I get many blessings in my daily Bible reading. One such blessing came while reading the fifth chapter of Genesis. This chapter gives the lineage from Adam down to Noah before the flood. Now, you may ask, “How can reading the genealogies in the Bible possibly be a blessing?” I heartily understand that question; however, there are wonderful “nuggets” of truth found within these lists. It's almost as if the Holy Spirit placed them there so that we would be faithful, hungry readers of his word! When reading these lists, remember the words of Solomon regarding the search for wisdom:

4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. (Proverbs 2:4-7)

God will reward the diligent reader and student of his word by opening up the treasures of scriptures. This includes those passages that are, to be honest, often skipped over by many professing believers. Be assured though: it is “the LORD [that] giveth wisdom, who “layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous,” and he will bless those who pour over the pages of his book looking for truth to feed their souls.

Such a blessing is to be found in the record of the seventh man from Adam, Enoch. There are a few references to him in the Bible, and we first meet him in Genesis 5. What a picture of faith we see when we put all of those references to this man together! Here is what the Genesis record tells us of this man Enoch:

Genesis 5:18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

One of the first things you may notice is that Enoch's lifespan is considerably shorter than both his father Jared and his son Methuselah – these two died at an advanced age, whereas Enoch simply “was not; for God took him.”

Another expression, though, ought to capture our attention: we are told that “Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years.” Enoch walked with God. This certainly is worth some inspection. This is the second mention of walking in the Scriptures. The first is found in Genesis 3:8 where it says that Adam and Eve “... heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” God was walking where Adam and Eve lived, doubtless for fellowship with his own creation. Our text contains the second mention, and it tells us of the first man after Adam who did what Adam was once privileged to do. Imagine that for a moment: Enoch, a mortal man, walked with God.

Now, when we read that he walked with God, we must understand what that means. God often uses simple, familiar expressions, such “walk,” to describe human behavior in relation to himself. When tracing this word through the Scriptures, we see that walk is often used as an expression of the deliberate, active course of life one has chosen. There are dozens of places in the Bible describing how one walks. One can walk with, walk after or walk before. Walking describes an effort, an action, and a progression. Consider some of these verses:

* Job 34:8 Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men.

* Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

* Jeremiah 13:10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. (Jeremiah is filled with such references)

* (Describing King Amon, Manasseh's son) 2_Kings 21:22 And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD.

* Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

* Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

* Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Even from this small sampling of scriptures, it is clear that the choices regarding our walk have great consequences. Our wisdom, our attitude toward the word of God, and our sanctification are all results of how we choose to walk. And that is why Enoch is so interesting and so instructive. Over the next few weeks we are going to consider Enoch's walk with God. What inspired him to begin? What exactly did he do? Were there any challenges along the way? I hope that I have piqued your interest enough for you to begin thinking on these questions yourself. Read the passage in Genesis 5 again. Then consider what the New Testament has to say about him. You'll find him in the Epistle to the Hebrews as well as the General Epistle of Jude. As you begin to read for yourself, meditate on what you find, feed your soul, and begin yourself to walk with God.

     With love and gratitude,
     Pastor John Nichols