ENOCH by George I. Butler

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 13, 1869

ENOCH.

By George I. Butler

The case of Enoch is naturally suggestive of thought to Advent believers. About one thousand years after the creation of the world, a man ascended up to God without tasting death; with one exception the only case on record during six thousand years. Hundreds of millions have come upon the stage of life, been smitten down, and returned again to dust. The funeral train, the hearse, and the grave, have ever been familiar objects to the race of man; so much so that no one questions the certainty of their own acquaintance with them. But here is a notable exception held up before man for nearly fifty centuries. It has not, then, been inevitably necessary that every man should die. Such a case should interest all, especially those living in the last age of the world, near the final consummation, when, if saved at all, they must be saved as Enoch was.

As he was the first man who received immortality and escaped the chilling touch of death, so he is the first one who prophesied of the coming of Christ—the first Adventist. “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all,” &c. Jude 14, 15. This glorious scene, the theme of holy men in all ages, passed before Enoch in holy vision some five thousand years before it was to take place. So early in the history of the world do we know the Advent doctrine to have been taught. How brilliantly it must have lightened up all the intervening dark centuries before this eminent man of God. He himself was permitted to live right on till it should take place.

As God never does anything without good reason, it is proper to inquire, Why did he select this man, and bestow this wonderful honor upon him? This becomes an interesting question to those who hope to be translated as Enoch was. As God is unchangeable, the same causes will produce the same effects, even in our day. Inspiration tells us, “And Enoch walked with God three hundred years.” “And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him.” Gen. v, 22, 24. Paul says he was translated: “For before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Heb. xi, 5. In these few words we have the full answer. God is not a respecter of persons, but he is of character.

Why could not many have been translated? We believe they could, had they lived as Enoch did. So far as we can see, his spiritual advantages were not greater than the other patriarchs who lived in that age. He certainly did not possess many aids to religion that we have. He had not the written law of God. The perfect life of Christ was not written out for his perusal. The threatenings and warnings against sin, and the precious promises of God, he had not, as we have, all scattered through the blessed volume of God’s word. He lived in a wicked age. Yet, in spite of these seeming disadvantages, he “walked with God.” This implies a very intimate relation—a close acquaintance. To walk with one for three hundred years, how well acquainted they would become.

Walking implies progress. As God never retraced his steps, never has to go backward, Enoch would have to make a continual progress if he walked with God. No chance then for spiritual naps, serving God and then backsliding, losing all that had been gained. He continued this for three hundred years, a period more than three times as long as our nation has had an existence. Surely, Enoch must have found the Lord a very pleasant companion to walk with to have continued in his company so long.

There are many nowadays who seem to think the service of God irksome. If they give a little time to matters of religion in the winter season, when they have not much else to do, or at some general gathering, when a great effort is being put forth by the Lord’s servants, they seem to think it is something extraordinary, something out of the common course, and they wait with impatience for the time when they can engage in worldly concerns, and make up the “lost” time, recover that which has been thrown away. Many others never get time to leave off their worldliness at all. It is world, world, all the time, every day. They can’t go to meeting; if they did, the property might suffer some little loss. The risk of losing the Spirit of God and eternal life may be run, but of a few dollars, never. The idea of “walking with God,” of having the testimony that we “please God,” right along, year after year, is not thought possible. Indeed, in some cases, it is to be feared, it would not even be thought desirable, lest we might have to give up some things we now love. The religion Enoch had is not plenty in these days; but it must be plenty if we are ever translated as he was.

Clarke says that the word from which “walked” was translated, has the sense of “he set himself to walk, he was fixedly purposed and determined to live for God.” I will notice a few places in the Scriptures where the same idea seems to be referred to. The Lord says to Abraham, “Walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Gen. xvii, 1. Abraham it seems obeyed this command. Gen. xxiv, 40. He did walk before the Lord. This is the reason why Abraham is called the “friend of God.” Hezekiah, in his wonderful prayer to God that his life might be spared, uses the following language: “O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is right in thy sight.” 2 Kings xx, 3. His petition was granted. The Psalmist says, “I have set the Lord always before me;” and, as Paul says of Moses, “He endured as seeing him who is invisible.”

The idea in these scriptures seems to be of making progress spiritually, with a lively sense of the fact that God’s eye is directly upon us, scanning our every movement, seeing and knowing of every act, and word, and motive. Could we ever realize this, and endure as Moses did, realizing that God’s eye is looking us through and through, what progress we could make. And then add to this the idea of having God for a loving companion, ever by our side; not merely for a day, or a month, or a year, but every day, every month, and every year, how different would be our religious experience. We do so little of this now, that God, instead of being a companion, an old acquaintance, is a stranger, and we are apt to feel embarrassed when walking with a stranger. If we would practice more, we should find him a very delightful companion, as Enoch did.

Micah, in chap. vi, verse 8, that wonderful verse, throws some additional light on this point. He says, “What doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to humble thyself to walk with thy God.” Margin. It is impossible to walk with God till a man humbles himself. Humility gives us true views of God and ourselves; shows us what we are, poor, wretched, weak, and lost, were it not for the wonderful mercy of God. The views we naturally take of ourselves are absolutely untrue. Should God become a familiar companion of ours under such circumstances, it would certainly prove our ruin. And while thinking thus of ourselves, we don’t deserve such a companion. All the Lord wants is to have our eyes truly opened by humility, to see the real relation existing between ourselves and him. Then he is ready to stoop low down to our weak, wretched condition, and become our familiar companion.

Walking with Enoch three hundred long years! Wonderful love and condescension! How many of us are willing to thus humble ourselves as Enoch did, for the privilege of having such a companion? All who follow Enoch in his ascension will have to do it in his humiliation. All who are translated alive as he was, will have to walk with God as he did, and gain the witness with him that they please their Maker. Then the heavens may pass away with noise, all creation be shivered, islands and mountains disappear; yet their eternal happiness will be secure; their Friend will continue to be their companion. GEO. I. BUTLER. Sigourney, Iowa, June 25, 1869.