The Bible doesn’t really tell us a lot about the man named Enoch. His story comes right after Cain and Abel’s in Genesis 5, and it takes up a grand total of 81 words, most of which are about how long he lived and who his relatives were.
No, really—I’ll prove it. Here’s Enoch’s whole “story”:
When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died. When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:18–24 ESV)
The only real detail we’re given about Enoch is encapsulated in that last verse: “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” And yet, thousands of years later, Enoch appears in Hebrews 11, the Great Hall of Faith! Here’s how the author of Hebrews puts it: “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5).
The author of Hebrews only mentions David, the great king, in passing. He doesn’t mention Isaiah or Daniel or Job or Elijah at all. So why highlight the seemingly obscure Enoch?
It’s because of three truths—truths that are as relevant and needed for us today as they were for Enoch in his.
1. Enoch was set apart by walking with God.
Enoch lived about 400 years before Noah, his great-grandson. The Bible describes the days of Noah as exceptionally violent and wicked, a time when virtually no one paid any attention to God. I have to imagine that was true in the days of Enoch too. Jen Wilkin makes an important note here: When you call out a character detail in a story, it’s usually because that detail is distinct. Most stories, for instance, don’t pause to say, “And then Jeff walked in. Now, Jeff was a man with 10 toes.” No, most people have 10 toes. So we don’t mention it. (Of course, if Jeff had 11 toes, we might!)
What does that mean for Enoch? Simply this: The fact that Enoch was set apart because he walked with God indicates just how rare that must have been in those days. Enoch went entirely against the flow, choosing to walk with God when nobody around him was.
2. Enoch boldly testified to coming judgment.
There’s one other mention of Enoch in the Bible. It’s in the book of Jude:
It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 14–15)
Enoch boldly testified to a coming judgment. He didn’t just walk with God privately and keep to himself; he faithfully testified to people around him that God was in charge and that, ultimately, they were all going to give an account to him.
Enoch’s son was Methuselah, the one famous for living longer than anyone in human history—969 years to be exact! Is that literal or figurative? I don’t really know; the important thing is, he lived for a super long time. And that matters, because the name “Methuselah” means “death.” Some have even translated “Methuselah” to mean, “When he dies, judgment comes.” Which it did: If we look at the timelines in Genesis, we see that the flood came the exact year that Methuselah died.
We don’t know if Methuselah was a man of faith. But because of his name, we know that Enoch was. He named his son “Methuselah” as a warning of coming judgment. God, in his mercy, let that son live longer than anyone else in history, showing that he is long-suffering, that he doesn’t want to send judgment, yet he will do what he has to do to redeem his people.
3. Enoch made walking with God his defining reality.
Enoch’s life was marked by walking with God. Just think: Enoch lived for several hundred years, but his whole life is summed up very simply: He walked with God. He was so close to God that God one day just took him on to heaven.
I once heard a preacher say that it was almost like Enoch and God were out for a walk one night. And as they walked along, God said, “You know, Enoch, my place is closer to here than yours, so why don’t you come on up and stay with me?” And God walked him right on up into heaven. That’s amazing.
Enoch’s life was defined by (1) being set apart, (2) boldly proclaiming the truth about God, and (3) walking with God. Here’s the question: Are our lives marked by such things? Do we stand out because of our beliefs? Do we keep our faith to ourselves or do we truly believe we must tell people about the God who died for them?
I know from firsthand experience, for instance, that evangelism rarely feels natural to me. It’s usually inconvenient, and I have to practice it like any other skill. A lot of times, in an airplane or in an Uber or whatever, I’ll tell myself, “I’ll do my own thing first, then I’ll use the last 15 minutes to bring this up …” Really, I have to work myself up to it like that a lot of the time. I suppose if I was more Spirit-filled, I’d just always be excited to talk about the gospel. And sometimes I am. But sometimes, it’s just plain awkward. And in some contexts, unlike the ones I typically experience, sharing the gospel can be dangerous, resulting in prison time, or exile, or even death.
Is it really worth it? Yes. Because, like Enoch, we believe God’s judgment is coming, even if nobody else does and it feels like we might as well be talking about an alien invasion.
I don’t get the impression that for Enoch, walking with God was one item on a to-do list. Rather, walking with God was the list on which every other item went. God’s kingdom was not merely one of his priorities; God’s kingdom was the framework through which every other priority got filtered. In the true life of faith, everything—from our jobs to our relationships to our hobbies—all of it is about pursuing God’s kingdom, glorifying him, and walking with him.
Will you walk with him today?
