August 1, 2018. Continued from July 25, 2018…
You may be surprised to discover that of all the people mentioned in the Bible, only three—Enoch, Noah, and Levi— are explicitly said to have walked with God. Studying the lives of these three individuals reveals clues as to how they lived a lifestyle that was pleasing to God.
The Book of Genesis contains the account of Enoch’s walk with God. Enoch was the son of Jared and the father of Methuselah. He lived for a total of 365 years. The writer records that “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” (Gen. 5:24). Enoch walked into heaven with God because he had learned to walk with God already
This scripture reveals that Enoch began to walk with God after his 65th birthday. How old are you? A recent newspaper article stated that the average life expectancy of a person living in the United States today is about 79 years. How many years have you left to walk with God?
After three centuries as God’s walking companion on earth, Enoch was invited to continue his walk in heaven. Enoch, like the prophet Elijah, went directly to heaven without dying. Enoch’s goal was to please God. And because his actions perfected his goal, God rewarded him for the consistency in his life. Because he was part of the faithful line of descendants from Adam, he also appears as an ancestor of Jesus (Luke 3:37).
In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews reveals two key ingredients that enabled Enoch to walk with God. “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up (translated) so that he should not see death, and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith, it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:5, 6).
- Enoch was pleasing to God. Enoch’s intimate relationship with God was possible because Enoch did what God wanted him to do. His actions reflected God’s Will for his life.
- Enoch was faithful to God. The Bible says without faith; it is impossible to please God. Enoch through his faith pleased God. Enoch is an example of the righteous man that Paul wrote about in Romans l: 17, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
The Christian community fails when it fails to teach the believer must have faith that pleases God. “Enoch obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God” (v. 6c). People should understand that having the faith that pleases God is required. Less we forget the saving confession is, we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Not one or the other, but both. Saying that Jesus is the Messiah and He is the only way to God is not the same as living under His authority and obeying His will. This faith positions us in the faithful line of the descendants of Adam and as a child of God.
Enoch, who lived before the flood lived a life later defined by the prophet Micah in 735 B.C. Micah 6:8, “He has told you men what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: Only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.
We, unlike Enoch, will see death (unless we are alive at the Rapture). But living a life pleasing to God ensures that we will unite with Enoch in Heaven.
Enoch focused on pleasing God. Where is your focus?
Next week: NOAH WALKED WITH GOD