MARCH 14th: Enoch
"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Hebrews 11:5,6
Open up your Bible and read Genesis 5:1-27 and answer these questions:
Verses 1-2 emphasize a particular truth about God and a particular truth about man. What are they?
In verse 3, what is distinctly different about man?
The chapter begins by highlighting the significance of God as Creator and man as his image-bearer. Yet while man carries the immense privilege of being like God, he is limited in his capacity. While God creates, man fathers. While God lives forever, man dies. The reality of the Fall’s consequence echoes on through the generations: you shall surely die. But another promise, though faint, means to be heard again, even through the clash of death’s ballad “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The yearning for the offspring remains. What will break the system, the curse, the pattern of death? We see a glimpse of what that could be, a swift lift behind the veil here in Genesis 5.
What is the expression (what you can see, evidence) of Enoch’s faith? Observe from Genesis 5:21-24 and Hebrews 11:5-6.
By his action, what is he bearing witness to or believing about God?
What might he have had to lay aside in order to endure in faith?
What kind of honor did he receive?
The faintest hint of eternal life is embedded in Enoch’s brief history. The hope of escaping death’s unending call lies in the mystery of not merely living but in walking with God. The hope propelling Enoch’s faith was a glimpse of God, who welcomed Enoch when he drew near. Not only was he welcomed, but God delighted in it, and Enoch’s faith turned to sight when God took him into glory.
If you live caught in the balance of wondering if you are pleasing God or standing under the eye of his disapproval, may the simplicity of Enoch’s story, of his drawing near to God, quiet the tyranny of your condemning heart. May your eyes lift from yourself to your great High Priest who came to earth to walk with us. May you draw near to him who asserted power over death, not by escaping it, but by walking directly into it.
Take a moment to confess your weakness and need and receive rest, grace, and forgiveness, continuing to run your race, knowing the glorious sight awaiting us in eternity.