This post was last updated on January 24, 2026

Day 328, Year 1

Enoch That Did Not See Death

“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5 NKJV)

Enoch “walked with God” (Gen. 5:22b NASB) can also be translated as “followed God.” Enoch could not see God but was able to follow Him. The point is that he feared the invisible God and turned away from sins so that he could listen to Him and walk with Him. When we reject the voice of unrighteousness, it would be easier for us to hear God’s righteous voice. When we see many sins, first of all, do not question or complain against Him. Then we may receive His words against the unrighteousness and understand His heart so as to follow Him and combat the evil.

The Greek word for “taken away” in today’s verse, metatithemi, also means “to be changed.” If God is pleased with Abel because of his righteous and faithful behaviors, Enoch’s secret was to follow God with a soft heart and be constantly transformed by Him. He was willing to be changed by God, to be in harmony with His thoughts and feelings, and to receive and preach God’s Word. Eventually, he was taken up by God. This means a blessed life before God is that the inner proper mentality, thoughts, emotions, etc., get closer to God and integrate into His life. 

Before he was taken away, Enoch “had this testimony, that he pleased God.” This might well be his message that God is going to judge sinners. “It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.'” (Jude 1:14-15 NASB) Faith is joyfully receiving God’s Word with hope and making decisions according to His promptings, including preaching the message of God’s judgment and refusing to join the prevailing group of sinners.

Pure faith needs to be freed from all the pollution of this sinful world. As we see from the Books of Genesis and Jude, Enoch lived in a crooked generation, but God wanted him to fight against evil. So, he decided to be constantly changed by God, but not by others. Similarly, many people today live in a crooked world and are easily influenced by the sins in it. In fact, family and the people around us may have the greatest impact. However, we have to decide not to follow sinners, but to follow God alone and to be transformed by Him so as to receive and speak His words.

Reflection questions:

1) How eager are you to reject and distance yourself from all the sinful people and voices around you?

2) Recently, have you become closer to God in your mind, thoughts, emotions, etc.? What is the most difficult aspect of you to be changed by God that requires extra effort?