Walking with God
by Rev Jacky Quarmby 17 March 2024
Reading: Genesis 5: 1 – 32
Following on from the line of Cain earlier in Genesis, we have the line of Adam. Ten generations are listed from Adam’s new son Seth to the man Noah, whose story we have been told since we were children.
There is a rhythm of repetition about the passage. For each of the generations we are told the name of the father, the years it took before they fathered their own first-born son and their age when they died. Ten men one after the other. They are born, they have children and they die.
Or do they? There is one exception to this – but perhaps as we skimmed the passage, thinking how dull it was, we missed it. Consider again the man Enoch in verse 21 …
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Enoch walked with God for 365 years. As many years as are there are days in the year. So Enoch lived from day to day, walking with God, until one day he was taken by God.
A young child once told the story like this:
“Enoch walked with God and they were so deep in conversation, they were talking and walking that they forgot the time. They had so much to tell each other that they didn’t notice how far they had come from Enoch’s house. Then suddenly, they got to God’s house. Enoch was afraid, “God, I’ve got to get back.” “Well,” said God, “now you’ve got this far, you must come in.””
What a wonderful picture of what it means to walk with God. Here within this long list of Adam’s generations, who are born, have children and die, the scriptures surprise us with this wonderful gem - the man Enoch whose message of hope and life reaches down through the centuries.
“Walk with God,” he says, “for those who walk with God will never see death”.
Song: The Lord’s my shepherd
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Loving God,
We trust in your unfailing goodness, unfailing mercy and unfailing love
Help us to walk with you every day of our lives
To rejoice in your presence with us
To seek your guidance in our decisions
To find your strength in our trials
And may we one day find our way
To our eternal home
Amen