Enoch, Pleasing God by Seeking God

Theme: Enoch, pleasing God by seeking God

“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death: and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:5,6)

Thought:

I love the idea of a treasure hunt. I enjoy reading about people who have searched for gold or silver. The idea of hunting for something grows in value and excitement depending on the value of what is sought or the challenge involved.

Over the past few years, my wife has enjoyed collecting the state quarters and the national park and monument quarters. When we find one of the quarters she needs, it’s a great find. With the nation’s 250th anniversary, we were interested in dollar coins, both presidential and earlier Eisenhower coins. The other day I went to the bank and asked for some dollar coins. They didn’t have any, but twenty minutes later, while at the grocery store, I received a call from my teller, saying someone had just turned in some dollar coins. Returning to the bank, I paid eleven dollars for ten Eisenhower dollars and one 1878 Morgan silver dollar, definitely worth more than a dollar. Well, we had a little celebration for that find. Finding a treasure is worth the effort.

Enoch pleased God by walking with God and by believing what God said about Himself. Finally, Hebrews 11:6 implies that Enoch sought after God. He looked for God, and had a hunger to see Him and understand Him.

Enoch would have echoed David’s statement in Psalm 63:1, “O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You.” The word for earnestly literally means “at dawn.” The first thing Enoch desired each day was to see God, to walk with Him. Can you imagine taking a real, personal walk with God and then knowing you can do that again and again?

What David writes in Psalm 27:4 would have described Enoch’s heart’s desire and might even have been what he told others when asked, “Enoch, what do you want out of life?” “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” I want to see God’s face and walk with Him all the days of my life.

And Enoch lived this. He was pleasing to God, he sought after God, and these statements of desire and longing would have described him and more.

But then I go to Romans 3:10 and 11, and I read Paul, quoting David from Psalm 14 and 53: “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understand, there is none who seek for God.” The reality is that no one seeks after God, not even Enoch. God has sought after us. Every relationship with God begins with Him, not us. Paul goes on to explain in Romans 5:6 and 8, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John says something similar in I John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God is the great initiator, the one who saves us who are dead in our sins.

Ultimately, this is not a story of Enoch walking with God, but God walking with Enoch. God sought after Enoch. God is the one who seeks us and makes us new creatures. Oh, to have been on one of those walks as Enoch’s eyes were opened by God’s grace. He saw more of God’s love for him every day, and possibly God shared His plans to redeem a people for Himself.

Reflection: 

How might Enoch’s example help you grow in your understanding of a daily walk with God? As you read your Bible, do you believe God wrote this for you and that all He said in His Word is true? Have you responded to God, who is seeking after you, as the great initiator of love, by sending His Son to die in your place?

I recognize God as the great initiator, and then I seek the Lord. As I walked and prayed this morning, I asked God to open my eyes to see His creation around me. It showed me His creativity, His complexity, His beauty, and His order or design.

I also asked Him to open my ears to hear what He wants me to learn about Him as I read the bible. God also brings people into my life to help me learn more about Him, so I listen to His voice through those around me and through the circumstances of the day. God’s hand is everywhere, so He guides me through everything that takes place in my life.

The prophet Habakkuk gives me an example to follow in Habakkuk 2:1. “I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved.”

What are some other ways you might seek the Lord today?

Prayer:

Father, help me walk with You today. Help me work out the salvation You began in me. Give me Enoch’s hunger to seek after You and know You more. Open my eyes to see wonderful things from Your law. (6/17/2026)

Stan Johnson 6/17/2026

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