ENOCH WALKED FAITHFULLY WITH GOD
Genesis 5:1-32
Key Verse: 5:24 “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

Last week we learned about God, Cain, and Abel though Franco. Sin spread from Adam to Cain. Due to Adam’s rebellion, the world was under the curse of God. When God accepted Abel and his offering, Cain was angry and was downcast. Cain killed his brother Abel, but God granted another child Seth in place of Abel. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord. Today we will see the genealogy of Adam not through Cain but through Seth. We pay a special attention to the life of Enoch who walked faithfully with God for 300 years. Enoch suffered a lot to walk with God and one day he was no more because God took him to heaven. God rewarded his faith, and we see God’s hidden message that he will take us to heaven when we walk with him faithfully in this unbelieving generation. I pray that God may bless us to overcome many temptations and live by faith. May God give us strength to walk with the Lord always!

PART 1 THE DESCENDANTS OF ADAM THROUGH SETH (1-5)
Look at verses 1-2. “This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind”[a] when they were created.” Human ancestry traces back to Adam. We find some spiritual lessons in this genealogy from Adam to Noah. God created mankind in the likeness of God. The likeness of God refers to the image of God. The image of God made mankind so different that the rest of the creation. Though God created mankind in the same day with the animals, he blessed mankind to have the inner characters of God. So, mankind received the attributes of God like thinking ability, communication, and worshipping and singing and loving. We have to use God-given characters to serve the will of God in our lives. Secondly, God made them male and female. God’s first command in Gen 1:28 was to be fruitful and increase in number. God used male and female to create a family to fill the earth. These days transgender and homosexuality are accepted as another form of lifestyle. However, it is not the Biblical truth. It is against the purpose of God’s creation of male and female to form the family. We have to live according to God’s creation order. When we live according to God’s plan, we will glorify God and enjoy a happy life as the family of God.

