Draw Near #2 Lessons From The O.t. Series

Drawing Near #2

Lessons from the Old Testament

Psalm 119:97-105

SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 119:97-105

INTRODUCTION:

Last week we talked about Lessons from Mt. Horeb. At the same Mountain where God gave the 10 commandments, God showed that He passionately wants a close, personal relationship with His people. In fact, God spoke in an audible voice to all the Israelites at the base of that mountain. Unfortunately, they drew back from God. Only Moses took God up on his invitation to DRAW NEAR.

Today we’re going to look at more Lessons from the Old Testament. We’ve seen what God wants. But how does God expect us to respond? The answer is summed up in a small book toward the end of the Old Testament.

Micah 6:8 says, He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. What does it mean to walk humbly with your God? The first person who is recorded to have walked with God was a man named Enoch.

1. Enoch - Walk by Choice Genesis 5:24

Four verses in the book of Genesis tell us about this man: When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:21-24

Enoch is listed as the 6th descendant of Adam in Genesis chapter 5. If you do the math, it looks like Enoch was born 622 years after Adam and Eve were created. Since Adam lived 930 years, it is likely that Enoch knew his great1-great2-great3-great4-great5-grandpa6 Adam. He probably learned about the GOD of CREATION from Adam and Eve themselves!

Hebrews 11:5 says, By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

Enoch’s son was Methuselah (maybe you’ve heard of him --- he lived longer than any other person recorded). Enoch’s grandson was named Lamech. Both Lamech and Methuselah died in the Great Flood. But not Enoch. Evidently, when he was walking along with God one day, they just walked right up into Heaven.

Now here’s something I found interesting: it sounds like Enoch started walking with God at age 65. He lived to be 364 years old, and the scripture says that for 300 of those years he walked with God. What happened at age 65? It seems that Enoch made a CHOICE at that point in time. From age 65 onward, Enoch he walked with God.

Have you made the decision to walk with God? Take a lesson from Enoch. Walking with God is a CHOICE you must make. And it’s never too late to make that choice. Enoch had been around for 65 years when he started his Walk With God. By that time, most of us figure it’s time to retire. We think all our choices have been made. The lesson from Enoch is that any person --- at any stage of life --- can decide to DRAW NEAR to God.

Lesson number 2 comes from Enoch’s great-great-grandson, Noah.

2. Noah – Walk in Obedience Genesis 6:9, 22

Genesis 6:9 says, This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

If you skip to verse 22, you see the lesson we can learn from Noah: 22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

God told Noah to build a boat --- and Noah built a boat. God gave Noah specific directions on the size and shape of that boat. Noah followed every detail God gave --- which is why he stayed a-float. From Noah, we learn that walking with God means Walking in Obedience.

Have you ever tried to walk a cat? Last December, Susan and I had the exciting job of transporting Kaysha & Chris’s cat, Gus, to Lincoln, IL. We gave the cat a sedative for breakfast, so everything was okay until we got to the Hotel that night. We thought we’d put the cat on a leash so he could walk around some. Big mistake. The cat had no intension of walking WITH us. He streaked all over the room, getting tangled up in everything. When we tied the leash to a chair, he just went as far as he could … and stood up on his hind legs … choking himself. (By the way, that hotel had a sign up that said “Pets are Welcome.” I have a feeling they took that sign down after our visit… Well, we won’t go into that…)