We know very little about Enoch. In the Bible he is mentioned only briefly in the Bible and usually as no more than a detail of genealogy or geography. In Jude 1:14 he is called “the seventh from Adam”, likely only because his name appears 7th in order in two Old Testament genealogies beginning with Adam. (Genesis 5, 1 Chronicles 1)
Jude, in talking about people who have entered the Christian community and warped the truth, said:
It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 1:14-15)
Jude is actually quoting “The Book Of Enoch” here. This non-canonical book has never been considered scripture by mainstream Judaism or Christianity. It's not a book that Jesus would have considered scripture. But authors of scripture occasionally quote non-scripture that contains an element of truth, which apparently this portion of the Book Of Enoch does.
So from this we can see that Enoch's faith involved an absolute sureness regarding the justice of God and his unstoppable plan to make right all the wrongs of the world, dealing with ALL sin, once and for all, and silencing all the voices that pridefully speak against God.
I really enjoy digging into the themes, virtues and philosophies being presented in geek entertainment. Creative types in all mediums, myself included, often inject their worldviews, intentionally or not, in the entertainment they create. Some of these themes are so thought-provoking to audiences that the creators themselves, and popular commentators, are given a platform to voice their opinion and teach or inform others regarding their beliefs and values. Entertainment is a useful and powerful tool!
However I go back and forth between being saddened and angered as I see these voices of geek entertainment neglecting or even boldly rejecting Jesus. I think about those who already reject Jesus and the encouragement this give them to continue in that. I think about those on the fence or close to it who are swayed further from the truth by these voices that are well-read with strong vocabularies who, despite these attributes, have chosen to selectively ignore truth.
I feel the urge to fire off a long-winded Youtube comment, dismantling their weak arguments and foolish assumptions. And maybe there's a place for that sometimes. But not without first remembering to have faith like Enoch, who knew that he didn't have to fix the world. Yahweh has a day for that. He's going to take care of that.
So my plans to rip apart the worldview of a popular Youtube voice in the comments change to a simple book recommendation and a “thank you” for the content they produced. Because God has a day set aside. And my defensive, anger-fueled attempts to save the world one person at a time on Youtube are more likely to muck things up than do any good.
We also see from Genesis 5:22 and 24 that Enoch “walked with God”. The Hebrew word for “walk” in these verses is often used to describe a manner of life. It was Enoch's way of life to just do things “with God”. He probably didn't compartmentalize his activities as “religious” and “non-religious” or “spiritual” and “non-spiritual”. He did life “with God” by default.
And apparently because of his faith or “by faith”, Enoch did not experience death, but was simply “taken” by God. (Hebrew manuscripts of Genesis do not necessarily imply this, but the Septuagint, the Greek translation quoted by Jesus and New Testament authors, more specifically suggests this, which the author of Hebrews confirms.) What an amazing reward for this man's unshakable trust in Yahweh!
If God has a “love-language”, it's trust. God loves us no less if we don't trust him. But consider for a second that we can give pleasure to the infinite God of all reality by trusting in him! He feels pleasure when we trust that he really is good and really will provide rescue from this world. Or when we trust his love for us enough to not become defensively angry when we feel attacked. Or when we trust that involving him in the details of our lives will ultimately bring more fulfillment and not less.
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