The Hall of Faith | Enoch’s Works Pleasing To God In Faith – Hebrews 11:5-6
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Very few biblical characters are shrouded in mystery with the modern day reader left wondering what happened. Yet, the author of Hebrews includes on such character in the hall of faith as one to be admired and revered. Enoch is one of the few patriarchs of the faith mentioned before the flood with not much detail given to who he is and what he did. “When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:21-24, ESV) Based on how Enoch is depicted, his relatively shorter age than his contemporaries, and the fact that Hebrews describes him as not having seen death, many have asserted that Enoch simply was taken up into heaven. All who read the story of Enoch, though, seem to be left with the same question: what exactly did Enoch do that pleased the Lord so much to just take Enoch up into heaven.
The little we know of Enoch still demonstrated faith. Hebrews makes it clear that faith is required for being able to please God. No one can please God without a demonstration of their faith. Enoch, then, did not do certain actions that resulted in God being pleased, but instead expressed the faith He had in God through His actions. First, we must have an understanding of who God is. Then, out of the abundance of faith that has been instilled in us by God, we express that through our actions. While some may get bogged down in the details of what Enoch specifically did, in truth, the best we have is speculation. Our best course of actions is not to seek to understand more about Enoch but to first understand more of God and respond to the person and nature of God in our lives.
Works Pleasing To God
God found the works of Enoch to be pleasing, bringing him up to heaven, possibly even avoiding the consequences of death. Yet, in faith, the works of Enoch reflected the faith he held in God and in the coming Messiah who would one day bring salvation to the world. In short, the works of Enoch could best be described as righteous and pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. This would have been remarkably different during his time as we grew closer and closer to the time of the Great Flood when hardly anyone would be see as righteous and pleasing to God. Enoch stood out by what he did in the world around him to reflect the faith He held. Any works, even if they are good, will not be pleasing to God apart from faith because it is faith that trusts in the person of God, who He is, and His unending love for the people. The actions can be good, but unless the actions are done out of the overflow of faith in Jesus Christ then they will still be unable to produce salvation, life, and righteousness within a person. God is far more concerned with the heart of a person, whether it remains rebellious against Him or submits to Him as Lord and King over all of our lives.
For us as Christians, the idea of our works being pleasing to God should not be a foreign concept, though, likely it is. Our sin is brutally offensive to the Lord as it separated us from His presence. Yet, when we obey the Lord, this pleases Him. Some would view this as the actions of an egotistical God who only wants to be placated by His creation. Yet, doing this overlooks the purpose of the laws and creation. God created mankind as the object of His love and set up creation to be a blessing and for mankind to enjoy to give glory to God. Rebellion against the ways of God defy the created order and bring negative consequences to people but in the short term and in the eternal sense. God is pleased when we find our delight in Him as the source of our faith and hope. Our actions should find their purpose in the intended and created order, understanding that God is the ruler of all things and seeks our good. God is not an egotistical tyrant but a loving Father who eagerly desires what is best for His children.
Works Done in Faith
Most people tend to look at the story of Enoch and attempt to emulate the works of Enoch in hopes that we would avoid any time of suffering or pain during this life. Yet, the author of Hebrews makes it clear that works, on their own, are not the things that God finds pleasing. It is the faith that God finds pleasing. Faith, being “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV) expressed itself through the works of Enoch. He trusted in and believed in the coming Messiah so deeply that his works revealed his faith. This laid down the foundation of His works and the foundation of God pleasure in Enoch. The world during that time showed a propensity for false religion, rebellion, and serving various gods as a means of keeping them happy. Yet, it was Enoch who stood against the grain of societal norms in faith that there was a coming Messiah who would save and redeem His people.
We are left wondering the specifics of what Enoch did. Yet, to focus on the works of Enoch to merely do the same thing and avoid the punishment of death in this world is nothing more than a complicated works based salvation. On this side of eternity, we may never know what exactly Enoch did to merit such a divine grace. Yet, we should not be distracted by the works of Enoch and miss that Enoch’s story is one of faith that led him to action. Perhaps this is the point of the story of Enoch though. We cannot continually focus on what Enoch did to please God but rather look to our own actions and whether they are done as a people who put their faith in the Risen Lord. Mere imitation of righteous works will not produce salvation or divine favor but only a heart bowed before the Holiness and Righteousness of God which produces good works. The point of the story of Enoch is not that we would pursue Enoch but that we would see Enoch and pursue God even more.
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
