WRITTEN BY MICHELE HANSEN
Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. (Genesis 5:24)
According to genealogy, Enoch was just a youngster at 365 years of age when he “was no more”. His son, Methuselah lived to be 969 years old and Enoch’s father, Jared, lived to be 962 years old. I wonder what it was like… Look up Genesis 5 if you want to see the genealogy list.
We don’t know much about this time in our long past history, but this was before the flood of Noah’s day and people lived a long, long time. My guess is that if we could see into the past, we would be quite surprised to see dinosaurs and giants and things of legend. I don’t know, but maybe…
Enoch was of the 6th generation from Adam and Eve. We are talking several centuries in one generation. It was very different back then. We have no point of reference…we can’t fathom it. Adam lived to be 930 years old. It would take all that time to fill the land up with people. Noah was, like, 8th or 9th generation from Adam.
Imagine the arid countryside. Scrub brush and dry conditions. It didn’t rain, scorpions and lizards running around. Simple farmers and shepherds in the land that would become the country of our Messiah. The people knew God. They weren’t that far removed from Adam and Eve.
The scriptures say that Enoch walked faithfully…how faithful must one be to just be “taken away” by God? Pretty faithful, I’d say. Enoch never experienced death that we know of. It says that God took Him. Took him to… what, heaven?
Yes. Can’t wait to meet the guy.
(I imagine Enoch walking down a dusty path with one of his kin. Perhaps a friend or relative…same thing…anyway, I imagine the dialog…)
“Your birthday is tomorrow, Enoch, what are you planning to do?
“Oh, you know, probably roast a goat, invite some people over to the tent. Watch the kids play with the livestock.” Enoch would reply.
“What do you think of cousin Lulemech over in the next mountain range with his propensity for ‘acquiring new sheep’?”
“He is a most unrighteous individual” Enoch replied with a sad look in his eyes. “Yahweh is not pleased with that kind of behavior.”
“What do you mean? It’s not like he took them. He said he found them wandering around the foothills. You know how dangerous it is for untended flocks around here.”
“You and I both know those were Jeb’s sheep. More importantly, Yahweh knows.”
“He can’t prove it.” Was the sarcastic reply.” Everyone knows Jeb is getting old. He’s almost 730 years old! He won’t need those sheep much longer anyway.”
With a look of sad contemplation and patience Enoch replied, “You are young. Not even 200 years old yet. It is not for man to make judgment on his fellow man. It is Yahweh that knows the heart of the man. We are but His creation entrusted to take care of this world we live in and those around us. We live for the will of Yahweh.”
With his back turned to Enoch he replied, “How do you know what the will of Yahweh is? You think you know all about Him. It’s all you ever talk about. You are not living in the real world, Enoch. Enoch?”
As he turned to look behind him, the dusty path they had been walking on had two sets of prints. And then there was one…
I don’t know how God took Enoch. I don’t know anything other than Enoch was a faithful man to God. The world was changing fast and in a few short generations, God instructed Noah to build an ark because He was so angry with His creation that He was going to destroy them. They had turned completely feral and had rejected the will of God. All except for Noah. Enoch was Noah’s great grandpa.
Our righteousness will never live up to the gold standard of the Lord’s perfect righteousness. But we’re given Jesus, the only Son of God, as our covering and our righteousness. Our only and great Redeemer is He. Enoch lived so faithfully as to never taste death. His faithful life was a gift he lived in front of his family. His great grandson found favor with God and was the means to save humanity.
The righteousness of Christ lived out in the believer’s life is the only “Bible” some people may ever “read”. Believers are the fingerprint of God on the world. How we live matters. It mattered for Enoch way back then and it will matter from now till Jesus returns. It is only through the righteousness of Christ lived out in the surrendered believer that this world will be changed.
“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God”. (Hebrews 11:5, NIV)
