart from individual faithfulness. May the Lord stir
up our hearts to a closer walk with Himself, in the blessed hope of being caught up at any moment
to be with Him forever!