Walking with God

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 (Hebrews 11:5).

Enoch was the great grandfather of Noah. Enoch was a man of God; he was so much a man of God that in chapter 5 of Genesis we are told, Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Enoch was so close to God that he became one of only two men in history who God took directly to heaven without first enduring death. To walk with God—what an honor!

When a presidental candidate comes to town, people will travel a considerable distance to participate in the event. When an athlete returns home with an Olympic medal, many fans seek an autograph. When a celebrity is known to frequent a certain night spot, all sorts of people start showing up, hoping to be seen as part of the "in" crowd. Power, money and fame attract people like a bright light attracts moths.

We have to wonder: why is it that so many want to be seen with the notable people of this world, but are so reluctant to walk with God as Enoch did? How can anyone consider it a greater honor to walk in the company of men than in the company of God? Have they lost sight of who God is? Is there anyone greater than the God who gives life and health, loving relationships, fulfilling careers, even life beyond death? Is there anyone greater than He who, out of love, gave His only Son into death so that everyone could have the opportunity to rediscover Paradise?

Some of those that the world thinks of as "great" don’t care to be associated with the likes of us. But, wonder of wonders, God does. The great God of all creation wants us to call Him our Father (Matthew 6:9). His Son, who has been made ruler of the universe and judge over all mankind, tells us I have called you friends (John 15:15). We even have the fellowship of the Holy Spirit of God. The Triune God who made us, redeemed us and sanctifies us, wants a close, personal relationship with us. We are this world’s most honored people. We may not be children of a president, or a multimillionaire or a celebrity, but we are children of God! Walking with God—what an honor!

But those who walk with honor must conduct themselves decently. You can't associate with great people and act like a degenerate. When children misbehave, it reflects upon their parents. When members of the president’s cabinet indulge in corruption, it reflects upon the Commander in Chief. When people who call themselves Christians live in unrepentant sin, it reflects upon God. Therefore, walking with God carries with it a great responsibility.

The Old Testament prophet Amos asks this question: Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so? (Amos 3:3) Walking with God means walking according to His will and His commandments. That’s what Enoch did. He didn’t stray from God’s path. He didn’t get in God’s way. Rather, with every step he took, he tried to walk at God’s side.

Then, as now, there were many people who felt no need for God. As long as they were making a good living, they agreed with the man who wrote "Let God take care of heaven. We can take care of ourselves." But Enoch knew that food, clothing, shelter, strength, health, wife, children, rain, sunshine—all things—come from God. By asking the Lord in prayer to care for his needs and thanking Him for every blessing, Enoch walked with God.

Then, as now, many lived in rebellion against God’s commandments. They agreed with people like Hugh Hefner that all rules are relative, that society in every age must decide for itself what is moral and acceptable behavior. For example: they knew that God did not want His believers getting married to people who did not worship the true God—yet Genesis tells us that they went ahead with such marriages anyway. But Enoch respected God’s wishes; he prayed for and found a woman who trusted in the Lord, and together they raised children who also honored the Almighty. Enoch wanted to please God with every decision he made. He knew that God is love, and that all of His rules were designed to bring about happiness for people everywhere. By trusting that following God’s commandments would result in a happy and satisfying life, Enoch walked with God.

Then, as now, many felt no need for a Savior. Arrogant disregard for God’s plan of salvation offered through His Son did not start with the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. There have always been people who have acted like Pharisees—people who felt that they were just as good or a little better than everyone else, and therefore had no need to seek forgiveness from God. But Enoch knew that he fell far short of God’s standards—far short of always being kind, far short of always loving others more than himself, far short of always submitting himself to God’s laws. His only hope was the promise which God had given to Adam and Eve, the promise that one day a Savior would come from heaven and free God’s people from the guilt of constantly falling short of the Almighty’s expectations. By putting his faith in God’s promise to forgive him through the coming Messiah, Enoch walked with God.

In every age, there have been people who have desired to walk with God. And their reason? They had first walked with Jesus down the dusty streets of Jerusalem and up a steep path to a place called Calvary. Anyone who has taken that walk with an open and contrite heart, deeply aware that the agony Jesus endured at the end of that walk was to release us from our load of damning sin, feels a deep desire to walk with God as Enoch did.

