Walk With God and Live!

I'm taking a class right now on the Old Testament books Genesis - Joshua. In the lecture on Genesis chapters 4-11 titled "The Outworking of Sin" my professor pointed out something that I have never noticed before. Chapter 5 of Genesis lists the generations from Adam to Noah, using a set pattern for each individual. The pattern goes: When (name) had lived (#) years, he fathered (son). (Name) lived after he fathered (son) (#) years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of (name) were (#) years, and he died.

After 6 of these repetitions it is understandable to want to just skip the rest because they all say the same thing. The only problem is, they don't all say the same thing. When we get to the 7th repetition we read,

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. (Gen. 5:21-24).

The rhythm of death is broken with Enoch and therefore death no longer has the final word. This glimmer of hope is included in a story that is sandwiched between some pretty grim chapters in the history of mankind. Walking with God leads to breaking of the curse of death. The author of Hebrews picks up on the story of Enoch in the famous chapter on faith and even adds a bit of his own insight that Christians would do well to heed,

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). 

With the curse of death now broken through our Savior's substitutionary death, let us walk by faith and not by sight, expecting to be reward by the One we seek.

Brothers and sisters, let us walk with God and live!