The Covenant Life Of A Man Who Walked With God

Text: Genesis 5:18–24

 

The account of Enoch is one of the briefest biographies in Scripture, yet it is also one of the most remarkable. Only a few verses are devoted to his earthly life, and much of what is recorded concerns the birth of his son, the number of years he lived and the names of his descendants. Yet within this short record, the Holy Spirit twice gives us the statement that defines the life of Enoch: "And Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:22,24). Among the many men named in the genealogy of Genesis 5, Enoch stands apart, not because of military accomplishments, political influence, material possessions or recorded achievements, but because he walked with God.

The significance of Enoch becomes even greater when we consider the historical setting in which he lived. Genesis 5 records the generations from Adam to Noah, and the repeated statement concerning these men is that they lived, had children and died. "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died" (Genesis 5:5). "And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died" (Genesis 5:8). The same solemn refrain continues through the genealogy. Generation after generation lived and died under the shadow of the sentence pronounced upon Adam because of sin. Yet when the record reaches Enoch, the expected conclusion is interrupted: "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). His life was not concluded with the ordinary statement that he died. God took him.

Enoch therefore stands as a testimony that it is possible to live in a fallen world and maintain genuine fellowship with God. He lived in the generations preceding the Flood, when human wickedness was increasing toward the judgment described in Genesis 6. He was surrounded by a society that was moving steadily away from God, yet he did not allow the corruption of his generation to determine the direction of his own life. His walk with God was not dependent upon the spiritual condition of the society around him. He belonged to God in the midst of a generation that was increasingly departing from God.

The language used concerning Enoch is also significant because "walking with God" describes more than occasional religious experiences. It speaks of an ongoing relationship, a consistent direction, agreement with God's will and fellowship with Him. Later, God gave Abraham a command that expresses the same principle in covenant language: "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Genesis 17:1). Abraham was called to walk before God, while Enoch is remembered because he walked with God. Both expressions reveal the heart of a covenant relationship in which a man lives consciously before God, submits himself to God and orders his life according to the will of God.

 

1. THE NATURE OF A LIFE THAT WALKS WITH GOD

Genesis 5:21–24; Genesis 17:1; Leviticus 26:12; Micah 6:8; Amos 3:3; Psalm 25:12–14; John 15:4,5; Colossians 2:6,7; 1 John 2:3–6.

 

"And Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:22). This simple statement contains the central explanation of Enoch's life. Walking with God means living in conscious fellowship with Him, submitting to His authority and ordering one's conduct according to His revealed will. It is not merely believing that God exists, nor is it performing religious duties while living independently of Him. A man may believe in God and yet refuse to walk with God. He may pray occasionally, attend religious gatherings and possess considerable knowledge of Scripture while continuing to direct his own life according to his own desires. Enoch's life presents something deeper: God was not merely part of his life; God was the determining reality of his life.

Walking with God requires agreement with God. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). The man who walks with God cannot continually insist upon having his own way. He must submit his thoughts, desires, ambitions and conduct to the authority of God's Word. This is why the command given to Abraham in Genesis 17:1 is so important: "Walk before me, and be thou perfect." Abraham's covenant relationship with God was to be expressed through a life lived consciously before Him. The same principle appears throughout Scripture. God's people are called to walk in His statutes, walk in His ways, walk in the light, walk in the Spirit and walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called.

A walk with God also implies continual fellowship rather than occasional contact. Enoch did not merely meet with God at particular moments and then return to a self-directed life. His entire course was characterized as a walk with God. Walking suggests movement, progress and direction. The believer who walks with God does not remain spiritually stagnant but continues to grow in knowledge, obedience, holiness and dependence upon the Lord. As Paul instructed the Colossian believers, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him" (Colossians 2:6). The Christian life begins by faith and must continue by faith; it begins with dependence upon Christ and must be sustained by continual dependence upon Christ.

The nature of Enoch's walk also demonstrates that communion with God must affect conduct. Scripture does not say merely that Enoch knew about God, spoke about God or believed certain truths concerning God. It says that he walked with God. His relationship with God was visible in the direction of his life. True fellowship with God necessarily produces obedience because those who know Him will desire to please Him. John writes, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3). A profession of faith that produces no corresponding obedience is not the covenant walk God requires.

 

2. THE FAITHFULNESS OF A MAN WHO WALKED WITH GOD IN A CORRUPT GENERATION

Genesis 5:25–32; Genesis 6:1–8; Hebrews 11:5,6; Jude 14,15; Psalm 1:1–6; Romans 12:2; Philippians 2:14–16; 2 Peter 2:4–9.

 

Enoch's walk with God becomes even more remarkable when the condition of the generation in which he lived is considered. Genesis 5 leads directly into Genesis 6, where the spiritual and moral condition of mankind had become increasingly corrupt. "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). The Flood did not suddenly become necessary because humanity unexpectedly became wicked. The judgment came after generations of increasing rebellion, violence and corruption. Enoch lived during this downward movement of human society, yet he maintained fellowship with God.