Johann Dannecker was both a Christian and a sculptor. When he was asked to sculpt the head of Christ, he felt from the very beginning that this would have to be his masterpiece. After eight long years of effort, he produced a religious work of art that made his name immortal. His depiction of the face of Jesus reveals the Lord’s love and concern so intimately that many who have looked at it have been moved to tears.

Some of Dannecker’s countrymen had for years wanted a statue of Venus, the goddess of sensuality and lust. When they saw Dannecker’s newly completed masterpiece, they urged him to immediately carve a likeness of Venus for them. They even offered to let him set his own price. But without hesitation, Dannecker replied, "How can I look upon Venus, after looking into the face of Christ for eight years?"

Christ, the God of true love, and Venus, the false goddess of sin-distorted love, exclude each other just as Christianity and godlessness exclude each other. We, who have looked into the face of Jesus and seen His warmth and love, can no longer walk in the ways of the sinful flesh. Like Enoch, we desire to walk with God.

Before we take a walk with anyone, it’s a good idea to ask him where he’s going. Since Enoch walked with God, there was never any question where his journey would end. Genesis puts it concisely: Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. The writer to the Hebrews explains more fully when he 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. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

Do you know what is at the end of a rainbow? Absolutely nothing. Those who spend their lives chasing rainbows will end up with nothing. But Enoch ended up with God in heaven; that was his journey’s end. One day, as he was walking with God, God began lengthening His stride, and before Enoch could say goodbye to anyone, they were no longer running but flying—flying up to the glories of heaven! Just as God would later take Elijah up to heaven bodily without first tasting death, so He took Enoch. For days they searched for Enoch’s body, but they never found it, for God had taken him body and soul from earth to His kingdom beyond the skies.

Heaven is the journey’s end for all who walk with God. When our earthly tasks are completed, God will take our souls to heaven, and on the day of Final Judgment, He will raise our bodies and unite them with our souls once more to be with God forever, as Enoch is.

Maybe you are thinking, "Well, that all sounds wonderful; but I can’t be like Enoch; I have tried to walk with God, but I constantly get confused and lost. With all the stupid things I’ve done, I have spent more time walking apart from God than walking with Him."

Let me reassure you: Enoch had his problems too. Enoch wasn’t perfect; he wasn’t taken to heaven because of the quality of his life or the wonderful things that he did. The writer to the Hebrews says by faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death. Whether it is in the Old Testament or the New Testament, whether it is in the near east or in America, the only way that people reach the glories of heaven is through faith in Jesus, the Son of God who was crucified for our sins. The first step in walking with God is having faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God or to walk with Him (Hebrews 11:6).

A missionary was preaching to a tribe of Native Americans in the north country. It wasn’t long before the chief got up, come forward and laid his tomahawk at the missionary’s feet with the words, "Chief gives tomahawk to Jesus Christ." The missionary continued preaching, talking about how God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believed in Him could have everlasting life (John 3:16). The chief came forward again and took his beautiful blanket off his shoulders with the words, "Chief gives blanket to Jesus Christ." The missionary continued preaching, speaking of the tremendous sacrifice that Jesus made, not for His own sins, but for the sins of the whole world. The chief rose and walked out, shortly returning with his most prized possession—a beautiful white pony. With deep emotion he said, "Chief gives pony to Jesus Christ." But the missionary continued preaching, pointing out that Jesus came into the world for every individual, and that no matter the blackness of his past deeds, in Christ they were completely and totally forgiven. The chief came forward once more, but this time his knees seemed shaky; he knelt before the missionary and said, "Chief gives himself to Jesus Christ." Only then were God and His missionary satisfied.

God isn’t satisfied with anything that we bring to Him, until we first give ourselves to Jesus in faith. Our walk with God begins on our knees at the foot of the cross. Like a baby, we must begin by crawling on our knees as we ask for forgiveness, before we can stand and walk beside our God.

One of our hymns says, "in faith and life to walk with God, in the way that Enoch trod." I pray that is your desire, as you look forward to your journey’s end--the Paradise that can follow death. As you leave your computer and go out the door, our Lord awaits you—will you walk with Him?