Enoch, a man who walked with God
Series: Like you and me | Bible text: Gen. 5:21–24; Hebr.11:5
«And Enoch walked with God» (Genesis 5:22). It is vital that we walk with God. This means that we walk through life believing and in union with God. The very best thing we can do in life is to accept Jesus into our lives and ask and seek His will. So let us walk with God.
Enoch is one of the better known persons in the Old Testament. This is because, together with Elijah, he was the only one who did not have to die. He was caught up to heaven at the age of 365. Enoch does not occupy a large space in the Bible. But what is reported about him is of the greatest interest! Therefore, it is valuable to take a closer look at the short description of Enoch’s life from the pen of God. «Enoch was 65 years old and begat Metushelah. And Enoch walked with God. And after he begat Metushelah, he lived 300 years, and begat sons and daughters, that his whole age was 365 years. And because he walked with God, God took him away, and he was seen no more» (Genesis 5:21–24 Lut.). Here is what we know about Enoch: Enoch was married. We also know that this union produced Metushelah and other sons and daughters (Gen 5:21/22). In what kind of time did Enoch live? We read in Gen 6:5–6 Lut. «The LORD saw that the wickedness of men was great in the earth, and that all the thoughts and actions of their hearts were evil for ever. Then the LORD repented that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him in his heart.. This was followed by the Flood. Only Noah and his family survived. While from generation to generation people turned away from God more and more, the Bible singles out Enoch with the following words: «And Enoch walked with God. And because he walked with God, God took him away, and he was seen no more.» Because Enoch walked with God, he found special standing with God. What does «walking with God» mean? Let’s look at this a little more closely this morning. How can we walk with God and what does that mean for our lives?
The Hebrew word for «walk» literally means «to walk or stroll or even to live». So Enoch walked or strolled through life with God. He lived with God. That indicates a relationship! But the word has a special meaning in Hebrew. Usually this word is used for a certain lifestyle. Halak = to walk or also live in a certain lifestyle. Example: Halak comfortable, Halak happy, Halak rich, Halak vegan, Halak sport etc. So Enoch lived a lifestyle according to God, according to God’s will. At a time when people were asking less and less about God and evil was gaining the upper hand, Enoch apparently lived a very different lifestyle. I am firmly convinced that there is a need for many Enochs today, and I wish that we too could set out today into a new Halak, into a new lifestyle, into a walk with God.
How then can we walk with God?
In Psalm 1 we also read of a halak. «Blessed is he that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, nor treadeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers, but delighteth in the law of the LORD, and pondereth his law day and night.» (Ps 1:1–2 Lut.) Here it becomes clear that walking has a lot to do with our lifestyle. We should not simply live like the people around us who do not know God. We should not simply imitate their lifestyle, but we should rejoice in the law of the Lord and orient ourselves to it. This is to shape our lifestyle. The word for law here is Torah and stands for the Holy Scripture of that time, the Bible. Today I understand this word as the whole Bible. In it we learn a lot about God’s love, but we also learn about his will and his intentions for our lives. Only with this knowledge can we walk like Enoch. This leads me to the first point of how we can walk with God:
1. read the bible
For Christians, the Bible is the Word of God. It can give us precise instructions for the direction of our lives. We can get a good picture of what God desires and expects from humanity based on the Bible. By reading the Bible, we can practise a lifestyle according to God’s will! A thorough understanding of the Bible will help us to know what is right and wrong and to avoid wrong decisions (example tax return). Therefore, it is important that we read the Bible daily and let ourselves be guided by God’s Word. And that brings us to the second point that I am sure Enoch took to heart:
2. do not get distracted
When we go for a walk with someone, we both go in the same direction. We keep a similar pace. We talk to each other and focus our attention on each other. In short; there is harmony between us and we are a unit and community during the walk. So often, however, we get distracted. In order to practise a lifestyle according to God’s will, we may need to let go of things that distract us from our relationship with God. These distractions can be sins, or things that we consciously or unconsciously put above God. Remember: many things, even a lot of things, shape our lifestyle! «For whose heart is full, the mouth overflows» (Mat. 12, 34). Let’s imagine a walk with a friend. If he is preoccupied with his mobile phone the whole time instead of talking to me, the walk would not be very pleasant to the point of being discordant. So if we focus on distractions instead of God, this will prevent us from truly walking with God, and learning from Him! And even things that are beneficial can become harmful distractions if we are not careful. For example, it is a good thing to work and earn money to feed our family. However, if we become obsessed with work and making money, and neglect our family and our relationship with God, we have allowed this to become a sinful distraction. Matthew 6:33 says: «Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.» One hundred percent, the next point was as important for Enoch as it was for us:
3. pray and be still
Prayer allows us to be in personal connection with God. Prayers of thanksgiving, praise and supplication all have their place. The most important thing is that we pray from the bottom of our hearts. Let us think of our behaviour when we are out in nature with someone. We talk, laugh and cry together. Sometimes we also walk in silence next to each other. Listening and responding to each other deepens the relationship or connection with the other person. It is the same with prayer: We can talk, laugh and cry with God at any time and in any place. Simply being quiet and coming before God in this way is also prayer. Let us take plenty of time for prayer and to ask God for his way for our lives. As in Psalm 46:11: «Be still and know that I am God». Practising this lifestyle is often a challenge in our busy times. Coming from silence and prayer, the 4th point was also easier for Enoch:
4. be a doer of the word
James 1:22 «But be doers of the word and not hearers alone.» So, in order to walk with God, we must become doers. In practical terms, this means we must follow the biblical instructions, the commandments of God, which God has made available to all humanity. Only in this way can our walk be reflected in good moral behaviour. Although some of these commandments involve restrictions for us humans in our daily lives, they are meant to protect humanity and to stay spiritually connected to God. We also honour God with our obedience. Enoch obviously honoured God with his lifestyle. What does that look like for us? Often the verse from Matth. 26,41 proves true in our lives «The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!!!» Even though we want to – we can’t. Before Jesus went to heaven, he promised those left behind that he would send them a helper and comforter – the Holy Spirit. Let us allow ourselves to be guided by this gift – the Holy Spirit. He wants to guide us on good paths so that we, as blessed ones, are a blessing to our neighbours. Point 5 also became an enrichment for Enoch:
5. Walk with others who are on the same path
It is very important that we fellowship with fellow Christians in and outside the church. Solo Christians certainly live dangerously. Alone, one is rather defenceless against distractions. But together we can be there for each other, encourage each other and move forward in faith together. Together we are strong. The small groups in our congregation also serve to help us practise fellowship. Despite everything, Enoch also became tired and desperately needed point 6:
