Hebrews 11

Based on Hebrew 11, we are doing an expositional Bible study on Heroes of faith. We have already understood the definition of faith – that it is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. See Substance of Faith. From the life of Abel, we have seen how Abel offered an excellent sacrifice than Cain. See By faith Abel. Today we will learn about Enoch who was transported to heaven by faith without seeing death.

Introduction

We have made an immense and impressive advancement in every area; however, death is the one area where we are left defenseless. With all the knowledge gained from time immemorial, we haven’t disarmed death.  Genesis, chapter 5, introduces the genealogy of the first family. We know that Adam was made in the likeness of God, and the generations there on – all the ones born in Adam’s likeness, eventually died. They all came under the principle – Dust you are, and to dust you will return. As you read how death prevailed in every generation, you cannot escape the silence and coldness of the graveyard.

Against this backdrop of death, we read about Enoch born in the image of God and Adam who hasn’t seen death because God made him cross over the principle – man turning into dust and took him to heaven.

• Genesis 5:24 – then he was no more because God took him away.
• Hebrews 11:5 states that – By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him.

Enoch – like his forefather, Abel, chose the way of faith, lived a faithful life, and didn’t see death. There are only three references to him, and these are sufficient to give us a picture of his great faith-filled life.

• Hebrews 11:5-6
• Genesis 5:21-23
• Jude 1: 14-15

Most importantly, there is no reference to death. Enoch didn’t see death because God took him. Beautiful!  Amid death, graveyard, here is a person who hasn’t seen death because God has taken the person away.

The Book of Beginnings

Genesis is a book of beginnings. Apart from creation, we see the beginnings of many things, such as prayer, consecration, worship, and so on.

• Enosh (Seth’s son), to pray in the name of God came into being (Genesis 4:26)
• Enoch (Jared’s son), consecrated for God and to walk with God came into being (Genesis 5:22-24)
• Noah (Lamech’s son), peace, and comfort came into being. (Genesis 5:29)

Enoch or Hanok in Hebrew means grace, to be disciplined, to train up or dedicated. Like Hannah’s act of giving Samuel to the Lord and that as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the Lord. (I Samuel 1:11). Here, Jared decides to name his son Enoch, which means – to consecrate, implying that he is dedicated to God all the days of his life.

Enoch’s Family

Let’s understand the family of Enoch. In Genesis 5, we see that Enoch’s father is Jared. Later in his life, Enoch was married and was blessed with a few sons and daughters, and his firstborn was Methuselah. It appears that Enoch lived an ordinary life despite being dedicated to God. However, the turning point in his life was after the birth of his son Methuselah (Genesis 5:22) when he started to walk faithfully with God. A possibility that he must have had a revelation from God that brought in a big change in his life, and therefore, he started walking with God which he continued for the rest of his life. As we dwell deeper on the possible causes for such a massive transformation in a person, it is essential to understand specific facts of Jewish culture.

As per the Jewish tradition, there is great significance in the names of persons as they hold the meaning of the situation or events that happened or to occur or are being experienced at that current time. Enoch named his son Methuselah (me-THOO-zuh-luh), which means – His death shall bring judgment, or after his death, it will happen (it – signifies the great flood). It is evident that after Methuselah was born, God revealed to Enoch His impending judgment, and through the flood and it will occur only after the death of Methuselah – the one who lived the longest. The reason he lived for that long was that unless he died, the flood would not come. These long years speak of God’s patience and desire that the people will turn to him. And, finally, Methuselah died in the year of the flood, and only Noah and his family were saved. Whenever we think of flood, we only remember Noah and his family, however, we must understand that before Noah, his father Lamech, and his father Methuselah, it was Enoch who was the first person who had the revelation of the flood.

Dedicated life

The revelations from God deeply impacted Enoch, and he dedicated himself to being God’s ambassador. From the time of his son’s birth till the time God took him to heaven, he walked with God, which was for nearly 300 years. Following God’s heart, he went about preaching to the people of his time and the next generations on God’s judgment, imploring people to turn from their wicked ways. Enoch also had the revelation about the second coming of Christ and prophesied many events, which are captured in Jude 1.

Transformed life

When Enoch began to walk with God, his life was transformed. There is no mention that Enoch’s ancestors walked with God, but Enoch did. Perhaps, Adam would have shared how in the Garden of Eden, God came from heaven, and they walked with God and about their conversations and fellowship.  Maybe this must have inspired Enoch to walk with God. Unless the two agree, they can’t walk together. (Amos 3:3) So, undoubtedly, Enoch and God enjoyed a close companionship.

Prophetic life

Only prophets can understand the events to unfold in the future.  Jude 1:14 says Enoch, a descendant of Adam is from the 7^th generation after creation, prophesied about them. Here, them implies about the people of his time who were disobedient to God’s commands, had a rebellious nature, and to the generations to follow who were ungodly. Not all revelations of Enoch are recorded, however, he had the revelation about the great flood, so naming his son Methuselah explains that. As he started to walk with God, He understood His heart, plans, and the events to occur. He prophesied about God’s anger, His judgment, and Jesus’ Second coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones. It is surprising that Enoch prophesied about the Second coming even when the first coming hadn’t occurred, still he could prophesy about the Second coming of our Lord with thousands of his holy ones and the events to unfold thereon. He can be called the first-end-time prophet as he was the first to raise an alarm or call attention to the end times.

Godly life

Enoch lived a godly life during an ungodly generation. Living in times when mockers and foolish people questioned the very existence of God, Enoch lived as a great example to prove that there is God and He will reward those who diligently seek Him.

