S) "21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."
Genesis 4:5-7 (NASB)
O) This Enoch is one of the most mysterious men of the Bible. Very little is known about him, factually, but there are some things we can glean biblically. First, looking at the timeline, we see that the majority of his life was lived while Adam was still alive. Adam lived to be Nine hundred and thirty years, and he died (see v.5). Following the time frames given for the births of these first seven generations, we see that Enoch was born in the 622nd year. So, despite the fact that we are talking about half a millennia, the men were living long enough for Adam to give a first-hand account of who God is, what the garden was like, etc. That is not to say that Enoch was given this kind of testimony, but it certainly puts the timeline in perspective. Reading through it, we see that it was not very long between creation, and Enoch's life - relative to the lifespans of the time. The next thing we see about Enoch, is that He fathered children, just like all of the other men in this genealogy. Next we see some crucial words, in understanding who Enoch was, "[he] walked with God..." This may not seem like a significant phrase, but it proves to be. Just like we looked back to creation, and we saw how close Enoch was to it, if we look forward along the timeline, we see something else a little surprising: his life was only four years from Noah's birth. Noah was born into a time so evil, that God decided to wipe out nearly all of His creation, to end that evil. So, the fact that Enoch walked with God (for all of his remaining three hundred years, no less), becomes evidently remarkable. For further evidence of the significance of this, we see him included in the listing of men who had great faith (see Hebrews 11:5). Also, in Jude 1:14, we learn that Enoch was an actual prophet. Finally, we get to the most mysterious aspect of Enoch's life - when "he was not, for God took him." Again, the timing of this seems particularly important. Only four years later, Noah is born to Lamech. In an amazing display of mercy and grace, God spares Enoch from the sin of the world, and the destruction it will soon experience because of it. This makes Enoch the first of only two biblical examples we have, of men being spared death, and being taken directly to be with God (the other being Elijah in 2 Kings 2:11).
A) To be sure, it is not my life's ambition to escape death and be taken straight to heaven. However, Enoch is a great example of rebelling against culture. He was at an epic cross-section of time. He was born while Adam, the oldest and first man, was still alive. It was still another 600 years before the earth was actually flooded, but a lot of those evil men were already being born while Enoch lived. Yet, his faithfulness to God proved to be undefeated. He would not succumb to the pressures of the people around him; he walked with God. If I am to walk with God, then I must go where God is going, and do what God is doing. I cannot make the mistake of thinking that God is static. He is moving, and walking, and doing. If I am static (i.e., lazy), then I am not walking with God. If God moves, and I don't, that is the same as me moving in an opposite direction. Walking with God is, at its core, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Jesus walked with God. As I live my life, ordinary and plain, raising kids and having a job, being faithful to my wife, I can't get lost in complacent routine. I need to ensure that I am still moving. I need to be sure that I am still doing. I know I am not saved by works, but if my beliefs are to be proven as faith, then I will walk with God, just as Enoch walked with God. Maybe my flesh will die, or Jesus will return first. Whatever the case, I want to ensure that I am living my life in such a way, that my life is God's to take.
P) Father, You are worth all of my time. That is one of my biggest struggles, Father. My heart wants to play, and following You is not a game. Remind me though, God, that games are not joy. When I am being spiritually active, and walking with You closely, my joy is complete. You have already opened my eyes to this truth; I have seen it alive in my life. I am afraid I am still easily distracted though, God. Help me keep focused on You. As I seek to walk with You, step in step, let Your will be done in my life. I don't know what my last sentence says, but I trust that You do. I trust Your will for my end. I pray that the people I leave behind (whoever they are, at that time), are encouraged and strengthened by the life I lived. I pray that, between now and then, I am living my life everyday, ready to be taken by You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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