Enoch: A Walk That Ends In Eternity

When I was 16, I went to pick up my girlfriend at the time to drive and meet my parents and grandparents to watch a hockey game downtown. Now, where we lived, downtown was north of my house. There's a highway, I-27, that runs north and south in Amarillo. Also, in that part of Texas, there was this trend where businesses would put these horse statues outside, like on a concrete pad. They'd be painted either for the business or just with some pro-west Texas kind of artwork. Other towns did different animals - like Canyon, Texas, about 15 minutes south of Amarillo, had buffalos that were painted and stuff outside of businesses. Anyway, I pick up my girlfriend, and we get on I-27 and start heading toward the hockey arena. It's like a 15-minute drive or so. Well, we drive for a while. And a little while more. And I'm somewhat confused and concerned because nothing is really even looking familiar to me. So I ask my girlfriend to call my parents just to see if they have any idea what's going on. She calls and tells them that nothing is really looking familiar - and I'm still just concentrating on the road. She looks around, not knowing about this animal trend thing as it's pretty new at this time, and says, "I'm not really sure where we are... but there's buffalos outside of some of these businesses. Are we going the right way?"

Turns out that there's a pretty big difference between going North on an interstate and South on an interstate. In my case, the difference was big enough to put us into another town altogether. Canyon, Texas. 15 minutes south of Amarillo, instead of the hockey arena north from where we lived. This was before the days of Apple Maps, CarPlay, Waze, or any of that. But it wasn't before the days of buying a GPS. Which is what happened the next day. And I've used one ever since. You know, I've always been pretty horrible with directions. And Cassy gives me a hard time for it - saying I rely on the GPS too much. But I need one! Clearly.

Because navigating this world requires a GPS. There's times as we go through life and we look around us and the landmarks don't look familiar. We can get turned around, confused, and even end up in places we never intended to go. See what I did there? Now she can't get on to me for it because it's spiritual. Just kidding. But in all seriousness, we need direction - and that's exactly what walking with God provides. When we stay close to Him, in His Word in prayer, in seeking Him, we can be sure that we're on the right path, even when the world around us seems to be heading in a totally different direction.

But if there was ever a guy who knew a thing or two about walking with God in a wicked world, it was Enoch.

I. Introducing Enoch

Let's take a quick look at Enoch's story in Genesis 5:21-24:

“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methusalah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.”

— Genesis 5:21-24 (ESV)

Now, I know what you're thinking - "Those are some seriously weird names." But stick with me, because there's some really good stuff here. First of all, we see that Enoch was just a regular guy living a regular life. He had a wife, he had kids, he probably had a mortgage and a minivan just like the rest of us. But there was something special about Enoch - he walked with God.

This wasn't just a Sunday morning stroll, though. Enoch's walk with God was a daily, moment-by-moment journey. It was a lifestyle, a constant communion with his Creator. And it wasn't always easy. Enoch lived in a time when the world was going haywire, when wickedness was the norm and following God was the exception. But Enoch didn't let that deter him. Day after day, year after year, he just kept putting one foot in front of the other, steadily moving forward in his relationship with God. And the amazing thing? God noticed. In fact, God was so pleased with Enoch's faith that He did something extraordinary - He took him straight to heaven, bypassing death altogether.

The author of Hebrews gives us a little more insight into what made Enoch's walk with God so special:

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. ...And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.”