Faith Pursues God (11:5-6)
"By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:5-6).
The next character in our Hebrews 11 list of faith-walkers was a mysterious man named Enoch. Enoch was the seventh from Adam and, due to the long lifespans of the pre-flood world, he lived as a contemporary of Adam for 300 years. His story appears briefly in Genesis 5, which is one of the most depressing chapters in the entire Bible. In it, a parade of death passes by. It is a record of Adam's descendants, all the way from his son Seth to Noah. For each character mentioned, the reader learns their name, one of the sons they bore, and their age when they died. The oft-repeated phrase of the chapter is, "and he died." Like I said, depressing. The sadness of death looms over the whole episode.
The Man Who Didn't Die
Amid the chapter, however, is one man who did not die. Enoch, it says, began walking with God after his son Methuselah was born (imitating many modern parents I know). Then, for 300 years, "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). You read it right. Everyone else's story ended with, "and he died," but Enoch's ends with "God took him." The reader is meant to understand that Enoch didn't taste death like everyone else, but was plucked from the earth by the hand of God.
Remember Hebrews' introduction about faith? It said, "By it the people of old received their commendation" (Hebrews 11:2). God commended these Old Testament saints for their faith. Enoch's faith was evidenced in his walk with God. God's commendation of Enoch was to take Enoch into eternity without death. Amazing. It says explicitly in our passage that Enoch "pleased God." Genesis 5 tells us he "walked with God." Then Hebrews says, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:5-6). Put it all together. Enoch pleased God because his faith drove him to pursue God by walking with God.
Walking With God
To walk with God speaks of incredible diligence. Enoch spent time with the divine for 300 years of his life. This wasn't a brief foray into spiritual stuff. Enoch didn't go through a phase. No, for him, God existed, and the reward of walking with God made his walk real and enduring. God was not something to try, but someone to enjoy. He gave God his days, but also his decades. To walk with God speaks of a steady and consistent voyage. To run anywhere, the runner will eventually fatigue. But to walk, while fatigue could come, it will be held at bay much longer. The body isn't taxed as severely when walking, so the journey can be a long one. Enoch went on that long and daily walk with God. Too often, we want the spectacular whenever we meet with God, but if you walk with Him for decades, the life-shaking and earth-shattering really shouldn't occur all that often. That would be a schizophrenic kind of life. You cannot possibly handle a revolutionary life-altering word from God every day. As Tim Keller wrote:
Walking is something nondramatic, rhythmic—it consists of steady, repeated actions you can keep up in a sustained way for a long time. -- Timothy Keller, Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, loc. 3817. Kindle Edition
To walk with God speaks of mutual agreement. God and Enoch agreed on their destination and pace. Together, they journeyed towards God's desires for Enoch's life. God asked His people, "Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?" Enoch had agreed with God that God's kingdom was worth walking towards.
Rewarding
But Enoch would not have walked with God if he didn't believe it a rewarding experience. This is why we read, in connection to Enoch's story, "For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). To seek God, you must hold two beliefs. First, you must believe He is there. Second, you must believe it would be rewarding to draw near to Him. It is on this second point many are hung up. Given access to God by the blood of Jesus, they still cannot believe drawing near to God would offer any real reward. Some even chafe at the word "reward." It conjures up legalistic images, an earning of God's favor. Jesus, though, did not resist using this terminology for those who have God as their Father. Once in the family, Jesus thought, believers, should know a walk with God is rewarding. In a classic teaching on the subject, Jesus drew attention to three activities we might engage in as we seek God. He spoke of giving to others, praying to God, and fasting from food (Matthew 6:1-18). I think they are meant to show us the three directions in which we engage with God. We walk with Him as we love others, worship Him, and deny the self. For all three, Jesus said, "And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
When giving, the reward might be victory over the power of money, for you have just given away that which has captivated you, telling it where to go. You also might experience the reward of victory over the power of a perceived need for comfort. You might experience the reward of a fading sense the false sense of security money can provide, and a deepened trust in the living God.
When praying, you might experience the rewards of help, encouragement, or answers from God. The reward might be a heightened sense of trust and confidence, with a decreased sense of fear and worry. You might find yourself with a changed heart and a more heavenly focus. Your reward in prayer could come from the cultivation of friendship with the God of the universe, and the counsel, perspective, and grace His friendship provides.
When fasting or denying the self, the reward might be personal growth as you become more dependent on God. Humility will arise, and you'll realize how little you needed everything else, and how much God satisfies you. Your reward might be the answer to a prayer or a victory over a stronghold in your life. God might grant you, in time, a revelation about His purposes and will. Jesus' point seems to be that life is enriched in all ways as we seek our Father. "Your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18).
Let us be a people who, like Enoch, express our faith in God by walking with Him. Let's discipline ourselves to walk daily with the God of the universe who loves us. And if we struggle to know how, let's pursue His word and other solid believers who can show us how. Surely, it is worth it. Surely, it is rewarding.
