Scripture says very little about Enoch other than “Enoch walked with God.” While that single sentence speaks volumes, in our ignorance we often wonder what that means. Have you ever asked yourself what it must have looked like for Enoch to have walked with God? I have. Scripture is chock-full of God’s words telling us precisely how we can walk with Him by faith.
"And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." Genesis 5:24
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Hebrews 11:5
Many Christians will stand up in defense of Hollywood movies, making all sorts of ridiculous claims, but they do so to their own folly. Jesus prayed that we would be in the world, and not of the world. Many Christians will rise against Christ-centered rock, hip-hop, etc., and claim that it is against God, but they will sit down and consume Hollywood's filth without ever considering what it truly means to be "against" God. Anything that is contrary to the Person and character of God as revealed in His Word is against God. God has said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." How many Hollywood "romances" encourage just such a thing? How many Hollywood "romances" encourage pre-marital sex? All in the name of "love." I can name ten off the top of my head, and more if I think hard about it.
Just like in the movie Time Changer, Christians will try to defend what they watch or listen to and say, "It's just a movie," or, "It's just a song." No, it is much more than just a movie or a song. It is influencing us and our thoughts and our belief system. It is demoralizing and desensitizing us and our soul. Enoch walked with God. His faith was so profound and radical in comparison to the rest of the world that God translated him before the flood. Nothing is said of Enoch's life, yet so much is said of his life in that least of phrases: "Enoch walked with God." While we wish we could see a glimpse into Enoch's life, that phrase sums it up perfectly. "Enoch walked with God." That is my desire. That is my prayer for all Christians, that they would separate themselves from the world and let the world know that there is something profound and different about us. That they would be a light in and to the world. But instead, they mingle with the world, date the world, adopt the world, and walk alongside the world.
I want to be a modern-day Enoch. No matter what the rest of the world says or what my fellow Christians may say, I want to refuse to walk in agreement with the ungodly multitude. I want to walk by faith with God even though the rest of the world will be running wildly rampant all around me, including those whom I call brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if I am the only one standing in opposition to the rest of the world, I desire to be pleasing to God.
Anyone who has studied the life of Jesus or the life of Paul will see exactly how radical they were. Many Christians claim to be Pauline Christians, but they could not be further from the truth. There is a drastic difference between their life of complacency, comfort, and safety, and Paul's life of discomfort and persecution. Christians have forgotten that we are pilgrims and strangers in this world. We should not seek, let alone ever set down, comfort and safety. Comfort and safety are sinking sand. Our home is in heaven and we would do well to remember that and to look forward to it with great anticipation. Ted Dekker's book The Slumber of Christianity speaks toward this. The giant—the Church—has fallen asleep, despite Jesus' warnings to keep vigil.
Oh, God, change our hearts and renew our minds. Make us part of the faithful few. Separate us from the world and place us on a hill as a light to reveal Your Light, Jesus. May You become our deepest desire and our greatest longing; the hunger and thirst of our soul. Teach us how to walk with You as Enoch had. Amen!
"And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." Genesis 5:24
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Hebrews 11:5
In Enoch God has given an example of faith and a model of daily fellowship with God. We are impressed that he could resist the devil and find fellowship with his Creator—God, even in a worldly society headed for destruction. Enoch recognized the failure of men and women trying to live their lives apart from God and His will. By faith he walked with God on this earth at a time when sin and corruption were wildly rampant all around him.Christian liberty is doing that which the Holy Spirit leads us to do. If we are listening to music, which music does the Holy Spirit lead us to listen to? If we are watching movies, which ones does the Holy Spirit lead us to watch? Which ones does He lead us to consume? Does He honestly want us embedding these images and messages within the framework of our hearts and minds? If we are going to some place of entertainment, are we bringing the Holy Spirit with us? Regardless of what we think, God is always there with us. He knows everything we think, sees everything we do, and hears everything we say. So by entering some of the places we frequent, are we pleasing God by doing so? Jesus did not set us free so that we could sin if we want to; He set us free from sin so that we could serve and obey Him because we love Him for what He has done for us. What kinds of things does the Holy Spirit approve of? What kinds of things does He disapprove of? Christians need more discernment today and a greater desire to live pleasing lives to God as Enoch had.
