This lesson gives another illustration of the principle stated in Hebrews 10:38: "The just shall live
by faith." The illustration is Enoch of whom Genesis 5:24 declares that he walked with God. Note Genesis 5:21-24, "And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch
walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch Walked with
God: and he was not; for God took him."
WHO ENOCH WAS
He was the son of Jared (Genesis 5:18).
Genesis 5:18: And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat
Enoch:
He was the seventh from Adam (Jude 14).
Jude 14: And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying,
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
He was the great grandfather of Noah (Genesis 5:21-29).
Genesis 5:21-29: 21And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years,
and begat sons and daughters: 23And all the days of Enoch were three hundred
sixty and five years: 24And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God
took him. 25And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat
Lamech: 26And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty
and two years, and begat sons and daughters: 27And all the days of Methuselah
were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. 28And Lamech lived an
hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29And he called his name Noah,
saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands,
because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
WHAT ENOCH DID
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HEBREWS GOD’S PLAN FOR SPIRITUAL MATURITY
He walked with God (Genesis 5:22-24).
The fact that it is stated that Enoch walked with God implies that there were others who did not.
He walked with God because he agreed with God. Amos 3:3: "Can two walk together, except they
be agreed?" Genesis 5:22-24 says nothing about Enoch's faith. It simply gives the results of faith.
"Enoch walked the God." The conversion of Enoch is not recorded. But there can be no "walk with God" until there is “peace with God.” There can be no "peace with God" before there is a sacrifice accepted by God. Justification must come before peace. Romans 5:1: "Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Therefore, Enoch had peace with God and walked with Him by faith.
He was well pleasing to God.
Hebrews 11:5b: "...for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." "...for before his translation, he had obtained witness that he had been well pleasing to God." Enoch heard God's Word. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). Enoch believed God and obeyed. This made him well pleasing to God while he walked with God. 2 Corinthians 5:7-9: "For we walk by
faith, not by sight: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and
to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be
accepted of Him." Accepted and well-pleasing come from the same word. Enoch obtained witness that he was well pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:5b). God gave this witness about Enoch.
Romans 10:17: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
He witnessed for God.
Jude 14, 15: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these,
saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, To execute
judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their
ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches
which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
Enoch was a prophet (Jude 14a). Since he prophesied as God's spokesman, God spoke to him and told him what to say to the people (Cf. Numbers 11:29; 12:6). He believed God and gave forth the solemn warning of His message (Jude 14, 15).
Numbers 11:29: And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God
that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit
upon them!
Numbers 12:6: And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among
you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak
unto him in a dream.
WHAT ENOCH EXPERIENCED
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HEBREWS GOD’S PLAN FOR SPIRITUAL MATURITY
Translation.
God took him (Genesis 5:24). Enoch was translated (Hebrews 11:5). He went to be with God. He was translated that he should not see death. He was a type of those who are caught up to meet Jesus Christ in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: 13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have
no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another
with these words.
Before his translation (Hebrews ll:5b, 6.
He pleased God, that is, he was well pleasing to God. He lived by faith. Enoch heard God and believed Him. This made him well pleasing to God while he walked with God. As God delivered Enoch by translating him before the coming judgment of the flood, so will God deliver his saints from "wrath to come."
Ephesians 5:6: "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these
things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience."
1 Thessalonians 5:910: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or
sleep, we should live together with Him."
Conclusion
The just shall live by faith. Enoch believed God and walked with Him by faith. By faith Enoch was well pleasing to God and illustrates how we can be well pleasing to God. A person cannot walk with God without being saved. A saved person must hear God's Word, believe it, and live by it in order to be well pleasing to God.
Are you walking by faith?
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HEBREWS GOD’S PLAN FOR SPIRITUAL MATURITY