By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
(Hebrews 11:5-6)
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Genesis 5:21-24
Everything that we know about the man called Enoch is found in the six verses above, yet what a testimony he leaves behind. From Genesis 5 we can calculate that Adam was around 622 years old when Enoch was born and died 57 years before Enoch ‘disappeared’.
No doubt that Enoch learned a great deal from his great[x5] grandfather.
Adam would have told him about his time in the Garden of Eden, about his failure in following God’s command, about how in spite of the fact that they had failed and been removed from Eden God had continued to show his love.
The young Enoch would have loved spending time with Adam and evidently learned enough that his life became an example to those around him. Think of the things that you could do if your great-grandparents were around to give you guidance on the things that you should or shouldn’t do.
Note how Genesis introduces Enoch.
- He is sixty five when his first son is born.
- He walked with God for three hundred years while having children
What things did Adam teach Enoch that caused him to be so ‘locked’ onto serving God? We may never know, what we do know however is that only two descendants of Adam have anything spoken of them in Genesis 5.
Enoch and his great-grandson Noah.
We are told that Enoch walked with God and Noah would bring comfort. We can be sure however that whatever lessons Enoch learned at the feet of Adam he passed those lessons on to his descendants including Noah, and that those lessons were strong enough that when the other descendants of Adam strayed from the will of God, the Noah did not.
As men we can be influenced by those who have gone before and we can influence those who follow. As sons we look to our fathers, grand-fathers, uncles for guidance as we grow but must understand that as fathers what we learn will influence what we teach. We have a mandate to break the cycle and to make sure that if we were taught wrongly by those who went before that we correct it and teach the truth to those who follow.
Many of our children are reaping the seed sown by fathers; grand-fathers etc and they are taking on that same attitude and passing it onto their children. The time has come to break this cycle. At Lighthouse we have men of all ages and I am calling to you to step up and set the right example so that those younger can see the right path to travel.
Enoch is an example of how listening to the right person can enable you to live the right life. Thirteen words give creed to the life that Enoch lived.
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
How closely did he follow after God for God to decide to not let him die? Yet he left a legacy in Noah.
The things that he taught Noah, and the example of the life that he led, allowed Noah to stand out from the rest of humanity when God decided to destroy the world. Enoch’s example of living a godly life meant that when writing Genesis 6, Moses would say of Noah…
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:8)
Adam failed in the garden but took his failure and taught those who followed the right way. Enoch listened and lived a life based on what he was taught. He received two thing from this.
- His reward would be that he would not see death
- His legacy would be that his grandson would find favour in the eyes of God and be saved from the flood
What will be your reward… your legacy?
A rock slide begins with one pebble…
Jesus took 12 men and changed the world…
One man listened to his great[x5] grandfather lived and exemplary life and taught his grandson who together with his wife and children were the salvation of life on earth.
You may consider yourself small, insignificant, but like a pebble in a pond you will never know the effect that you will have or the legacy that you will leave.
Until the next time…
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
MARNATHA.
