Genesis 5, 1 John 4

Friday, Nov. 30, 2007 – Brandon Hatmaker (Genesis 5, 1 John 4)

(Genesis 5)

It’s interesting to me that of all the children of Adam, that the Bible brings light to the faith walk of Enoch. Enoch was of the seventh generation of Adam’s lineage and the great grandfather of Noah. Verses 22b-24 say, “ 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.”

All the discussion of his life was boiled down to two things. The first, that he had children with Godly descendants. What a legacy. And second, that 300 of the 365 years he walked the earth, he walked with God. That’s a pretty important list of two things. Makes my 29 of 35 years of faith seem awfully small, especially in relation to the years God would probably actually label as me “walking with him”. I pray it would be credited as years and not months, weeks, or days.

When I look at this scripture, my nature is to instantly ask, “hey, what about the other 65 years?” But God does not make focus on that. It focuses on his years of devotion. 300 years! Can you imagine a growing faith for 300 years?

But then my mind thinks, “So, why did God take him away?” Hebrews 11:5 gives us the answer to that. God found such favor with him, that he rescued him from this world. Look at what Hebrews says, “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.

Here’s some thoughts from a commentary that I read recently on Enoch, “The Spirit, instead of saying, Enoch lived, says, Enoch walked with God. This was his constant care and work; while others lived to themselves and the world, he lived to God. It was the joy of his life. Enoch was removed to a better world. As he did not live like the rest of mankind, so he did not leave the world by death as they did. He was not found, because God had translated him, Heb 11:5. He had lived but 365 years, which, as men's ages were then, was but the midst of a man's days. God often takes those soonest whom he loves best; the time they lose on earth, is gained in heaven, to their unspeakable advantage. See how Enoch's removal is expressed: he was not, for God took him. He was not any longer in this world; he was changed, as the saints shall be, who are alive at Christ's second coming. Those who begin to walk with God when young, may expect to walk with him long, comfortably, and usefully. The true christian's steady walk in holiness, through many a year, till God takes him, will best recommend that religion which many oppose and many abuse. And walking with God well agrees with the cares, comforts, and duties of life.”

Father, may we be found faithful to walk with you. May it be our joy. May it be a journey of dependency in continual communion with You through your Spirit and grace. God, may we be encouraged by the faith of Enoch, that we would see even an early departure to heaven not only as gain, but as an “unspeakable advantage”.

(1 John 4)

Verse 12 says, “…if we love one another, god lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

When I first read this verse, I was thinking about love in the form of affection or fondness. I thought for sure it was speaking of the word “philos” which means “to have affection for, denoting personal attachment.” That’s an emotional love.

Many times in response to a scripture or principle like mentioned in verse 12, we say, “oh yeah, I love that guy” or “I love people”, but if it’s just words or even a GENUINE feeling, is that enough? Not according to this scripture.

The word for love used in 1 John is “agapao”. It means to love in a social or moral sense. It has a wider definition of love than typically thought of, embracing especially the “deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety”. In layman’s terms, it’s a verb. It’s an action. To act in love. To do caring things or act caringly because our faith morality depends on it.

The result? Verse 12 says that if we do this, God’s love is made complete in us. It actually says His love is “perfected” in us. What kind of love is he speaking of when speaking of himself? It’s not the same word used earlier. This time God uses the word “Agape” to describe His love. It’s from “agapao” (the word used earlier) but has a different meaning. Agape means not just the action of the love, but the affection and benevolence of a complete, Godly love.

I believe with all my heart that God’s love has multiple desires for our lives. First, that it would simply be received. Second, according to scripture, in order for it to be made “perfect” or “complete” in YOU and ME, our response to that love has to be a moral and social action of love towards others. I would imagine this should be a way of life, more than a scheduled event. This is one reason why Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and love others.

As I read some of my past entries, I realize that I’ve spent a lot of time recently talking about loving those who are poor. I’m not trying to do that. In fact, I’m trying to find a new theme, but God has placed on my heart, more than ever in my life, those who are outcast in our society (no matter the reason), the abandoned of our world, the sick, the hurting (the list goes on and on.) How appropriate when we are talking about a love in a moral or social sense. With that in mind, I find myself writing about it a lot, and in turn, for the first time in my life, trying to make a significant effort to do something about it.

My goal has not been to go through the bible and find all the verses on injustice and social morality. I’m just reading and studying along, one chapter at a time, as it’s written. What I’m finding, I can’t get away from this stuff. It’s everywhere.