6. Don’t give up!
No matter how many times we stumble or fall, we have to get up again and keep going. God will not turn us away, even if we stray from the path for a short time. Fall down, get up, straighten the crown, keep walking. The Bible is full of such people. For example, David in the Old Testament fell down by committing adultery, Peter denied Jesus three times, all the disciples left Jesus when he was taken captive, etc., etc. But these men, by the grace of God, were allowed to get up, straighten their crowns and walk on. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God and therefore there is no reason to ever give up.
What does «walking with God» mean for our lives?
Let us return to Enoch. «And because he walked with God, God took him away, and he was seen no more». This description is fantastic. It is written of all the people in the Bible that they died. Of Enoch it says that he was no more, he was simply not found because God took him away. The text does not explicitly say that Enoch did not die, but it is interpreted that way by many. And this interpretation is confirmed in the NT: «By faith Enoch was caught up, that he might not see death, and was found no more, because God had caught him up; for before he was caught up it was testified to him that he had pleased God.»
(Hebrews 11:5). Isn’t the image of Enoch beautiful and romantic? So it is worth walking with God. Meanwhile, we can imagine a very close relationship between God and Enoch. Certainly Enoch desired nothing but to walk with God and to be pleasing to Him. Single-mindedly, Enoch was only interested in doing the will of God. Is it justifiable to ask whether Enoch was sinless? Justified, yes, but Enoch was also a sinner like you and me. But he lived entirely by the grace of God and held fast to faith in God. He trusted that God forgave him. Enoch lived a relationship with God that I wish for my life! Walking with God is worthwhile. We will experience God and grow in our relationship with Him, now and for all eternity! But, walking with God does not mean that everything will just go wonderfully. Now I want to cut back a little on the romanticism of Enoch’s life. The text itself gives us important clues that we tend to neglect because they don’t fit the romantic picture we want. Let’s look a little closer at the ages of the ten generations from Adam to Noah. Adam, 930 years old, Set 912, Enosh 905, Kenan 910, Mahalalel 895, Jered 962, Enoch 365, Metushelach 969, Lamech 777, and Noah 950 years old. Wait a minute. Enoch lived just over a third of the life of his son Metushelach. Enoch lived by far the shortest. This is contrary to what we think. Because we think that if someone lives with God, and God is well pleased with him, then he will surely live long. Then God will surely see to it that he has money, success and a long life (prosperity gospel). The life of Enoch shows that walking with God is free from any calculation. He lived much less than anyone else. How can this be explained? It is written of all the others that they lived, and then that they died after so and so many years. Enoch had a completely different orientation. He is the only one, it is written, who not only lived but also walked with God. Again: Enoch walked with God. For him, life was not a means to satisfy his own desires, or to get his way, or to succeed. Enoch walked with God, had aligned his lifestyle according to God’s standards. He only wanted to do God’s will. What about us in this regard? Are we hungry to seek God’s will and to do it? To what extent am I prepared to pay a price? These are questions that should really concern us. And as mentioned at the beginning, the text suggests to us that Enoch was the only one who walked with God, who was pleasing to God and wanted to do God’s will. Let us imagine the opposition. After all, he lived just before the Flood, in a time of injustice, wickedness, exploitation, false witness, lies, violence and murder. Not much different from today! And it is precisely there that Enoch stands with a firm faith in God. Certainly he did not let himself be brought down by ridicule, by insults and by humiliation. We all know how uncomfortable it can be to think or be different from the masses. Enoch cared more about what God thought about him than what people thought about him.
Dear congregation, I would like to encourage us all. We live in an insecure world. Violence and injustice prevail on both the large and small scales. Walking with God, today as then, is not a pony farm. Others, indeed many others, have walked this journey of faith faithfully before us. And we have Jesus Christ to strengthen and help us, who died for us. Every now and then things come upon us that force us to choose faith. Perhaps when we say in our circle of friends that we believe in God, we may be laughed at or ostracised. Perhaps, if we say we are a Christian at work, we may experience disadvantages. Or maybe, if we want to be honest and sincere, while everyone else is cheating, we get strong reactions. What matters more, what others think about us or what God thinks about us? The very best thing we can do in life is to accept Jesus into our lives and ask and seek His will. So let us walk with God.
