Dr Paul Allen

What does a life that is pleasing to God look like? Every Christian wrestles with that question from time to time and in various ways. Hebrews 11 not only gives an answer to the question but also paints a picture through the life of Enoch, the man of faith whose life was well-pleasing in the eyes of God. Enoch is an enigmatic figure in the Bible, mentioned only a couple of times . Very little is said about him, and yet he strangely appears in the “hall of faith” of Hebrews 11. Though little is said about him, the portrait that is drawn of him is actually a beautiful and inspiring one. The author of Hebrews clearly has Genesis 5 in mind when he speaks of Enoch. It is there that we learn how it is that Enoch earned a place among the heroes of the faith. Enoch was not simply a man who walked by faith; he was, in particular, a man who “walked with God” (Gen. 5:24). Enoch was pleasing to God because he not only lived his life by faith in the God of heaven and earth, but he also ...

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. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more because God took him away .  GENESIS 5:24 The test of a person's religious life and character is not what they do in the exceptional moments of life, but what they do in the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting on. The worth of a person is revealed in their attitude to ordinary things when they are not before the spotlights. (Cf. John 1:36.) It is a painful business to get through into the stride of God, it means getting your “second wind” spiritually. In learning to walk with God there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride; but when we have got into it, the only characteristic that manifests itself is the life of God. The individual man is lo...

Three hundred years is a long time. What kept Enoch walking with God for three hundred years? He had an awareness of judgment coming. He had a sensitivity to the ungodliness of the age. And he drew closer to God as the reality of these things pressed in upon him. The way to graph it would be to make a circle, space these three items around the circle, and then show by arrows that each one influenced the other. The more Enoch was aware of the judgment, the more sensitive he was to sin. The more sensitive he was to sin, the closer he wanted to walk with God. The closer he walked with God, the more clearly he saw that judgment was necessary. Or the other way: the more clearly he saw the judgment coming, the closer he wanted to walk with God, and the closer he walked with God the more sensitive he was to ungodliness. If you keep close to God, you will keep from sin. But if you sin persistently, you will fall away from God. Then you will rename the sin. You will not talk about pride, ...

Elijah and Enoch (ancestor of Noah) - an icon 17th cent., Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.” ( Jude 1:14 ) There are two Enochs in the First Age of the world. One is a son of Cain ( Genesis 4:17 ), and the other is a seventh-generation descendant of Adam through his son Seth ( Genesis 5 ). Jude makes very clear which one he means. Luke references Enoch in his genealogy of the Lord Jesus ( Luke 3:37 ), also indicating that this Enoch is important to remember. Enoch was the father of Methuselah , who was the grandfather of Noah. Although the Bible does not mention it, several of the early church scholars allude to a Book of Enoch and cite passages from it about the awful days before the world was destroyed by the great Flood. Perhaps the most startling fact recorded about Enoch is that he “was translated that he should not se...

Elijah and Enoch (ancestor of Noah) - an icon 17th cent., Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Anyone who’s ever played Bible trivia knows that Methuselah lived longer than anyone else. He died at the ripe old age of 969. But have you ever wondered why? Putting aside all of the environmental factors of a pre-Flood world (where lifetimes lasted a lot longer than they do today), I’m convinced the answer has more to do with the character of God than the physical constitution or health consciousness of Methuselah. When Methuselah was born, the text of Genesis 5 indicates that his father Enoch began to walk with God in earnest (Gen. 5:21–22). Many commentators believe that it was during the time of Methuselah’s birth that God revealed to Enoch the reality of the coming Flood—which is why Enoch spent the next three centuries warning the world around him of God’s impending retribution ( Jude 14-15). Methuselah’s name can be translated as either “man of the jave...

English: God took Enoch, as in Genesis 5:24: "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (KJV) illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible; illustrated by Gerard Hoet (1648–1733) and others, and published by P. de Hondt in The Hague; image courtesy Bizzell Bible Collection, University of Oklahoma Libraries (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." ( Matthew 18:6 ) Jude , an earthly brother of our Lord, had become a leader in the early church by the time he wrote his epistle. He had intended "to write unto you of the common salvation," but instead was compelled by God 's Spirit to write and "exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith " ( Jude 3 ) against the onslaught of false teachers . He writes "to convince all that are u...

Elijah and Enoch (ancestor of Noah) - an icon 17th cent., Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "And Enoch walked with God : and he was not; for God took him." ( Genesis 5:24 ) Surely one of the most godly, as well as interesting, characters who ever lived was Enoch. He is one of only two who lived before the Flood ( Noah also, Genesis 6:9 ) of whom it is said that he "walked with God." He is also one of only two individuals who never died ( Elijah , 2 Kings 2:11 ). Little is known about him, but the Bible reveals him to be exemplary among men and special to God. Notice that he was, first of all, a man of faith. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; . . . he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is |i.e., that God exists|, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" ( Hebrews 11:5-6 ). En...

Mose s with the tablets of the Ten Commandments, painting by Rembrandt (1659) (Photo credit: Wikipedia GENESIS 6:1–2 “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose” Undoubtedly, Moses describes the devotion of men like Enoch (Gen. 5:24) in order to relate basic facts about primeval peoples. Yet if we do not consider how this story applies to later generations of the church, we do not do justice to Moses’ intent. Enoch motivates our piety today; he illustrates the destiny of those who obediently walk before the face of God (Deut. 5:32–33). If chapter 5 reveals the rewards faithful covenant keepers can expect, the first eight verses of chapter 6 warn us about the consequences covenant breakers will find. Today’s passage begins a narrative that has been the subject of intense speculation throughout history. Therefore, with many ot...

Christ Leading the Patriarchs to Paradise. Institute of Hispanic Art, Barcelona/ Methuselah, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and Adam and Eve lead the procession of the righteous behind Christ. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Masaccio, Brancacci Chapel, Adam and Eve, detail. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." ( Genesis 3:15 )   When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden , God pronounced the dreadful curse on all of His creation, from mankind to the animal and plant kingdoms and even the earth itself ( Genesis 3:14-19 ). From that point on, everything began to die, but at the same time God predicted the coming Redeemer who would set things right.   There are several hints of the coming Redeemer in these early chapters of Genesis. Dr. A. T. Pierson, a Bible scholar of the late 1800s and early 1900s, mentioned an unnamed Hebrew...