Connecting with GOD
美佳之窗 His Window 97（ Jan - Mar 2022 ）
Text by Rev. Phan Wu Chung
Translated by Stephen Cheng
“When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.” (Gen 5:21-24 NLT)
In Genesis chapter five, Enoch is the main figure in the genealogy of Adam. Because he walked in close fellowship with God, he was taken away by God. The scriptures do not record where he was taken to; we presume that he was raised up to heaven to be with the Lord. Comparing with the ‘physical deaths’ of the other family members in the genealogy, Enoch’s sudden disappearance is surely yearned for, because it is a beautiful reward which resulted from connecting and having a close relationship with God.
Reading the genealogies in the Bible can be quite confusing and it is certainly challenging to remember the unfamiliar names which don’t seem to have any connection with us. However, since they are recorded in the Bible, there must be some value for their existence. The genealogies do not just tell us the relationship of the human beings, they also show us how God treated and what God did to their generations. In fact, God wants us to know Him, worship Him, connect with Him and have a close fellowship with Him through the families of various races and different nationalities. Unfortunately, from these genealogies found in the Bible, Enoch is the only name that deserves to be mentioned.
The scripture records the birth of Methuselah when Enoch was 65 years old. From the structure of the genealogy, the recording does not seem so important, because it is merely a format of repeatedly recording the genealogy. The only thing that is special about Methuselah is because he is the oldest person recorded in the Bible. Enoch’s life was much shorter compared with the lives of his descendants, and in fact his life was the shortest in his entire family genealogy! This reminds us that the number of years we live is not important. What is of more importance is the meaning of our lives and whether or not we live our lives in close fellowship with God.
Otherwise, even if we live a long life, we will be just like Moses’ comment in Psalm 90:10 that “the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear...” Methuselah had a father who walked in close fellowship with God (at least, he witnessed 300 years of his father’s life), but he did not seem to have inherited his father’s aspirations. Therefore, whether man wants to be connected with God or not is entirely his own choice.
In the 4 verses of Genesis 5:21-24, “walking in close fellowship with God” is mentioned twice thus showing the importance of these verses. So, what is the meaning of “walking in close fellowship with God”? Firstly, we need to understand that “walking in close fellowship with God” does not mean to be completely detached from the things in the world. The scriptures clearly tell us that Enoch chose to walk closely with God, but he also bore and raised children, meaning that in his daily life, he was not just being holy and did nothing else in the world. In our present day, this is a very practical issue. Let’s ask, where is the suitable place for us to really practise the lesson of forgiveness? Is it in the church, or at home, or in the marketplace? Under what circumstances can we practise the lesson of faith? Is it within the beautiful environment of the church? Or when we face the challenges and difficult times? Therefore, we should practise “walking in close fellowship with God” and maintain such connection with Him in our everyday lives.
How to “walk in close fellowship with God”? This is something everyone should know, that is to read the Bible, pray and worship God with dependence on the Holy Spirit. Maybe, we will disdainfully scoff at this and say, “Ha, I thought this is some sort of profound secret, but it is just the normal way of doing it!” Indeed, ‘faith’ is a simple thing, to habitually simplify what looks complicated. Ironically, when we are unable to fix a simple matter, we would normally try to use “profound ways” to ‘walk in close fellowship with God’!
When we want to closely connect with people, but we don’t try to build a good relationship with them through social contacts, then, how can we be connected? Similarly, if we do not habitually read God’s Word and desire a prayerful life, how can we achieve a life led by the Holy Spirit? If we are not regularly connected with God, how can we desire to deeply experience Him, and have a close relationship with Him? The scripture specifically mentions “Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for 300 years”, but it does not explain the meaning of “in close fellowship” because we are expected to know and practise this basic fundamental everyday. Although Enoch in his life time did not have any glorious achievement, God praised him for living his life full of mature spirituality and beautiful character! I hope we can emulate Enoch to faithfully walk and closely connect with God everyday, so that we can live our lives based on His heart’s desires.