Genesis,Chapter
5
22-24. Enoch Saw God Only by Faith.—Did he
[Enoch] see God by his side? Only by faith. He knew that the Lord was there,
and he adhered steadfastly to the principles of truth. We, too, are to walk
with God. When we do this, our faces will be lighted up by the brightness of
His presence, and when we meet one another, we shall speak of His power,
saying, Praise God. Good is the Lord, and good is the word of the Lord (MS 17,
1903).
Christ
a Constant Companion.—We can have what Enoch had. We can
have Christ as our constant companion. Enoch walked with God, and when assailed
by the tempter, he could talk with God about it. He had no “It is written” as
we have,
but he had a
knowledge of his heavenly Companion. He made God his Counsellor, and was
closely bound up with Jesus. And Enoch was honored in this course. He was
translated to heaven without seeing death. And those who will be translated at
the close of time, will be those who commune with God on earth. Those who make
manifest that their life is hid with Christ in God will ever be representing
Him in all their life-practices. Selfishness will be cut out by the roots (MS
38, 1897).
Strove
to Conform to Divine Likeness.—Let us realize the
weakness of humanity, and see where man fails in his self-sufficiency. We shall
then be filled with a desire to be just what God desires us to be,—pure, noble,
sanctified. We
shall hunger and
thirst after the righteousness of Christ. To be like God will be the one desire
of the soul. This is the desire that filled Enoch’s heart. And we read that he
walked with God. He studied the character of God to a purpose. He did not mark
out his own course, or set up his own will, as if he thought himself fully
qualified to manage matters. He strove to conform himself to the divine
likeness (Letter 169, 1903).
How
Enoch Walked With God.—While trusting in your heavenly Father
for the help you need, He will not leave you. God has a heaven full of
blessings that He wants to bestow on those who are earnestly seeking for that
help which the Lord
alone can give.
It was in looking in faith to Jesus, in asking of Him, in believing that every
word spoken would be verified, that Enoch walked with God. He kept close by the
side of God, obeying His every word.... His was a wonderful life of oneness. Christ
was his Companion. He was in intimate fellowship with God (MS 111, 1898).
Abode
in Pure Atmosphere.—He [Enoch] did not make his abode with
the wicked. He did not locate in Sodom, thinking to save Sodom. He placed
himself and his family where the atmosphere would be as pure as possible. Then
at times he went forth to the inhabitants of the world with
1087
his God-given
message. Every visit he made to the world was painful to him. He saw and
understood something of the leprosy of sin. After proclaiming his message, he
always took back with him to his place of retirement some who had received thewarning.
Some of these became overcomers, and died before the Flood came. But some had
lived so long in the corrupting influence of sin that they could not endure
righteousness (MS 42, 1900).
24. No Moral Darkness So Dense.—Enoch
walked with God, while of the world around him sacred history records, “And God
saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil
continually.” Enoch’s righteous life was in marked contrast with the wicked
people around him. His piety, his purity, his unswerving integrity were the
result of his walking with God, while the wickedness of the world was the
result of their walking with the deceiver of mankind. There never has been and
never will be an age when the moral darkness will be so dense as when Enoch
lived a life of irreproachable righteousness (MS 43, 1900).
Enoch
the First Prophet.—Enoch was the first prophet among
mankind. He foretold by prophecy the second coming of Christ to our world, and
his work at that time. His life was a specimen of Christian consistency. Holy
lips alone should speak forth the words of God in denunciation and judgments.
His prophecy is not found in the writings of the Old Testament. We may never
find any books which relate to the works of Enoch, but Jude, a prophet of God,
mentions the work of Enoch ( Ibid.).
REFERENCE
S.D.A.
Bible Commentary Vol. 1
Ellen
G. White
1953
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