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Enoch – he pleased God

Published since 05. Dec. 2025
Bible passages:
Hebrews 11:5

"By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him; for before he was taken, he had this testimony that he pleased God." (Hebrews 11:5)

Everything we know about Enoch is condensed into eight verses of Scripture: four in Genesis 5, two in Hebrews 11, and two in Jude. However, these few verses give us clear insight into the character and life of this remarkable man.

Enoch was the seventh from Adam, as Jude tells us. We can easily verify this in Genesis 5, where he is the seventh person when counting from Adam through the line of Seth, the lineage that maintained faith before the Flood. When Eve gave birth to Seth, she said, "God has granted me another offspring in place of Abel, because Cain killed him" (Genesis 4:25). These words were undoubtedly prophetic. Cain, the "carnal man," had killed Abel, the man of faith. Now God provided another godly descendant to ensure that faith would not disappear from the earth. The seventh man in this line of faith proved to be extraordinary, with his faith shining particularly brightly.

The four verses in Genesis 5 highlight a significant characteristic of Enoch. At the end of his 365 years of life, it is said of him: "He was no more, for God took him away" (Genesis 5:24). The precise meaning of this statement is clarified by Hebrews 11:5, which explains that he was "raptured." A defining characteristic of Enoch is that he "walked with God." This relationship lasted for an immense period of three centuries, even though Enoch lived amidst a generation that had completely turned away from God. We can imagine this turning away by considering Lamech, mentioned in Genesis 4, who was the seventh descendant of Adam in the line of Cain. He lived perhaps 100 years before Enoch and was a notable instigator of violence and corruption on earth.

Enoch's Faith

How Enoch came to walk with God is revealed to us in Hebrews 11:6. He could never have walked with God if he had not been one of those who "approach God," and he would never have come to God if he had not believed "that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." This belief is foundational and stems from faith.

This is where faith begins, whether for Enoch back then or for us today. Faith leads us to understand that God exists. This understanding is distinct from merely acknowledging God's existence. Even in our time, when many try to explain the existence of all things rationally, some still believe in God, however they may conceive of Him. But that is reason, not faith. Genuine faith brings us into the presence of the living God, who knows, sees, acts, reveals Himself, and rewards those who seek Him. At a time when thoughts of the living God had vanished from people's minds, Enoch, through his faith, kept God before him. He sought Him and found Him. This marked the beginning of the profound transformation that continued for three hundred years.

Walking with God

The letters of the New Testament frequently refer to the "walk" of the believer. This expression is used figuratively to encompass all aspects of a believer's life. For instance, we are encouraged to "walk in the Spirit," meaning that all we do should be powered by God's Spirit. Enoch is the first believer connected with this concept of walking—he walked with God. In Genesis 3, it states that God, the LORD, "walked in the garden" (Genesis 3:8). However, after Adam's fall, there is no further mention of walking with God.

Since Enoch walked with God, his actions were under divine control. Staying connected to God was both a privilege and a responsibility for Enoch; it meant understanding God's thoughts and ways. This connection allowed God to guide Enoch's life and path. While God set the direction and pace of their companionship, Enoch remained at His side. His walk was not merely that of a dog following its master's footsteps in obedience; Enoch possessed insight into God's thoughts and counsel, as noted in the Epistle of Jude.

What We Should Learn from Enoch

If walking with God characterized the seventh generation from Adam, who lived more than three millennia before Christ, what should characterize us? Faith connects us with God as He has revealed Himself in Christ. God has shown Himself through the fullness of His love and the breadth, length, depth, and height of His purposes, all centered on Christ. The Holy Spirit has been given to us so we can grasp this revelation. Therefore, we can have a more comprehensive understanding of God's thoughts and intentions. We only need the faith that makes God a living reality for us. This faith leads us to eagerly seek Him and ultimately walk with Him; all these activities stem from our fellowship with Him. Unfortunately, the flame of faith often burns dimly within us. There are times when the Master's question to His disciples should resonate deeply within us: "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:25).

We cannot excuse ourselves by blaming the complexities of modern life with its many distractions, as most of these distractions are self-made. As for the daily demands of life—while they should not be avoided, they should be met in a way that allows us to serve God—these challenges were as familiar to Enoch as they are to us. In those times, when people lived much longer and had large families, raising sons and daughters was likely even more challenging. Nevertheless, Enoch walked with God, and this relationship lasted for three hundred years.

Enoch's Testimony: Of Godlessness and Judgment

From Enoch's walk with God, we learn about his testimony, moving from cause to effect. It is only in the last letter of the New Testament that we learn he gave a testimony at all (Jude 14-15). We discover that he was a prophet who foresaw the day of the Lord, when the Lord would come with tens of thousands of His saints. Enoch bore an uncompromising witness against the ungodly of his time, predicting their ultimate downfall. It is striking how strongly Enoch emphasizes the godlessness of these individuals.

What Scripture refers to as "the world" results from humanity turning away from God. As a result, God and the world have never been in harmony. This rift became particularly evident and irrevocably established when the world rejected and crucified the Son of God. However, this separation existed from the very beginning, as Enoch well understood. By walking with God, he was aligned with Him, which made the brokenness between God and humanity unmistakable. Enoch also recognized God's holiness, making the godlessness of men all the more apparent. This serves as a lesson for us: if our sense of evil in the world is weak, it is because we have not walked closely with God. The more we know God, the more we understand the nature of the world, prompting us to separate ourselves from it.

