October 7, 2023 – What If….?

What if Enoch Had Something to Say?

“When Jared had lived one hundred sixty-two years he became the father of Enoch. Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years; and he died. When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.” Genesis 5:18-27

We do not get much information about Enoch in the Bible. We know he was the son of Jared; the father of Methuselah; and the great-grandfather of Noah. At the age of 65 (bible years) he fathered Methuselah, Regim and Gaidad. He would live another 300 years and then he disappears – for “G-d took him”. This Enoch is not the same as the son of Cain (Genesis 4:17).

We marvel at the times in the bible when someone dies at what seems to be G-d ordained moments or actions. For example, Moses does get to see the Promised Land, but not enter it because of his own indiscretion. And when he does die, it appears to be at the influence of G-d:

“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab…” Deuteronomy 34:1-6

Moses dies at “…the command of G-d”. While our friend Enoch goes to heaven because “…G-d took him”.

Although Enoch says nothing in the Genesis account, there is a book, called The Book of Enoch where he has a voice.

“And in those days Noah saw the earth that it had sunk down and its destruction was nigh. And he arose from thence and went to the ends of the earth, and cried aloud to his grandfather Enoch: and Noah said three times with an embittered voice: Hear me, hear me, hear me.’ And I said unto him: ‘Tell me what it is that is falling out on the earth that the earth is in such evil plight and shaken, lest perchance I shall perish with it?’ And thereupon there was a great commotion, on the earth, and a voice was heard from heaven, and I fell on my face. And Enoch my grandfather came and stood by me, and said unto me: ‘Why hast thou cried unto me with a bitter cry and weeping?” (The Book of Enoch – The Book of Noah (fragments), chapters LXV, LXVI and LXVII)

There are many non-canonical books that exist that never made it into the canon of the Bible. In the process of assembling the bible, many books were considered, but only 66 made the cut – 39 in the Old Testament, and 27 in the New Testament. That does not take away from the importance of these books. And, if Enoch wanted to say something, shouldn’t we have the opportunity to know what it was. I encourage you to look for these non-canonical writings and take some time to read them. They are important for their insight into how the early church was trying to make sense of their past, and their faith.

Pastor Dave