Look at verses 3-5. “When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.” Adam was our first parent, but he disobeyed God and brought sin and death to all mankind. But God allowed him to have children. Adam became the father of Seth in place of Abel when he was 130 years old and died at the age of 930. Abel’s death was not in vain because God gave Seth in place of Abel. Abel spoke in faith though he was dead. Though Adam was kicked out of the Garden of Eden due to his disobedience, he lived a long life on earth. What can we learn from Adam? We learn that God is big in his heart and granted Adam to raise up children and continue to live. God is merciful and gracious to people and will find the way to save them from their sins and Satan. God is enduring sinners to return to him with patience and love. Though people lived under sinful influences, life moved on.
PART 2 FROM SETH TO MAHALALEL (6-17)
Look at verses 6-8. “ When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father[b] of Enosh. 7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.” Seth became the father of Enosh when he was 105 years old and died at the age of 912. Seth was special in the sense that he was born because Cain killed his brother Abel. I don’t know how Seth felt that he was a substitute of Abel. The descendants of Cain did not call on the name of the Lord but at the time of Seth and Enosh people began to call on the name of the Lord. (Gen. 4:26) God preserved humans through the descendants of Seth later. We see the story of Enosh and Kenan and Mahalalel in verses 9-17. The same phrases are repeated in the flowing verses. Enosh fathered Kenan when he was 90 years old and died at the age of 905. Kenan fathered Mahalalel when he was 70 years old and died at the age of 910. Mahalalel fathered Jared when he was 65 years old and died at the age of 895.
PART 3 JARED TO METHUSELAH (18-27)
Jared fathered Enoch when he was 162 years old and died at the age of 962. Jared got a son Enoch late in the age of 162. People lived longer at that time, and I guess it was okay to have a baby at that age. People’s life span was reduced after the global flood judgment at the time of Noah. Look at verses 21-24. “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” We would like to focus on the story of Enoch in this chapter because he walked faithfully with God. The world was filled with violence and corruption and evil. The population grew and the descendants of Cain lived there also. People lived under God’s curses. People were unbelieving and perverse. It was not easy to walk with God. How long did Enoch walk with God? One year, two years, ten years, and a hundred years. No. Enoch walked with God for 300 years. Wow! Three hundred years is a long time. Enoch was faithful in the sight of God. He kept his faith all the time. Enoch suffered a lot to walk with God faithfully. Faithfulness is rewarded by God. Noah and his family were saved from the global flood judgement because Noah walked with God faithfully. (Gen. 6:9) Abraham walked with God and became a father of faith for nations. God used Joseph to save people from starvation because he walked with God faithfully. God used boy David to become the king of Israel when he walked with God faithfully. Jesus encouraged his disciples to become faithful shepherds who can take care of sheep. Faithfulness is the emblem of God’s people. Revelation 2:10b says, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.” Faithfulness was rewarded as the victor’s crown. Jesus set a good example of faithfulness. Jesus said in Luke 13:33a, “In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—.” Though the crucifixion was waiting for him in Jerusalem, Jesus pressed on today, and tomorrow and the next day. Jesus did not stop to avoid the cross but moved on to finish his mission to save people from their sins faithfully. God raised him up from the dead and exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. (Phil. 2:9) How did God reward Enoch when he walked with him faithfully? Verse 5:24b says, “Then he was no more…” Where did he go? Wow! God took him away to heaven because his suffering was unbearable. Hebrews 11:5-6 described this situation like this, “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. 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 learn several spiritual lessons from Enoch.
First, he believed that God existed in the unbelieving and sinful world. It was not easy for him to believe God surrounded by many unbelieving people like the descendants of Cain. According to the Bible scholars the dinosaurs were roaming on the earth at that time and they terrified Enoch. However, Enoch believed that God existed. These days many people did not believe God by saying, “Where is God?” They live according to their sinful desires and invited the wrath of God with many infectious diseases. Transgender and homosexuality are widely accepted and even encouraged by the government. But they are not from God. If we believe that God exists, we do not follow the pattern of the world. Rather, we must obey the word of God and follow his command like Enoch. I thank God for Delaware UBF members who believe in God and worship God each week. They are faithful in Bible studies and prayers and fellowship. Franco, Than, Rommel, Tia, and Dre, and Jonathan are coming to Bible studies faithfully. God is pleased with their faith in this unbelieving world.
Second, Enoch pleased God by faith. We need faith to please God. Without faith it is impossible to please God. People work hard to please their bosses and their boyfriends and girlfriends and the ones they love. How about pleasing God? Enoch pleased God as his priority by faith. God was pleased with Enoch. We must ask ourselves at this moment by saying, “Am I pleasing God in my life at this moment?” We must answer this question honestly. Yes, Lord, I am pleasing you by faith. Amen! When we live by faith overcoming our unbelief and persecutions, God will be pleased like Enoch. Let’s say to our neighbor, “Please God by faith.”
Third, Enoch believed that God rewards those who earnestly seek him. Why do you go to school every day? For fun or nothing. We go to school because we expect to receive our college degree that will allow us to have a good job later. Why do we go to work every day? Because we love our boss. Not at all. Honestly, we go to work because the company gives us a paycheck. We expect to receive a reward for the money. In the same way, we expect a reward when we seek him earnestly by walking with God. What is the ultimate reward by seeking God? It is eternal life in heaven. God promised in John 3:16 that we will receive eternal life by believing in Jesus. That is our ultimate reward that we will not be condemned due to our sin. Rather, we receive forgiveness by believing Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection when Jesus comes again. What was the reward Enoch received? He did not experience death and went to heaven without death. There are two people who did not experience death. They are Enoch and Elijah who went to heaven in the chariot of fire. God rewarded Enoch’s faith by taking him to heaven directly. Praise God who kept his promise of reward to Enoch. We believe that God will take us to be with him in heaven when Jesus comes again. We are waiting for the second coming of Jesus as we see many signs of the end of the age. How should we live in this sinful world? We should walk with God faithfully like Enoch. God rewarded Enoch also by allowing his son Methuselah to live the longest life among all people. How long did he live? He died at the age of 969. Please remember this because this is one of the Bible quizzes. What is the application in this chapter? Why do we have a bunch of names and the births of people and the deaths of people? We feel bored and of no value to us. But throughout the Bible God made several important promises pertaining specific families and their descendants. Having a record of the genealogies allows us to see how God kept his promises across the generations. God is not God of one generation but many generations. God is faithful to keep his promises and we can trust God that he will bless our next generation children. M. Joshua and Ruth Kim’s genealogy will continue through John and Jacob and Gloria. They will have their own children too. God is faithful to keep their lives to be fruitful. If the earth endures, God will bless them to continue the genealogy of Kim family. It will be the same for all of us.
In Conclusion, God granted Noah at the end of this chapter. Let’s look at verse 29, “29 He named him Noah[c] and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed.” The meaning of Noah means comfort. Finally, people found rest and comfort in Noah while they suffered pain and toil under the curses of God inflicted by the sin of the people. Noah has three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. God comforted people because Noah walked with God faithfully like Enoch. The sin of the people of Noah invited the Flood Judgement and God destroyed the world except Noah and his family and all the live stocks in the ark. God preserved human race through Noah because he walked with God. We are busy with many things in the world. But it is important for us to walk with God faithfully by reading the Bible and inviting people to Jesus and praying constantly and worshiping God. I believe that God will reward our faith abundantly as we walk with the Lord.
Let’s read the key verse 24. “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”