Walking with God in a World of Unbelief - Treasures of Faith - Week 3 Day 2

TODAY'S TREASURE

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:5-6

Transcript

Walking with God in a World of Unbelief

Chuck and Sharon Betters

Today’s Treasure

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:5-6 

Enoch’s life is a stunning interruption in a chapter filled with death. In Genesis 5, we read eight times, “and he died,” a drumbeat of sin’s consequence that echoes through every generation. But when the genealogy reaches Enoch, the rhythm breaks: “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24). The Hebrew writer picks up this mystery and marvel: Enoch did not experience death. He was supernaturally taken into the presence of God. Why? Because he “pleased God”.

We’re given only a glimpse into Enoch’s life, but it’s enough. Enoch was a man who lived in an evil world and chose to walk with God anyway. According to Jude 14–15, he was a preacher of righteousness who boldly warned the ungodly about coming judgment. He did not shrink from speaking truth, even though his words fell on deaf ears. God’s judgment was imminent, yet the people of Enoch’s time persisted in their evil. Enoch’s life stood in sharp contrast—a beacon of holiness in a dark world.

What led Enoch to such radical obedience? Scripture hints that the turning point came at the birth of his son, Methuselah. The name Methuselah means “when he dies it will come,” a likely reference to the flood that would arrive at Methuselah’s death (Genesis 5:25–27; 7:6, 11). If God warned Enoch of coming judgment and he responded by naming his son as a living countdown, then Enoch’s daily walk was shaped by a very real awareness of God’s holiness and mercy. His obedience was not reactive but deeply rooted in faith.

Hebrews 11 teaches us that without faith it is impossible to please God. This is not a vague, spiritual optimism. It is faith grounded in two beliefs: God exists, and He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Enoch believed both. He trusted God’s presence even in a corrupt culture, and he lived with the end in view—God’s judgment, yes, but also God’s reward.

We often romanticize biblical characters like Enoch. But Enoch was an ordinary man. He was a husband, a father, and a prophet. What made him extraordinary was that he walked with God, not just occasionally or on special days, but consistently. His entire lifestyle was a reflection of his intimacy with the Lord. In Enoch’s day, walking with God made him a cultural outlier, just as it does today. But it also made him a living testimony to God’s power and grace.

Enoch’s walk with God did not mean a life free of hardship. He still lived in a world ravaged by sin. He still preached to people who mocked him or ignored him. But his hope was not in changing culture—it was in a faithful God who sees, rewards, and redeems. And in the end, God gave Enoch a glimpse of eternal reward. His experience foreshadows what every believer can anticipate: not judgment, but glory. Though we may die physically, we are promised that we, too, will step into the presence of God, clothed in righteousness because of Christ.

Jude tells us that Enoch’s warnings came true. Methuselah died, and the rains began to fall. But Enoch was spared from witnessing that terrible judgment. God mercifully and supernaturally removed Enoch from the world before the destruction came. Others searched in vain for the missing prophet (Hebrews 11:5, also see Jude 14–15).

Like Elijah, Enoch did not experience death but was escorted directly into heaven. In one sense, his final victory over death points us to Christ, for while Jesus would endure the shame and indignity of death, He ultimately overcame death by His resurrection into the glorious presence of His Father. Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, thus fulfills everything Enoch’s godly life symbolizes for us. For even though all of us, except those still living the Day Christ returns (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18), must undergo death, Enoch’s experience of bypassing death shows us what ultimately awaits each and every believer. Surely, the most marvelous moment in our faith journey will be that moment we step from the physical world into heaven.

LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

You may never be called to preach to a hostile crowd or name your child as a warning of divine judgment. But you are called to walk with God. In your daily routines, your quiet acts of obedience, your refusal to conform to a world that scoffs at holiness—you are walking with the same God who walked with Enoch.

And He is still the rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him. So don’t be discouraged if your obedience feels unnoticed or your efforts unfruitful. God sees. Keep walking. One step at a time. When the noise of the world tempts you to veer off course, remember Enoch’s legacy: a quiet life of faithful obedience that pleased the heart of God.

PRAYER

Lord, like Enoch, I want to walk with You in every season. Strengthen my faith when I am weary and help me believe that You are near, that You see me, and that You reward those who seek You. Let my life reflect a quiet but bold trust in You. Amen.

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Adapted from Treasures of Faith by Chuck and Sharon Betters with permission from P&R Publishing

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