Oswald Chambers speaking on Enoch said, “the test of a man’s life and character is not what he does in the exceptional moments in life, but what he does in the ordinary times.”

Enoch was a man, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and he walked with God… He was in the 7th Generation of Man in Creation.

Genesis 5:23-24 Enoch’s life lasted 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him

So he lived walking with God, and then he was no longer on the earth, but he was still WITH God.

There are just five verses in Genesis, two in Hebrews, two in Jude regarding this man. Yet the first verses and the last verses are 3000 years apart, and here we are 5000 years after, and we still know him.

Genesis 5:19 tells us that his father’s name was Jared. That name means, “to go down, bow down.” he is recorded to have lived 962 years, and yes I believe in a literal understanding. Though we can’t relate to that, he was 162 when he fathered Enoch. That’s sort of hard to imagine, but if I live to be 100, it would mean that my oldest son was born about the same time in my life, which is about 20% of my life, just like Jared’s son was born at about the same ratio of his life.

Interestingly, Enoch was 65 when his son, Methuselah, was born, which turned out to be roughly the same ratio of his life.

If he lived 1/5th of his life, he had done many things, seen many things in life.

He worked, working the ground, raising animals, probably lived close to his family. He met a woman, fell in love with her, and she became his wife. Then, they had a son.

What was life like? Don’t know much, but his son, Methuselah, had his son Lamech, and Enoch would have been 252, and lived another 48 years, yet was not still on earth when his Great Grandson, Noah, was born. Yet Lamach said about Noah, “this one will bring us relief from the agonizing labor with our hands, caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”

Well, seven generations, and the sin of Genesis 3 was hard. He was working the ground, raising a family, and he had other sons and daughters…

What else do we know? 3000 Years after he left his earth…

Jude wrote Jude 14-15 tell us that he was a Forceful Preacher of Prophesy saying that he prophesied, “Look! the Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment on all and convict all the ungodly…”

WOW… we don’t know much more

But most significantly, the writer of Hebrews has the “Hall of Fame of the Faithful” in Hebrews 11…

Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen… by this our ancestors were approved… Hebrews 11:1-2…

Then 11:3 By faith we understand the universe was created by God… made from things that are not visible 4 by faith Abel offered a better sacrifice… he was approved as a righteous man… because God approved his gifts… though dead, he still speaks through his faith

Point being, God gave instructions for how to live, how to worship – Abel followed, Cain did not.

Then step forward many generations to Enoch.

Hebrews 11:5 by faith, Enoch was taken away… did not experience death… God took him away… FOR before he was taken away he was approved as one who pleased God.

That word, approved is the word, martyreo = testify, bear witness. The Testimony of Enoch’s life was that he pleased God – euaresteo = pleasing and interestingly this word is both a verb AND a noun. Because he acted in pleasing God, he WAS pleasing to God.

Now, then, just to be sure that we GET THE POINT… the context then of verse 6 is often quoted alone, but here in the context of the life of Enoch, it is a challenge to us to be like Enoch and these faithful in Hebrews 11

… he was approved as one pleasing to God 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draw near to him must believe that he exists, and that he rewards those who seek him.

Oh, some believe IN God, but don’t obey God, believing that God has expectations that we must follow.

Compare Abel and Cain… both came to God in perceived worship, but only one of them worshiped as instructed and from the heart.

Remember God told Cain… if you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? He had been told, but he would not.

Yet, Enoch was approved, his life gave a witness, that as a man, husband, father, grandfather, worker, friend, preacher, he believed God, sought to obey God, drew near to God, walked close to God, in line with God, according to the Lord…

… and then, he was no more on earth… yet he was still WITH God.

My desire and full expectation for now and into eternity is to be with God, pleasing to God, giving that testimony – One Step One Walk… at a time…

Enoch walked with God – halak = to go, to come, accompany, to behave

Let it be said of me… that I “behaved, accompanied God, coming and going”