Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

How do you get to Hebrews 11:5 from Genesis 5:24?

Old Testament faith mean fidelity. It is not even mentioned until after the law was given. Enoch lived before the flood. How is it that the writer of Hebrews can tie a New Testament understanding of faith which comes from hearing the Word to a man who lived before the Word was written?

Genesis 5:22 … Enoch walked with God … three hundred years…

Fidelity was established, three hundred years was a mighty long time. But what of faith that is by hearing since the Words were not written?

Note here one vast difference of Enoch and many other great biblical characters. All the others were described in one fashion or another as “God is with him” or “the spirit rested upon him”. It was God who initiated contact to establish His glory, His will and to demonstrate His power, justice and mercy.

With Enoch there was none of that. Nothing is said except one thing, Enoch walked with God. The only purpose shown was a personal relationship into which no one got a glimpse or a hint of what happened between Enoch and God. A personal relationship for the sole purpose of the relationship.

Faith is given to us for that one purpose, establishment of relationship and a personal walk with God.

Do you have faith?

Get personal.

 

Genesis 24:27 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

In the way appears 245 times in scriptures. That is a large number of occurrences and yet many of us do not give the phrase a second thought. Perhaps the fact that in many cases it could mean on the way as in its first use in Genesis 16:7 “in the way to Shur.” Our minds wash over the words as if it were a grammatical error or interpretation. But is it?

In the opening verse we are hinted at perhaps the most significant truths about communicating with our Lord. What if it said “walking in His will” or perhaps “walking by faith” would that not mean something altogether different?

Let us do a swap analysis just as we so to discover if we are using too correctly. Also fits in and makes perfect when swapped with too in a sentence. But what could we use in substitution for the way?

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Jesus Christ said He is the way. So let us swap words and see if it fits.

Genesis 24:27 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in Christ, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

This works for me. The Lord leads us to where we need to be because we are in Christ.

It isn’t enough to know the way, you have to be in the way, in Christ.