Enoch’s daily walk was a walk of faith, a walk of fellowship with God. What the Scriptures are trying to say to us is this: If Enoch could live and walk with God by faith in the midst of his sinful generation, we likewise should be able to follow his example because the human race is the same and God is the same!
Enoch reminds us that the quality and boldness of our faith will be the measure of our preparation for the return of Jesus Christ to this earth. The faith and deportment of the man Enoch do compose a vivid picture—a powerful object lesson—to encourage every Christian believer in his or her faith. Enoch speaks to us of our own troubled times—and that is the purpose of the Word of God. It should be our concern that we hear—and that we obey!
Enoch was translated into the presence of God because of his faith.
Enoch was a man of faith, a child of God. We could call him one of God’s faithful few. God took him out of the earth and out of his race when the judgment of the Flood was not far away.
The faith of Enoch continues to be an encouragement to walk with the King of heaven while we live down here. Then we know we will feel comfortable and at home when we get to heaven!
The facts are plainly spelled out. Enoch walked with God. He faced up to the devil and patiently bore the scoffing of those who lived like the devil. God honored his faith and took him into His divine presence forever.
Now, here is one of the great personal lessons for us: Enoch was a spiritual rebuke to his own generation. He fought off the wiles and the temptations of the devil. He purposed within himself: “I will walk with God by faith even if that means that I must be detached from my generation.”
Enoch could have written a book on human loneliness. We must make our choices even as Enoch did. Enoch refused to walk in agreement with the ungodly multitude of his generation.
Enoch determined that even if everyone in his generation was blindly moving toward the judgment of God, he would be the one man who refused to go over the cliff with the unbelievers. What did he do?
In faith Enoch detached himself from his generation. Then, by faith, he lived above all generations, pleasing to God.
A.W. Tozer, Author of Our Faith, ch. 2.
Many Christians will stand up in defense of Hollywood movies, making all sorts of ridiculous claims, but they do so to their own folly. Jesus prayed that we would be in the world, and not of the world. Many Christians will rise against Christ-centered rock, hip-hop, etc., and claim that it is against God, but they will sit down and consume Hollywood's filth without ever considering what it truly means to be "against" God. Anything that is contrary to the Person and character of God as revealed in His Word is against God. God has said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." How many Hollywood "romances" encourage just such a thing? How many Hollywood "romances" encourage pre-marital sex? All in the name of "love." I can name ten off the top of my head, and more if I think hard about it.
Just like in the movie Time Changer, Christians will try to defend what they watch or listen to and say, "It's just a movie," or, "It's just a song." No, it is much more than just a movie or a song. It is influencing us and our thoughts and our belief system. It is demoralizing and desensitizing us and our soul. Enoch walked with God. His faith was so profound and radical in comparison to the rest of the world that God translated him before the flood. Nothing is said of Enoch's life, yet so much is said of his life in that least of phrases: "Enoch walked with God." While we wish we could see a glimpse into Enoch's life, that phrase sums it up perfectly. "Enoch walked with God." That is my desire. That is my prayer for all Christians, that they would separate themselves from the world and let the world know that there is something profound and different about us. That they would be a light in and to the world. But instead, they mingle with the world, date the world, adopt the world, and walk alongside the world.
I want to be a modern-day Enoch. No matter what the rest of the world says or what my fellow Christians may say, I want to refuse to walk in agreement with the ungodly multitude. I want to walk by faith with God even though the rest of the world will be running wildly rampant all around me, including those whom I call brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if I am the only one standing in opposition to the rest of the world, I desire to be pleasing to God.
Anyone who has studied the life of Jesus or the life of Paul will see exactly how radical they were. Many Christians claim to be Pauline Christians, but they could not be further from the truth. There is a drastic difference between their life of complacency, comfort, and safety, and Paul's life of discomfort and persecution. Christians have forgotten that we are pilgrims and strangers in this world. We should not seek, let alone ever set down, comfort and safety. Comfort and safety are sinking sand. Our home is in heaven and we would do well to remember that and to look forward to it with great anticipation. Ted Dekker's book The Slumber of Christianity speaks toward this. The giant—the Church—has fallen asleep, despite Jesus' warnings to keep vigil.
Oh, God, change our hearts and renew our minds. Make us part of the faithful few. Separate us from the world and place us on a hill as a light to reveal Your Light, Jesus. May You become our deepest desire and our greatest longing; the hunger and thirst of our soul. Teach us how to walk with You as Enoch had. Amen!