Faith life

Enoch’s faith was manifested in his life. He consecrated himself to God and lived a life of discipline. After he obtained a revelation, he was transformed and began to walk with God even while building his family. He lived a godly life continually and his faith life is an integral part of his daily life. Unlike the people before his time or the previous generations, Enoch had faith, and a strong desire to walk with God. Therefore, God used him to bring in revelations for all future generations to come.

Separated life

Enoch lived a peculiar life that was different from the people of his time. He chose to be different from the ungodly and rebellious people who had no fear of God. In Jude 1:14, we read that Enoch belonged to the 7^th generation from Adam. When the Bible emphasizes this, it is to understand the people/situations of that time. On one hand, we have Cain’s family, which is a cursed generation. Lemech, one of Cain’s descendants lived a terrible life, and during that time, sin was rampant and there was violence, polygamy, and other vices that were increasing on a continual. At such a time like that, from Seth’s lineage, Enoch, the 7^th generation from Adam, decided to walk with God while Lemech, the 7^th generation from Cain lived a life that was a total contrast to the life of Enoch.

In Genesis 3:15 – When God talks about the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed, we understand the full-blown picture here. The families from Seth are the ones who choose to live close to God, walk in His ways, and obtain revelation from God. This is one line and there is another line, they are the serpent’s seed. – Ungodly, sinful, and indulging in activities that vexed the heart of God.

Journey to heaven

After living a life of consecration and walking with God, Enoch was eventually taken away by God so that he wouldn’t see death. Only a holy life can attract God’s attention, and undoubtedly, Enoch ranked first in capturing God’s heart. It is a complete life of walking with God and finally being taken away by God. At this juncture, I would like to draw a parallel between Enoch’s life, his transportation to heaven, and the Church (seen in the seed form) that God would take away to be with Him forever.  We know that during His Second coming, only the faithful few will be taken away without seeing death. The Church in its primitive stage and its rapture can be understood through the life of Enoch.

By faith, Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death.

Message to us

• Enoch teaches us that family and spiritual lives are interwoven. Often, we are focused on our children’s education, careers, marriages, and settlements. All these commitments leave us with little or no time to build a good faith/prayer life. A few people desire to serve God after their retirement from secular work. However, the big question is, would we be alive to serve the Lord in our later years? It is possible to live a godly life while being a good parent/husband/wife/child and Enoch sets the perfect example. His upright living had a tremendous influence on his children and grandchildren.
• Noah built the ark for 120 years, and during that time, he was warning the people of the impending God’s anger, but none paid attention. Even though the ark was built right before their eyes, no one paid heed. We, as God’s children, know that the end times are like the days of Noah. We see and hear many events that point to our Lord’s coming but we remain oblivious to this fact. Earthquakes, floods, viruses, wildfires, and bio-wars all demand our attention because God’s Word is evident on the signs to occur before His Second coming, however despite knowing the truth, if we remain passive to revive our lives and to caution the people around us then woe unto us.
• We- the Church are called to be separated and live a holy life amid an ungodly generation. God has called us out of this world to be separated from the world’s customs and principles so that we strive for the higher, greater purposes of God. We are called to preach with boldness about sin, and God’s judgment and prepare the world around us for the second coming.
• As Church and individuals, we must declare God’s Second Coming, regardless of whether people like it. Like Enoch, who proclaimed God’s second coming, obtained in a seed –form, didn’t withhold it but rather declared it. We who know about Jesus’ birth, death, burial, resurrection, the true Gospel, the truths about the Kingdom of God, and the events to unfold before His Second coming, how much more, should we vocal in declaring?
• The events around us are the alarm bells to set our lives right now. We must repent, and consciously turn to our Lord and share the above with the world. To the ones without hope, we must give the Good News and the hope of His return. To the dying world, we must let the world know about eternal life and the God who lives forever and ever and the one who rose from the dead.
• Like Enoch, we must proclaim and live a holy life too. Take heed that without a holy life, there is no way that we can be prepared for God’s second coming. Without having a holy life, it wouldn’t be possible for Enoch to walk with God or see God or have fellowship with Him because sinful men can’t stand in His presence, and a sinful life is deplorable. Therefore, we must resolve to live a holy life. If we can trust that He is God who died for us, who rose from the dead, we will be saved. This assurance of salvation will be a new beginning, this separated life will mark a new chapter and help us to live a holy life.
• Enoch’s life of dedication, separation, prophetic, godly life amid the mockers is the best example to emulate. Our godliness must be reflected in our words, thoughts (conscious and subconscious) deeds, lifestyle, inner life, values, and desires. The only principle that should encourage us – let everything be pleasing and perfect in His sight.

Conclusion

C.S.Lewis – remarks that Christians are the only group of people who don’t fear death because they have a God who knows the way to rise from death. We may witness terrible times, but let’s also remember we serve a God who broke the sting of death. Like our Lord, we are the only ones who can challenge death and call out – Oh death! Where is thy string? Oh Grave…where is the victory?

Like the heroes of faith, who were saved by faith, were made righteous by their faith, lived a faith-filled and holy life, proclaimed by faith, walked by faith, and then taken away by faith, we who are His witnesses of His resurrected life, and justified by faith, must live a holy life and continue in it because it will help us to look forward to His coming.

The Christian life begins, by faith; it is sustained by faith and finishes by faith. The most challenging aspect is to protect the faith. That is why Paul says – I fought a good fight and I kept my faith. So, keep up that faith, let us remember that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and let us run the race with patience with our eyes fixed on him.

May God help us in our spiritual walk to be with Him forever.