Enoch not only openly addressed the godlessness prevalent in the pre-flood world but also prophesied their dire end. His prophecy did not speak of the immediate judgment of the flood but anticipated the final judgment when the Lord would return with tens of thousands of His saints. Enoch understood that godlessness would persist until the end, however distant that might be, and that only the Lord Himself could ultimately address it. In his time, He would execute a holy and unsparing judgment against godlessness, bringing an end to the history of wicked men. Enoch spoke of the ungodly, their ungodly deeds committed in godless ways, and their harsh and ungodly words. Everything—men, their deeds, their motives, and their words—would be judged.

A Message That Is Still Relevant Today

Enoch knew and proclaimed all of this. It is therefore strange and disheartening that some Christians today cling to the illusion that the gospel is intended to create a converted world—an earth prepared for Christ's return and the establishment of His kingdom—without any need for judgment. Jude wrote to Christians at the close of the first century that wicked individuals like those Enoch referred to had infiltrated the church, and their destruction awaited the coming of the Lord. How, then, can this church, burdened as it is with such people, prepare the world for Christ's presence? The coming of the Lord in His glory is essential to ultimately eliminate the evil that was already evident in Enoch's time. This means judgment for the world; nothing else can restore order. Enoch understood this, and we should, too.

Pleasing God, Not Men

At the end of 365 years, Enoch was taken up without experiencing death. Still, before this, "he had been commended as one who pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5).

 Before Abel was killed by Cain, he received the testimony that "he was righteous" (Hebrews 11:4). While Enoch was undoubtedly righteous as well, he received an even greater testimony: he had the certainty that he was pleasing to God in his life. Enoch continues to speak to us today:

We can learn that faith, which clings to the living God, diligently seeks Him, walks with Him constantly, and bears witness to Him against the world's evil, is highly pleasing to God. These principles still apply to us today. The complete revelation of God in Christ, given to us, does not diminish these principles but rather strengthens them.

It is likely that if Enoch was pleasing to God, he was displeasing to the people of the world. While this is not stated explicitly, it can be inferred from two statements in Hebrews 11. First, it mentions that he was taken away "so that he would not see death" (Hebrews 11:5). If we did not have such detailed information about the ages of the patriarchs at their deaths in Genesis 5, we might imagine Enoch as a frail old man at the age of 365. However, this image is misleading. People lived about ten times longer than they do today; thus, Methuselah would be comparable to an old man today who lives to nearly 100. Enoch's lifespan, therefore, would correspond to about 36.5 years—an age at which a man is typically in the prime of his life. It is possible that death was already looming over him when he was still young, and he was taken away so that he would not succumb to it.

The second statement in Hebrews 11 notes that Enoch "was not found" (Hebrews 11:5). This suggests that he was being sought. While this could simply mean that people were curious about what had happened to him, as they did when they searched for Elijah after his departure, one might also suspect that they were seeking to harm him. Those were days of rampant violence on earth.

In Genesis 4, we learn about Lamech, who set an example of evil by ruthlessly killing a young man who had injured him, then boasting about it as if it were a commendable act (Genesis 4:23). Genesis 6 reveals that the earth was "corrupt before God" and "filled with violence" (Genesis 6:11). There was no government appointed by God; people acted on their lawless desires and took revenge on one another without restraint. Would they have listened to a man who denounced their wickedness and predicted the coming of the Lord to judge them, without harboring murderous intentions?

When we read the fifth verse in Hebrews 11, it's hard not to feel that the sinners of Enoch's time were on the brink of ending his three hundred years of walking with God and his courageous testimony through a violent death. But just before that could happen, he was "no more, for God took him away" (Genesis 5:24). God intervened and removed him from that situation.

In contrast, God did not intervene in Abel's case; he was known to be righteous and suffered a martyr's death. With Enoch, however, God took action. Although Enoch deeply displeased the people of his time, he pleased God so much that God brought him into His presence, beyond the reach of his enemies. We can summarize Enoch's story as follows: he walked with God, bore witness for God, and was taken by God.

An Early End to Service

It is noteworthy that Enoch had the shortest lifespan before the Flood, despite being a prominent believer. If we had been in control of events, wouldn't we have made different decisions? We often see God-fearing and gifted individuals leaving this life at a relatively young age.

Consider a believer who is incredibly helpful and supportive to others but is taken away too soon, even though it's easy to imagine them serving the Lord for another twenty years. Meanwhile, others have not distinguished themselves by piety or service and have instead been a burden to their fellow believers, yet they live to a very old age. Such situations challenge our understanding, and we may question the wisdom of God's ways.

However, our true wisdom lies in remaining silent before God. In the pre-Flood era, two notable men of faith were taken from this world at a relatively young age: one died, and the other, Enoch, was taken up. It is particularly striking in Enoch's case because, unlike Abel, we know that Enoch was a prophet who bore a powerful testimony about human evil, God's rights, and His ultimate judgment. Clearly, his mission was complete, and he departed to the glorious presence of God.

The assembly has been called out of a world that has drifted far from God. Its purpose is to live in fellowship with Him and to bear witness to its Lord, who is absent from the earth. Unfortunately, the assembly as a community has not fully grasped this responsibility. Nevertheless, every individual belonging to the assembly has the opportunity to live out this calling according to their abilities. Let us sincerely ask God for the grace to do so.

Enoch was taken up as someone who pleased God long before grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:17). Now that all grace has been revealed, the assembly will also be taken up based on God's grace. After our rapture, we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and learn how we have pleased Him.

Both God's grace and our responsibility are real. Therefore, let us eagerly strive to receive a favorable judgment at the judgment seat, affirming that we have pleased our Lord.

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