Why Enoch?

THE Scriptures tell us that of all earth's millions who have been born since Crea­tion, only two have escaped the last enemy—death. Many have been taken in childbirth, living only a few seconds; others have lived long lives extending, in the case of Methuselah, to 969 years. But with the exception of Enoch and Elijah, nothing has been more certain about life than its uncertainty, no one knowing how long will be his allotted span. Why, then, were these two men chosen as ever-living examples of the mighty power of God to save sinners, and to receive from Him the gift of eternal life without first passing through the sleep of the righteous? In the days of Enoch there was a very good reason, from a human standpoint, for

the translation of one of the patriarchs. A brief arithmetical study of the fifth chapter of Genesis will reveal that at the time of Adam's death at the age of 930 years there were eight other known patriarchs living contemporaneously in the community of God-fearing people known as the "sons of God" (Gen. 6:2). Their names and ages are

Seth ____________________ 800 years

Enos ___________________ 695 ''

Cainan _________________ 605

Mahalaleel _____________ 535

Jared __________________ 470

Enoch __________________ 308 "

Methuselah _____________ 243 "

Lamech ________________ 56

a list of numbers in obviously decreasing sequence, as each is the father of the one following.

While, of course, they were unaware of how many more years were vouchsafed to them, we know now that these were as fol­lows

Seth ________________ 112 years
Enos ________________ 210
Cainan ________________305
Mahalaleel ________________ 360
Jared _____________ 492
Enoch________________ 57
Methuselah ________________ 726
Lamech ________________ 721

We would expect the numbers to be ap­proximately an increasing sequence, the exceptions being those who died before their fathers, as did Lamech who died five years before the Flood, and Enoch who was translated. Indeed, this list shows that of the nine antediluvian patriarchs Enoch was the next to Adam to be taken, not only before his father but before his grand­father, his great-grandfather, his great-great-grandfather, and his great-great-great­grandfather, even five generations.

While these patriarchs and their fami­lies had known from Adam's own lips the story of the Garden of Eden and the en­trance of sin, of the sentence of death and the hope of the return through the gates of Paradise at the entrance where they were accustomed to offer sacrifice (Patri­archs and Prophets, pp. 83, 84), yet while Adam was among them they received the mistaken impression that he would lead them back in person to enjoy again open communion with the Lord. After all, had not Adam been in the Garden? Was it not his birthplace? Had he not actually eaten of the tree of life also in the midst of the Garden? Surely with the vigor thus granted him from the fruit of that life-giving tree, which God had given Adam and Eve for their free use, he could not succumb to death—so they thought.

Abel, it is true, had previously incurred the penalty of death; possibly others of Adam's family also had died whom the Scripture does not name, but Adam him­self had had the unique experience of par­taking of the tree of life. "They were full of the vigor imparted by the tree of life." —Ibid., p. 50. However, to their utter amazement Adam was not immortal al­though he had eaten of the tree of life al­most one thousand years before. To their grief and to their despair he came to the end of his days "and he died" (Gen. 5:5). To a large extent the hopes of the patri­archs were dashed and they were unable to distinguish between the fate of the sons of God and the sons of men. To them it appeared that death befell them one and all, without discrimination, and the godly and the ungodly perished together. To the infidels of their time, the death of Adam was but a proof of their assertion that God was unjust and that there was no profit in serving Him. He had expelled them from the Garden, and it was impossible to re-enter past those flaming cherubim, whether one offered sacrifice or not. So their philosophy of "Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die" was strengthened, and Seth and his descendants were sorely perplexed.

Enoch, now not only a father but also a grandfather, was especially concerned. He had been walking with God in an even more intimate manner than his forefathers for a period of 243 years while Adam was alive, and Adam's death had been a tre­mendous shock. "Enoch had been trou­bled in regard to the dead" (ibid., p. 85), and God saw fit to reveal to this godly man part of the future history of the world. He saw God's return to the earth to execute judgment, to convince the ungodly of their ungodly deeds (Jude 14, 15), to separate the wheat from the tares, and to gather the wheat into His garner. He was thus em­boldened to preach of the life after death, which God would give to Adam and to those also who lived a godly life (note that the word "ungodly" is mentioned four times in Jude 15).

This patriarch was emphatic in his ser­mons that there was a Creator even though their eyes discerned Him not, and that there were additional reasons for living a godly life, for God was "a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb. 11: 6). He labored more diligently among the haunts of men—both Sethites and Cainites (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 86)—after his Enoch, now not only a father but also a grandfather, was especially concerned. He had been walking with God in an even more intimate manner than his forefathers for a period of 243 years while Adam was alive, and Adam's death had been a tre­mendous shock. "Enoch had been trou­bled in regard to the dead" (ibid., p. 85), and God saw fit to reveal to this godly man part of the future history of the world. He saw God's return to the earth to execute judgment, to convince the ungodly of their ungodly deeds (Jude 14, 15), to separate the wheat from the tares, and to gather the wheat into His garner. He was thus em­boldened to preach of the life after death, which God would give to Adam and to those also who lived a godly life (note that the word "ungodly" is mentioned four times in Jude 15).

This patriarch was emphatic in his ser­mons that there was a Creator even though their eyes discerned Him not, and that there were additional reasons for living a godly life, for God was "a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb. 11: 6). He labored more diligently among the haunts of men—both Sethites and Cainites (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 86)—after his seasons of solitude with his Maker, en­deavoring to persuade them that all was not lost with the death of Adam. For an­other fifty-seven years he continued his tes­timony, pleasing God and persuading men, until the day came that "he was not; for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). His friends sought for him when he did not reappear from his favorite secluded haunt, but they were unsuccessful "because God had trans­lated him" (Heb. 11:5).

They were finally persuaded that a mir­acle had happened and that God had glo­riously justified Enoch's faith in the ulti­mate resurrection by denying the enemy of all souls the satanic satisfaction o£ seeing his body crumble to dust. The very next patriarch after Adam to terminate his earthly existence was Enoch whose transla­tion demonstrated that death—to the righteous—is but an interlude. To him was raised no monument, no stone marked his last resting place, and the very manner of his passing was, is, and will be a con­tinual testimony to the fact that He is faithful who has promised, and the sons of Adam who are called the sons of God will one day march into Paradise, a glori­ous company of the redeemed.

Had Enoch not been translated, the faith of Seth and his followers would have been well-nigh submerged under the waves of doubt, but his loss, while keenly felt on earth, was softened by the thought of his immortality, granted aforetime for our en­couragement by the tender grace of God. So Enoch was the first among men to re­turn to walk with God face to face thirteen years before the close of the first millen­nium of earth's history.

"By the translation of Enoch the Lord designed to teach an important lesson. There was danger that men would yield to discouragement, because of the fearful results of Adam's sin. . . . Satan was urging upon men the belief that there was no re­ward for the righteous or punishment for the wicked, and that it was impossible for men to obey the divine statutes. . . . His translation was an evidence of the truth of his prophecy concerning the hereafter, with its award of joy and glory and im­mortal life to the obedient."—Ibid., p. 88.

The second human being of Adam's race to be granted this unique privilege was Elijah. But why Elijah? That, of course, is another story altogether, and of equal significance to God's people today.