The Faith of Enoch

Genesis 5:21-24 and Jude 1:14-16)

Key Verse Hebrews 11:5-6

 

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For, before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Today we would like to think about the faith that transcends all the limitations of life and rises to the freedom of life found in the eternal presence of God.

I. By faith Enoch was taken from this life

In the key verse for today, the author of Hebrews says, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death.” This passage already depicts a grim picture of the life we have here on earth. We do not know who authored the book of Hebrews. Many Bible scholars ascribe the authorship to Paul. If it is indeed Paul, we are reminded of what Paul means by expression “this life” in other epistles. For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:19, Paul says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” Paul used the expression “this life” in contrast with “the life” that is yet to come—that is, the life a believer is going to receive when Jesus comes again and gives him a resurrected life. 

The word “death” tells us then of all the burdens we have in life. While in this life, we are made weary and burdened. These burdens take a toll on us. And we die. Nowadays a lot of us enjoy soccer, but I kind of stay away from it. Last Christmas Joseph and Becky gave me a pair of soccer cleats as a Christmas gift. They are still sitting in my study room. Each time I look at them I feel kind of guilty, for I know I must honor Joseph and Dr. Becky Kim’s prayer for me. How do I honor their good will for me? Simple. I must wear the brand new soccer cleats, go out to a park, play soccer, and become younger than our young shepherds like Shepherd Charles. Maybe I must repent and exercise more diligently. But I know one thing for sure. I am not as vigorous as Shepherd Charles Wilson or Missionary Young David. I will try. But I am being realistic. 

The Bible also describes honestly the grim picture of the life we have in “this life.” First of all, Genesis 3 says that since the Fall, in order to make a living man has to sweat, sweat, and sweat more, only to turn to dust.  Regarding all the burdens and weariness of our lives here on this side of the grave, Moses then says in Psalm 90, “You turn men back to dust, saying, ‘Return to dust, O sons of men.’ You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning- though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered. We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.  The length of our days is seventy years- or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” 

“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death.” This passage says that Enoch did not experience death. What does the word “not” mean? Not means not. It means just plain nada. He did not “experience” physical death. 

But each and every day we see people “experiencing” death. In fact, because each and every day so many people are dying, we do not even bother to think about people dying. Rather we think about something “positive” like what’s on sale at Wal-Mart. But still in the back of our minds we are always apprehensive of what is waiting for us down the road – Mr. Death, the Grim Reaper. Of course we Christians say, “Okay. Now that I believe in Jesus, I am all set.” But are we really all set? If you are really all set, what about the gray hair that starts appearing? What about the wrinkles which you try to cover ever so carefully? What about your teeth getting deteriorated or wobbly? Why do you catch a cold so often? And why do you feel so very heavy as you try to wake up and get out of your bed in the morning? And nowadays a lot of “teenagers” look as old as senior citizens: although they are not married, some teenage girls look like mothers who’ve given birth to seven children. 

To some people the “death experience” is simple and straightforward – they get sick and die. But to others it is a little complicated. The other day as I was listening to a radio talk show, I learned about a wife of a radio evangelist. She is suffering from lung cancer and is receiving chemotherapy. She then appeared on the Larry King talk show. There she was greatly worried about losing her hair because of the cancer treatment through radiology. To her, her hair is one of the great points of her beauty. The Bible says that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory. (1Co 11:14-15) But she is afraid of losing her hair. She is horrified at the thought of her looking (some day down the road) into a mirror to see herself getting bald. 

But look at Enoch. “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death.” Again what does the word “NOT” mean? It means what it says. He did NOT experience death. His case is so exceptional that people might think that he got lost like a man who climbed Mt. Everest only to get lost and died somewhere in snow covered mountain ranges. But in order to convince us that this is not the case, the key verse says, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away.” He could not be found not because he fell dead in an unknown place, but because God had taken him away. He did not experience the pangs of death. 

II. Enoch was commended as one who pleased God

How then did it happen? Was it because Enoch was born with special genetic combinations? Was it because the raw materials which shaped Enoch’s physical body were better than yours or mine? No. 

Then how did it happen? Look at vs. 5b-6: “For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

This passage is very deep. Bible scholars, evangelists, and preachers have made tons of commentaries and sermons on this Bible passage. For our own purpose, however, we would like to think about two things.

First, the decision to please God

When we read the account of Enoch recorded in Genesis 5, we see that for the first 65 years Enoch did not walk with God. But for the next 300 years he walked with God. Nowadays, if your age is 65 you are regarded as a senior citizen. The word “senior” means “you are kind of old.” And you can start claiming Social Security benefits. But given the longevity of the people of Enoch’s day, 65 years is a relatively young age. Enoch at the age of 65 was as young as James Park Jr. Enoch was just a grade school kid. This then indicates that at such a young age, Enoch decided to please God. 

We don’t know how he made such a noble decision. Perhaps it was thanks to the good influence of the spiritual parents he had in his family. A careful study of Genesis 5 shows us that Enoch was born during the 622^nd year of Adam's 930 year lifespan. He was 65 and Adam was 687 when Methuselah was born. Then by the time he was taken into God’s presence, all of his ancestors except Adam were alive: Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, and Jared. All of them were alive. The Lord God gave Seth in place of Abel. So the seed of Abel’s faith was alive first in Seth, then in Enosh, and so on. Probably the seed of faith was handed down to Enoch as well. 

