Genesis 5:22-24 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
I have heard some outlandish things said by others regarding Enoch. There is no doubt that some of you have probably encountered something similar. The purpose of this article has nothing to do with trying to settle any controversy that may be had over Enoch in how he was taken by God. I want us to focus on the aspect of how Enoch walked with God. What does that mean? Can we walk with God just as Enoch did? Spoiler alert: Yes, we can!
Not much is said about the life of Enoch but there is enough said to know that he must have pleased God. Of all the people listed in Genesis 5, Enoch is the only one who was said to have “walked with God”. Look a little more closely at what is said. Enoch lived for three hundred and sixty-five years and he walked with God for three hundred years. For starters, this is impressive. And secondly, that ought to get us to see the bigger picture. We get so comfortable with the idea that “I got baptized! I have punched my ticket into heaven!” Granted, we don’t live for the same length of time, but our shortened lifespan certainly does not excuse us from being faithful to God. If anything, we should look at the life of Enoch and recognize that he spent most of his life walking with God. What is our excuse again?
What does “Enoch walked with God” really mean? May I suggest that he was a rare, godly man in a world that was headed towards destruction? The behavior of mankind was spiraling out of control and Enoch was one who didn’t allow the influences of his world to take him away from God.
Genesis 6:5,8-9 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.
Here we have similar language being used in describing the life of Noah. Now, am I saying that Noah or Enoch was perfect in their lives? No, and I don’t know of anyone who would say that. What I want us to see is that there is a pattern of behavior for the true believer in God. We cannot say that someone is “walking with God” while holding hands with the devil. Was Noah walking with God when he received instructions for building the ark? What about while he was building the ark? What about when he got on the ark? You see, in those moments, he had no choice but to walk with God or he would not have been saved from the destruction that was to come to all the world for its wickedness!
Hebrews 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Enoch walked with God by being faithful and obeying God. I am convinced that if Enoch had lived in the first century and heard the gospel preached, his response would have been the same as those who obeyed the gospel. Look at these passages below and think.
(Hear) “Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God” – Romans 10:17
(Believe) “Philip said, “if you believe with all your heart, you may…” – Acts 8:37
(Repent) “Therefore repent and return…” – Acts 3:19
(Confess) “…and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:10
(Baptized) “Why delay? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” – Acts 22:16
(Remain Faithful) “…Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” – Revelation 2:10
Do you think that Enoch would question the validity of any of these passages? That is obviously not an exhaustive list but if we are honest with ourselves; We know that he would not question whether or not he has to repent or get baptized. Enoch would have had the same response as the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8, “See here is water, what hinders me from being baptized?” He would have responded the same way as the Philippian Jailor in Acts 16 when he asked “What must I do to be saved?”. Enoch would have responded similarly as Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9.
Mostly everyone in Enoch’s day walked by themselves and not with God. The same can be said about Noah’s day. They were all walking their own way, going down their own path, and away from the presence of God. Want to know something? Today is not any different. People are not walking with God today.
People are too busy walking, talking, and dressing like the world. They get drunk, high, go to parties, fornicate, lie, steal, and support things that God takes no pleasure in. They think that because they have “prayed, repented, and got wet” one time, that they are saved for all eternity all while continuing in sin. They don’t read their Bibles and can’t recall even the simplest of passages to their minds. Yet, they want to say that they “walk with God”. Do not be deceived into believing that nonsense. Walk with God today by obeying the gospel!
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God
-Lee Elkins
