The Man Who Walked With God
After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters…. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:22, 24)
These verses from Genesis 5 introduce two remarkable men. Methuselah was noted as the man in the Bible with the longest recorded life: 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Enoch was the man who walked with God in such a special way that God took him – presumably, to God’s immediate presence in heaven.
We wouldn’t believe it unless the Bible said it, but it is clear. Enoch, the son of Jared, was carried away to God in a miraculous way. These verses emphasize that Enoch walked with God, repeating the phrase to make sure we understand the idea. Walking with God, in this sense, speaks of a true, deep relationship.
It is impossible to walk with a person unless you know they exist and have a vital sense of their presence. Walking next to someone, you may not see their face, but you can sense and hear their steps. When friends walk together, they communicate, enjoying a bond that goes beyond words. This was the kind of deep relationship Enoch enjoyed with God, and God enjoyed with Enoch.
Enoch walked with God, and walking with God means walking by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), walking in the light (1 John 1:5-7), and walking in agreement with God (Amos 3:3). Hebrews 11:5 tells us the foundation of Enoch’s walk with God: By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. You can’t walk with God or please God apart from faith.
After walking like this with God, it was as if one day God told Enoch, “You don’t need to walk home. Why don’t you just come home with Me?” The text simply says, God took him. Charles Spurgeon wondered if perhaps some of the great patriarchs saw Enoch rising through the sky even as Jesus, many years later, ascended to heaven.
It seems Enoch began to walk with God in a special way after he begot Methuselah. The name Methuselah may mean, when he is dead, it shall come. At the birth of Methuselah, Enoch had a special awareness from God that judgment was coming, and this was one of the things that got him closer in his walk with God.
Jude v. 14 also tells us Enoch was a prophet; even from his vantage point long ago, he could see the second coming of Jesus (…the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all).
I don’t know which comes first: a close walk with God, or a deep anticipation of the return of Jesus. Whichever comes first, they are linked. Walk with God closely and look for the return of Jesus. One day God may take you away!
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