“It was about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied: “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones” (Jude 14, CSB)
In describing the troublemakers in the church, Jude elicits the help of Enoch. If your Old Testament is a bit rusty, you may not remember that Enoch holds quite a distinction in the Bible. Genesis says: “Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.” (Genesis 5:24, CSB) That puts Enoch in rare company…one of only two humans who never faced physical death but instead went straight to heaven (Elijah was the other).
If you go back and read Gen. 5, Enoch is listed in Adam’s genealogy.
In this list of Adam’s progeny, it uses the formula, “Kenan lived X number of years,” “Mahalalel lived X number of years.” “Jared lived X years.” But when it comes to Enoch it says, “Enoch walked with God 300 years…” And then it ends, as we read, “Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.”
The implication is the close relationship between Enoch and God. “Walking with God” reminds us of Enoch’s Great Great Great (x5) Grandfather, Adam, walking with God in the cool of the evening in Eden (see Gen. 3:8). “Walking with God” is a picture of relationship. Enoch and God walked together for quite a while.
In fact, I think God and Enoch walked so long and so far together that God eventually said, “Hey, it’s getting late. We’re closer to my home than yours, why don’t you just come with me!” And Enoch was no more.
What a great way to go! I hope to live a long life…but I hope at then end, folks won’t say Pastor Jim live X years. I hope people will say: “He walked with God.”
Looking forward to seeing you Sunday!
Pastor Jim
