Walking with God by William M. Healey

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Mar 14, 1878

Walking with God.

By William M. Healey

ENOCH, the seventh from Adam, is the first one whose whole character is recorded on the sacred page, in the one short sentence that he "Walked with God." Gen. 5:24. This he did for at least three hundred years, and then God took him. How could he walk with God? "In steps of faith." Rom. 4:12. Paul says of him, "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. But without faith it is impossible to please him." Heb. 11:5, 6.

Human beings are by nature social creatures, intuitively they seek society. It is only those whose minds are unbalanced from imperfect organization, disease or wrong education, that wish to be always alone. But they do not all choose the same company; the good love the society of the good, while the bad seek pleasure with those who are alike bad. The Christian never need be alone. He can have always by him the angels of God, for, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Heb. 1:14. Not only have we the promise of the society of the holy angels but of Christ and the Father also.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14:23. We have this blessed promise on condition that we keep his words. In verse 24 he says, "The word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. What are the words of the Father? Ex. 20:1 says, "And God spake all these words," then follows the ten commandments, these then are the words that we are to keep if we would have the presence of Christ and the Father with us. "And this is love [the tie of kindred feeling, the attachment that unites us] that we walk after his commandment. This is the commandment, That, as ye heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it." 2 John 6. In verse four he says, this commandment was truth which they had received from the Father. John declares, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." 1 John 1:6. Christ says if we have love and fellowship with him, we keep his words, and David says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." This was the way Enoch walked with God; he had faith in his word, and walked in the light of it, by doing what God had there required of him. It is said of Noah that he "walked with God." Gen. 6:9. Paul says this was by faith. Heb. 11:7. He believed what God said about the flood, and so went to work and built the ark according to the command of the Lord.

In the same manner we may walk with God, by believing and obeying his word. But if we would walk with God we must overcome all that is contrary to his will. "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3. Then if we walk with God we must be agreed, our will must be the same as his. If we will to steal, God cannot agree with us. If we stop to covet, God moves on and we are left. God's will as revealed to us is to rest the "Seventh day" from all secular labor. If we say no, Lord, you may rest to-day, but I will rest tomorrow the first day of the week, are we then agreed? Can we continue to walk together? Suppose two men start together for a long journey all goes well till Friday night, when one of them says, I rest to-morrow for that is the Sabbath, but his companion says, "I will not rest to-morrow, I go on and take my rest on another day" when each does according to his will. Are they not separated? W. M. HEALEY.