Or perhaps after becoming a father, suddenly he came to his senses and started behaving, for Genesis 5:22 says at the age of 65 he gave birth to his son Methuselah, and thereafter he began to walk with God. You know a bachelor is different from a husband. And a husband is different from a father. A bachelor is just a bachelor. He only thinks about himself. And it is okay for him to remain so at least to a certain extent. But a husband is one level above a bachelor. He has a wife, so he cannot remain totally selfish. For one thing, he will have to learn that just as his own feelings are important, his wife’s feelings are equally, perhaps more important, than his. So he must learn to behave. He must exercise self-control. Otherwise marriage will turn out to be a chamber of torture. A father is above the level of a husband, for he has a kid. What is a kid? A kid is a kid. And no child becomes a kid overnight. He or she starts out as an infant, then a baby, then a child, then a kid. And they don’t care about your own feelings. They only insist on their own feelings. So you, a father, must stop behaving like a kid. Otherwise you end up fighting with your own kids. 

Whatever the reasons, one thing is for sure: it was Enoch’s personal decision. At the age of 65, he consciously decided to please God. Based on this decision he started walking with God. It was a clear-cut decision. He did not make the decision lightly. How do we know? Again Genesis 5:22 says that he walked with God 300 years. There was continuity. He continued to walk with God 300 years. Three hundred years is a long time. Once he made a decision to walk with God, he kept walking with God for 300 long years! It was quite a decision!

“For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” Again we do not know exactly what led Enoch to decide to please God. But one thing is still clear: for 300 long years he walked with God. And as St. Augustine says, “The New Testament is what the Old Testament is revealed.” So Hebrews 11:5 interprets Enoch’s action—that is, his walk with God, as an act that pleases God. Three hundred years of walking was single-minded devotion to God, all motivated to please God and God alone. 

Lately, I’ve been reading a book entitled What the Angel Taught You by Rabbi Weinberg Noah. In his book he categorized all the pleasures people can possibly struggle to go after into five categories. The first level of pleasure exists on a physical plane, like a man indulging in food, sleep, sports, sex, etc. The second level is love not in the sense of infatuation but in the sense of the desire to seek the interest of others, like a mother loving her baby. The third level is the pleasure people derive from seeking a noble cause, like a man willing to sacrifice his life for freedom from the oppression of a tyrant. The fourth level of pleasure is the pleasure people derive from creating something for the good of others. The fifth level, which exists on the highest level and which satisfies man the most, is the pleasure one derives from pleasing God and God alone. 

But in our practical life, it is not easy for one to please God all the time. Maybe one can choose to please God on Sunday by participating in a choir and singing for about 3 minutes. But when Monday comes, one is tempted to please someone else. But Enoch was different. He kept pleasing God from first to finish. He pleased God 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and all the way until he became 365 years young. 

We know Moses lived to be 120 years. Perhaps at least for the last 40 years of the life of his mission, Moses served God wholeheartedly and thereby pleased God. But Enoch did more than Moses did. He pleased God for 300 years. He walked closely with God for such a long time, and through his walk with God, he was commended by God as one who pleased God. His example then makes  us stop and think seriously. Who do I try to please all the time? Me? My friends? My boss? My fiancé? My parents? Or God?

Second, the way to please God

How then can we please God? What is it to please God? 

Look at Hebrews 11:6. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

There are two points for us to consider: the first point is negative, and the second point is positive. 

(1) First, without faith it is impossible to please God. People try to please God in different ways. Some people try to please God by their good works. For example, they work hard. They make a lot of money. They donate some of their leftover money to a charity, not by faith in God but by their own good will. 

By the same token, if you do not have faith, you displease God. Let us never forget: God is not a concept. He is a person. Like each of us he can be either greatly pleased or greatly displeased. If he is displeased, he even gets terribly angry. After the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Lord God desired to bring them to the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey. Before sending them in, through Moses’ leadership, the Lord God sent in 12 tribal leaders into the land on a reconnaissance mission. After forty days of journeying, they came back and made reports. How did the report session go? Ten made bad reports. The number of people who made negative reports outnumbered the number of people who made positive reports. Then the Israelites lost faith in the Lord. They all cried like a bunch of crybabies. They then said, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” The Lord God was so displeased by their unbelief that he caused all those who did not believe fall dead in desert areas. They all became food for scorpions. 

(2) Then what kind of faith should we have? V. 6 answers the question. First we must believe that he exists. To many who attend church services every Sunday faithfully, it seems that they all believe that God exists. But when we think about it, on many occasions, although in general it seems they acknowledge God’s existence at least intellectually, their actual behaviors do not reflect this faith. For example, the Bible says that God sees everything. But sometimes one ends up living before men, not before God. So when people are around, he behaves like a Christian, but when no one is there to see, he ends up behaving like a total unbeliever. But Enoch was different. 

Then, we must believe that God rewards those who earnestly seek him. The key point for us to remember here is “to earnestly seek him.” What does “earnest” mean? One of the meanings is “sincerity.” In other words we must mean business in seeking him. Living in this capitalist society, a lot of people mean business in seeking a good career plan or in seeking money-making opportunities, but not in seeking God. But Enoch was different. He earnestly sought God. After finding God, he then walked with him daily, step by step. This is how he pleased God. Perhaps as he walked with God, he never thought about getting rewards. But as he sought God, God rewarded him. How much did God reward him? We know the answer. He overcame all the limitations of this life, even the limitation of physical death.

One word: The faith of Enoch 

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