This teaches us that the spiritual condition of our environment does not determine whether we can walk with God. Enoch did not have the advantage of living in a spiritually healthy society. He did not have a nation organized around the covenant of God as Israel later would. He did not possess the complete written Scriptures that believers have today. He lived before the Flood, in a world that was steadily becoming more corrupt, yet he walked with God. His example destroys the excuse that it is impossible to live faithfully because the surrounding culture has become too wicked. There is a great temptation for believers to measure their spirituality by the condition of the society around them. When corruption increases, some conclude that holiness is becoming impossible. When immorality becomes common, they gradually lower their standards. When the world celebrates what Scripture condemns, they become hesitant to stand firmly for biblical truth. Enoch demonstrates the opposite. The darker the generation became, the more remarkable his walk with God became. God's people are not called to reflect the moral condition of their generation but to reflect the character of their God.

Jude gives us an important additional insight into Enoch's life. He records that Enoch, "the seventh from Adam," prophesied concerning the coming judgment of the ungodly: "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all" (Jude 14,15). Enoch therefore did not merely walk privately with God while remaining indifferent to the spiritual condition of those around him. His fellowship with God produced a message. He understood that God would judge ungodliness, and he proclaimed that truth to his generation.

There is a connection between walking with God and faithfully proclaiming God's truth. Those who walk closely with the Lord begin to see the world from God's perspective. They grieve over what grieves Him, value what He values and warn men about the consequences of rejecting Him. Enoch's walk therefore included both communion with God and separation from the ungodliness around him. His life and his message stood together as a testimony that God is holy and that judgment is certain.

 

3. THE FAITH AND TESTIMONY OF A MAN WHO PLEASED GOD

Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5,6; Romans 8:7,8; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:7–9; Colossians 1:9,10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–7.

 

"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" (Hebrews 11:5). The New Testament interpretation of Enoch's life reveals the foundation of his walk: faith. Enoch did not walk with God because he possessed some natural spiritual superiority over other men. He walked with God because he believed God. Faith brought him into fellowship with God, and that fellowship produced a life that pleased God. Hebrews immediately adds, "But without faith it is impossible to please him." This is one of the clearest statements in Scripture concerning the relationship between faith and the covenant walk. God cannot be pleased by outward religious activity when the heart does not trust Him. Faith believes that God is who He says He is, accepts His Word as truth and responds to His promises and commands accordingly. Enoch believed that God existed and that He was "a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." His life demonstrated that conviction.

There is therefore no genuine walk with God apart from faith. Faith is not merely intellectual agreement with biblical facts. It is the confident reliance upon God that causes a person to order his life according to God's Word. Noah demonstrated the same faith when he built the ark in obedience to a warning concerning things not yet seen. Abraham demonstrated it when he left his country at God's command and went out without knowing where he was going. Moses demonstrated it when he chose to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Enoch demonstrated it by walking with God in a generation moving steadily toward judgment. The testimony of Enoch also reminds us that the ultimate purpose of the covenant walk is to please God. Modern Christianity can easily become preoccupied with what God can do for us, how successful our lives appear, how many people recognize our ministry or how many blessings we receive. Enoch's life directs our attention back to the highest question: Does my life please God? Paul expressed the same desire when he wrote, "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him" (2 Corinthians 5:9). The believer's greatest ambition should not be the applause of men but the approval of God.

Enoch's translation also provides a remarkable testimony concerning the destiny of those who walk with God. He was taken from the earth without experiencing ordinary death, and Hebrews uses this extraordinary event to demonstrate the power and reward of faith. His translation points beyond itself toward the future hope of God's people. The Lord Jesus Christ will return, and those who belong to Him will be gathered to Himself. Paul declares that "the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17). Enoch's life therefore reminds the believer that walking with God is not a wasted life. The path of faith may involve separation, obedience, sacrifice and rejection by the world, but it leads ultimately into the presence of God.

 

CONCLUSION

The account of Enoch is remarkably brief, but the testimony of his life is remarkably complete: "Enoch walked with God." He lived in a generation moving toward judgment, yet he remained faithful. He lived among people who were increasingly departing from God, yet he did not allow their departure to determine his own direction. He believed God, obeyed God, proclaimed God's truth and pleased God. His life demonstrates that a covenant walk with God is possible even in a corrupt generation when a man is willing to live by faith and surrender his entire life to the Lord. The same God who called Enoch to walk with Him called Abraham generations later with the words, "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Genesis 17:1). The language is different, but the covenant expectation is the same. God does not call His people merely to believe certain doctrines, attend religious gatherings or identify themselves with His people. He calls them to walk before Him, to walk with Him, to walk in obedience and to live consciously in His presence.

The life of Enoch therefore raises searching questions for every believer. Are we merely acquainted with God, or are we walking with Him? Is our Christianity confined to religious activities, or does our relationship with God determine the direction of our daily lives? Are we allowing the corruption of our generation to shape our values, or are we ordering our lives according to the Word of God? Can it be said of us, as it was said of Enoch, that our lives bear the testimony that we pleased God?

Enoch's life teaches us that a covenant walk is not measured by the length of a man's biography but by the depth of his fellowship with God. Scripture records only a few verses concerning him, yet heaven recorded a testimony that has endured for thousands of years. His earthly life was brief in the record of Scripture, but his walk with God was so genuine that the Holy Spirit preserved it as an example for every generation.

May we therefore seek the same testimony. May we learn to walk with God in the ordinary responsibilities of life, to trust Him when we cannot see what lies ahead, to obey Him when obedience is costly, to separate ourselves from the corruption of the world and to live consciously before His presence. Above all, may our lives bear the testimony that Enoch's life bore: that we believed God, walked with God and, above everything else, sought to please God.