Daily Devotion | Day 286
“After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:22-24, NKJV).
Adam and Eve’s disobedience had a devastating effect on the world. Yet all was not lost. The light of God did not stop shining. It did not stop guiding people to the truth. Sin did not have the final say over everyone. Sometime after Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden, the Bible shows us notable examples of people who opened their hearts to the truth and were righteous before God. One such example is Enoch. The Bible doesn’t say much about Enoch. But the little we’re told is refreshing. Today, our purpose is to reflect on Enoch’s remarkable life and draw inspiration from it.
According to the genealogy of Jesus recorded by Luke, Enoch is the seventh in line from Adam (Luke 3:37-38). He was 65 years old when he had his first son, Methuselah. Immediately after stating this fact, the Bible begins to describe Enoch’s relationship with God. We’re told that Enoch walked with God for three hundred years. This piece of information tells us that Enoch was obedient to God. Without obedience it is impossible to walk with God. Furthermore, the fact that he walked with God means Enoch was a man of faith. We know this because there’s only one way to walk with God: by faith.
But the astonishing detail about Enoch’s life is that he didn’t taste death. Enoch walked with God, then suddenly he was gone. The Bible says God took him to Himself without letting Enoch taste the experience of death. That’s amazing! As far as the Bible’s testimony is concerned, Enoch was the first human being never to taste death. God so loved Enoch that He took him away alive. What an experience that would be! Enoch is one of only two people in the Bible who went to God directly without dying. The other person is Elijah.
In the New Testament, the Letter to the Hebrews lists several great men and women of faith. Enoch is second on the list (after Abel). Here, we’re told that before Enoch was taken, “he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5). Enoch didn’t let Adam’s disobedience affect him. He didn’t let Adam’s failure affect his thinking. He believed he could be different. He dedicated his life to pleasing God. And God honored him by excluding him from the experience of biological death.
Enoch’s life has important lessons for us. Often, we focus so much on Adam and Eve’s failure that we fail to see the many remarkable stories of righteousness and obedience in the Bible. No matter the failures of those who have gone before you, you can be different. Someone’s failure doesn’t have to define you. Adam’s disobedience doesn’t have to be your disobedience. Adam doesn’t control your choices; you do. Let’s be inspired by stories of righteousness, not stories of sin. Let’s be inspired by Enoch’s example.
Blessing: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today. Amen.
For further study: 2 Kings 2:1-11 and Hebrews 11:1-12
Higher-Self Realities 
I was taught for years that Enoch and Elijah were taken to heaven and escaped death. But then I read what JESUS said “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. John 3:13 Wow, now that was an eye-opener. I realized something wasn’t right. I knew Jesus would not have said those words if Enoch and Elijah had already gone to heaven to be with the God.
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