Heroes Aren't Hard To Find: Part III

Hebrews 11:5-6
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

We've already established what we mean by Faith. And Paul's explanation certainly does much to highlight it further. In his varied examples of "heroes of the Faith", he has chosen to focus this passage on Enoch. Remember who Enoch was? No? Well:

Genesis 5:21-24:

21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

That's about all we get.

Yep, ole Enoch, he sure was... something. Mmm-hmm...

He's listed in the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:37), but he's also listed in just about everyone else's line since he's presumably only seven generations removed from Adam himself.

Where we finally get some meat is in Jude:

Jude 1:14-15 --

14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

This quote is included in Jude's observational rant and warning to the early church to be on guard against imposters who look like brothers but who are actually nasty and perverse thieves.

Because Enoch's "quote" is not mentioned anywhere else in the canonical books, we can infer that it was something common to Jewish knowledge. Why else would Paul (the valedictorian of the Pharisee class) have quoted it? References to it can most likely be found in the Midrash, Mishnah or other commentary, but nevermind.

Enoch "walked with the LORD". If we piece together the attributed quote from Jude and the excellent recommendation from Paul, we know he did the right things before God.

He had Faith. He stood up for the righteousness of God. He walked humbly and peacefully with Him and his fellows. And God thought so much of this that He "took him" instead of sending him to "be with his fathers." So what did Enoch do that was so admirable?

Enoch was (as in the case of Abel) a figure who knew God before the Mosaic Law had been handed down, so... Hmm... What did that entail?

Right now the pre-programmed, "group-think" Christians are confused: "There are no laws to follow or schedules to keep. There's no one prodding him to pray or go to Sunday school. No one standing over him with a hot poker accusing him of something horrible if he gets it wrong! Um... I... uh..." Is this hurting your brains, darlings?

John 6:28-30 --

28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

Mark 12:30-32

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." 31 The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these."

When you Love someone, you want what's best for them; their interests, their health, your relationship with them. You strive to do things of which they will approve, things to honor them, things to make them happy. We are all pretty well informed on how to make our loved ones happy. It's easy. Help them, adore them, comfort them, show them affection, be loyal, speak kindly, bring them little gifts, etc.. Why then are we so confused on how to please God? He even showed up looking like us so He could make it MORE plain!

Would a just God dangle clues to the answer in front of us without ever giving us the real answer? Would a loving God promise us something we could never attain? Would this God expect us to understand Him (a Being we could never understand precisely because of our humanity) in a manner foreign to us? Would He demand understanding where there could be none?

No.

That's why we're called the "Bride of Christ"; why He's called "the Bridegroom." It's a love relationship that we are already programmed to understand. A passionate, wonderful fulfilling Love.

You don't have to speak it into existence, have someone bless it for you, confess it to someone else, pay for it, drink a potion to get it, order it C.O.D., or have it surgically implanted. All you have to do is Love and act on that Love.

Apparently, that's what Enoch understood.

Next: Noah.