In the middle of a long list of names and years in Genesis 5—people who lived, fathered children, and then died—we find a startling pause in the pattern. A name, a man, breaks the rhythm of mortality: Enoch.
“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
—Genesis 5:24 (NIV)
Enoch lived 365 years—just a fraction of the centuries lived by many others listed in that chapter—but his departure from the earth was unlike any other. He didn’t die. He was taken. Only two men in all of Scripture are recorded as having escaped death—Enoch and the prophet Elijah. That alone makes Enoch worth noticing.
But here’s the irony: for a man who had such a unique and intimate relationship with God, the Bible tells us remarkably little about him. No stories of miracles, no speeches, no psalms, no warnings to kings or victories over enemies. Just a handful of verses in Genesis, one brief mention in Hebrews, and a quote in Jude. That’s it. He’s practically a footnote in a genealogy—a brief line in the sacred record of those who lived and died before the flood. And yet, he walked with God.
That line alone—“Enoch walked with God”—is what sets him apart. It’s not that Enoch talked with God occasionally, or visited Him on holidays, or consulted Him in emergencies. He walked with God. Daily. Consistently. Closely. Like a man walking with a dear friend. He lived in God’s presence as a rhythm of life, not a rare exception.
Hebrews 11:5 adds that, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death… For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” So his life, though not detailed for us, was marked by faith and pleasing God.
How compelling! God didn’t just let Enoch avoid death for some random reason. Could it be that his closeness to God was a preview—a glimpse—of the kind of intimacy we’re all created for? Not that we will avoid death like Enoch did, but that we are all invited into the same kind of walk.
We often chase so many things—success, comfort, attention, influence. But here’s a man who chased God, and the result was so pleasing to the Lord that He pulled him right into eternity. That alone should stop us in our tracks.
Be honest: most of us, even as believers, don’t live like God is the most important person in our lives. We know He’s there. We pray. We attend church. But we often treat Him like an accessory rather than the center. Enoch reminds us that a life of radical closeness with God is not only possible—it’s powerful. Transformative. Eternal.
Imagine what our lives would look like if we made it our mission to walk with God every day. Not out of obligation, but out of love. What kind of peace would anchor us? What kind of joy would overflow from us? What would our children see in us? Our coworkers? Our communities?
We won’t escape death like Enoch, at least not in the physical sense. But Jesus promises something greater: eternal life—life that begins now, walking with Him every step of the way.
So maybe Enoch’s story is short for a reason. Maybe God didn’t need to give us every detail. Maybe one verse—“Enoch walked with God”—is enough. Enough to convict us. Enough to inspire us. Enough to make us ask:
Are we walking with God, or are we just passing Him by?
May we, like Enoch, become the kind of people who walk so closely with the Lord that the world takes notice—not because of what we do, but because of Who we’re with.
