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Daily Devotion: Hebrews 11:5-6

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Hebrews 11:5-6    "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.  (6)  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."

I included verse 6 with Enoch this morning because the wording says Enoch "pleased God".  We know very little about Enoch. Actually we only know two facts about him other than his age. He was the father of Methuselah and he pleased God. The Genesis account of Enoch says, "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Genesis 5:24)  I want to add one more verse from the Old Testament at this point.  "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3) Now the pieces of the picture are beginning to come together.

What is the glue that holds these pieces together? Is it not faith? Does faith come from our own ability; or rather, is it faith given to us at the point of salvation? Faith, as is salvation, is the gift of God. It is important that we understand this; otherwise, humanity would want to take credit for the ability to believe God. It is the result of God's working within us. I bring all this into the devotion this morning lest we think Enoch was a super human being who had no sin. Enoch was a man and as Job tells us, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble." (Job 14:1) Enoch was not exempt from this truth. But he had this testimony: "He pleased God." By faith, he walked with God in a pleasing manner. By faith, he walked in agreement with God. By faith, he was obedient to the things God led him to do.

Enoch was one of two men who did not taste death; rather was taken by God. If I understand it correctly, Elijah was the other. They were taken by God. We have the account of Elijah being taken in 2 Kings 2:11. He and Elisha were walking along, "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." (2 Kings 2:11)  We are not told the manner in which Enoch was taken. It doesn't really matter how he was taken, but we know he pleased God and was taken by God. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:51, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,"  Enoch did not die, but he was changed.

Whether God would take me or whether I die the death of man, I pray that I would have the grace to walk with God and seek to please Him while on this earth.

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