18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Genesis 5:18-24
Enoch walked with God
Two separate times the writer tells us that Enoch walked with God. The double emphasis is important in ancient written text. The second mention acts much like our modern underlining or italics to add further emphasis to the point.
Enoch had such an incredible relationship with God that he never died. Who taught Enoch to have such a close relationship with God? Doing some simple math allows us to see who was still living when Enoch lived. One of the biggest influences on Enoch had to have been Adam. Adam would have been 622 years old when Enoch was born and would have lived during most of Enoch’s lifetime.
Enoch would have witnessed the death of Adam. Enoch was likely to have helped bury Adam and perform the funeral rituals. No other man of God had yet died a natural death. Abel was murdered and was taken in an unnatural manner. Death was something that the people of God may not have fully grasped until Adam died.
Think about that for just a moment. Adam would have no doubt talked about walking with God in the Garden of Eden. He would have shared the experience of knowing God in a deep and rich personal manner. Enoch would have also been influenced by others who had lived for God for centuries.
What does it mean to walk with God?
1. There must be a relationship
It is absolutely impossible to walk with God without first knowing God. There are people sitting in here this morning that know about God but have never started a relationship with God. The difference between the two is life and death. Knowing and walking with God allows the believer to discover life that never ends. Knowing about God only makes us responsible for our spiritual condition. Knowing about God and never starting a relationship with Him is like knowing there is oxygen and refusing to breathe. It makes no sense.
2. Living in God’s promises
Walking with God means that believers strive to live in the depth of His promises. Think about all of the many different promises that God has given to us, we get to live in the light of those promises every day.
3. Develop fellowship with God
Enoch desired to walk so close with God that there was no possible way to be closer except to be in heaven. Such an incredibly close life with God is often difficult for us to imagine. The truth is that we have been offered the same closeness with God but often we do not take the time to develop the relationship. Developing fellowship with God takes time and effort on our part.
a.) Prayer
b.) Bible Study
c.) Worship – Personal and corporate
4. Live a holy life
Walking with God means that we desire to become more like Him. The pursuit of holiness is simply the daily quest to become more like Jesus. Each new day is a new opportunity to live for Christ and become more like Him. Our opportunities to grow closer to God come in unexpected ways.
We grow closer to God through trials and hardships. Daily we move closer to God through the annoyances and distractions that would pull us away from Him. Holiness develops within our lives over time. God does give us the Holy Spirit in a moment but living the pursuit of holiness lasts a lifetime.
Enoch proclaimed righteousness
The name Enoch comes from the Hebrew word chanowk, which means dedicated. Dedicated describes the manner Enoch was raised and the manner he lived. Enoch was not just a man who walked with God; he proclaimed the truth and righteousness of God. Enoch was a preacher of righteousness. He proclaimed the ways of right living before God and was a living example of what it meant to follow God. Enoch lived an incredible life and proclaimed the power of an incredible God.
Who did Enoch preach to?
Remember that Enoch walked with God and it was so vital to mention twice. Enoch was not the norm in his society. No matter how you slice it Enoch was preaching to family. Remember there were two main branches of the family of Adam. The line of Seth, which Enoch belonged and there was the line of Cain. Enoch was proclaiming the truth of God to the those in the line of Seth who had gone astray and to the line of Cain who were already astray. No matter how you view this Enoch was preaching to a tough crowd.
What was Enoch proclaiming?
1. Enoch proclaimed the benefits of a close relationship with God
Enoch practiced what he preached. Enoch had a powerful message because he lived such an amazing life. Living so close to God added power to his preaching. Make no mistake the world was falling into the power of sin. Enoch was the father of Methuselah the oldest living person in history. It was at the end of Methuselah’s lifetime that marked the beginning of the flood. Enoch was only three generations prior to the flood. His message would have been carried down to Noah.
2. The message against ungodly living
Make no mistake the world was already heading in the wrong direction. Sin was on the rise and godless behavior was becoming the norm. The behavior escalated to the point that god regretted creating humanity and sent the flood. Enoch may have been the first line of defense in proclaiming the message of God.
Enoch preached that God was not going to leave the world for long and that godless people needed to repent. Enoch was the great, great grandfather of another preacher of righteousness: Noah. The example of Enoch likely gave Noah great courage and boldness during the time of building the Ark.
Enoch was translated
The most common use of the word translation in church deals with the Bible and the various translations in English. A translation is moving from the original language to our English language.
The Latin phrase means to carry over or to carry across. God carried Enoch over the power of death. Death is the one bridge that every human being must cross but God spared Enoch the experience of death. Enoch was translated, changed, transformed or moved from the mortal existence to the heavenly existence without experiencing death.
Why was Enoch translated or taken to heaven?
1. Enoch lived incredibly close to God
One of the main reasons that God took Enoch to heaven before his death was the depth of personal relationship. Enoch already enjoyed an unbroken relationship with God and heaven was the next logical step. The desire of Enoch was to experience the face to face relationship with God he heard Adam speak about.
2. God revealed His power to the world
God uses Enoch to reveal His power to the world through his ministry and through his transition to heaven. There is no mention of a chariot of fire like that of Elijah. However, there must have been a dramatic event for others to see and know what happened. Otherwise, there could have been confusion or misunderstandings about where Enoch was or what happened to him.
3. God demonstrates the reality of eternal life
When God takes Enoch out of this life to heaven it gives a bold demonstration of eternal existence. God reveals His power to save from death. God also shows His right to pass judgment. Enoch was spared the experience of death because of God’s graciousness but it also revealed that God not only could but would judge people for their sin.
Enoch gives people a glimpse of the resurrection. We see the power of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and we see the promise of believer being resurrected at the end of time.
4. Enoch becomes an encouragement to other believers
When Enoch was spared death it became a source of encouragement for other believers. Think about that Adam has died and everyone who attended his funeral understood their time was coming. When Enoch was taken by God, it gave everyone hope.
Today we should have hope because God has given us the example of Christ’s resurrection.
Life lessons from Enoch
1. We follow God by faith
2. We can experience deliverance from death
