In last week’s lesson on faith, looking at Hebrews 11:4, we discovered that God requires a humble heart. He asks that we give out of love. But most importantly, He asks that our offerings be given in FAITH-faith in the promise of redemption through Jesus’ blood! Let’s go to Heb. 11:5: to see what lessons in faith can be learned from Enoch:
“By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not experience death, and HE WAS NOT TO BE FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM AWAY. For prior to his transformation he was approved, having pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5 HCSB)
What little we know about Enoch is found in Gen. 5:23,24: “So Enoch’s life lasted 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not there, because God took him.” At first glance you might say, “Wow! He lived a LONG time! He was OLD! Maybe God took him to Heaven because he WOULDN’T DIE!” But if you do a quick check of the verses surrounding Gen. 5:23-24, you soon learn that Enoch was but in the early years of his life: “So Mahalalel’s life lasted 895 years; then he died . . . So Jared’s life lasted 962 years; then he died . . . So Methuselah’s life lasted 969 years; then he died . . .” (Gen. 5:17, 20, 27) and the list continues.
What about this phase, “He was not there, because God took him”. Doesn’t this mean he died and went to Heaven? If you look carefully at the wording used to describe death in the verses surrounding this one, you will see that each and every one said, “and he died” (see Gen. 5: 5,7,11,14,17,20,27, and 31). No, something different happened to Enoch, and Heb. 11:5 tells us what it was: “Enoch was taken away so he did not experience death . . .”
Why? Why did all of Enoch’s ancestors and off-spring live to ripe old ages (His son, Methuselah, is famous for being the world’s oldest man!) And then die, but Enoch was taken to Heaven without seeing death? Both the text in Hebrews 11 and its supporting text in Gen. 5 tell us the reason: “Enoch walked with God” (Gen. 5:24); and “For prior to his transformation he was approved, having pleased God.” (Heb. 11:5).
But what was so different about Enoch? Didn’t his forefathers and offspring also walk with God? We do not know, exactly, what the spiritual state was of Enoch’s direct line of ancestry, but we do know that most of mankind was corrupt: “And the Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt.'” (Gen. 6:3); “When the LORD saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time . . .” (Gen. 6:5); and “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.” (Gen. 6:11). Jesus shares a bit more insight into the era: “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark . . .” (Matt. 24:38-39)
In such an era, when men were busy with their own personal gain, and no one paid any more attention to God, finding someone who actually “walked” with Him was pretty special to God!
But what does it mean to “walk” with God? Let’s put this in modern terms. What does it mean to go for a walk with someone? You are naturally spending time with that person, you talk to that person, and you get to know them better. It’s no different walking with God. Someone who “walks” with God spends time with God, talks to God, gets to know God, learns to rely on God. And the final key to walking with God comes from our main text, Heb. 11:5: “By faith, Enoch . . .”
Friends, Enoch he had FAITH that God was who He said He was. He had FAITH that God’s way was the right way. He had FAITH in the promise of a savior. He had FAITH in God’s power, in His righteousness, in His ultimate knowledge and protection. And why did Enoch have faith? Because he took the time to come to know God personally. Because he WALKED with God!
Do you want to have faith? Then spend time with God. Get to know Him personally. Go for walks with God. Spend time in prayer, spend time in the Word, cast all of your cares and worries upon Him and then sit back and watch how faithful He is. The key we can learn from Enoch is that faith comes by WALKING WITH GOD!
Enough to ponder, friends. But do ponder this: Faith in God comes by developing a relationship with God!
Join us next week for Faith, Lesson 8, where we will look at the lessons in faith that come to us through Noah.
God bless you!
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Author, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets website, www.scripturalnuggets.org , Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org .
(To access tne entire “Faith” mini-series, please click here.)