Bringing a Child Home Changes Everything
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters… Genesis 5:22
As far as I can tell, Enoch knew his great-great grandson Noah, for about 31 years before Enoch was called to go to Heaven. One of the extremely unique things about Enoch is that he did not experience death. His walk with God was so genuine, real, and vital, that God did not let him taste death – He took Enoch directly to Heaven!
As we are told very briefly about Enoch in Genesis 5, we discover that his walk with God appears to become more real, relevant and deep AFTER he has his first child. When Methuselah is born the entire world of Enoch changed – for the better.
Whatever Enoch was doing after Methuselah was born – it pleased God. Not everyone will be a preacher like Enoch became, but we all can walk closely with the Lord.
- Enoch pleased the Lord. Hebrews 11:5 says, By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
- Enoch prophesied for the Lord. Jude 1:14 teaches, And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.
When Enoch named his first son Methuselah, the name had a special meaning. Enoch knew that God was going to judge the world because nearly all the world had turned their back on God. Methuselah means, “When he dies, it cometh.” Enoch understood that the evil of his world was self-condemning and that God while merciful would soon judge. When Methuselah dies at the ripe old age of 969, then the flood of Noah’s day begins.
Every man – and woman reading this post, should passionately consider their walk with the Lord.
- Did your life change when you became a parent? More than sleep patterns and busy schedules…
- Did your walk with God get closer to the Lord when you brought your baby home?
- If you adopted a child or married a person with children, are you parenting them with passion and purpose, adopting them as your new responsibility?
I see it often in ministry. A beautiful young couple gets married and seem to be or become casual in Christianity. Not in church often. Not as involved in the life of the church as they could be. Then it happens. God blesses them with a child. Then things start to change. The gravity of nurturing that little life to know the Lord starts to take hold. I am always thrilled when apparently nominal Christians step up to the next level in their walk with Jesus. It thrills me to see the changes a little baby will make in the home!
You do not want to be the one that brings a new child of any age into your home and nothing changes. If you have a child of any age in your home – it should change your life. It should elevate your walk with God to new levels! Be like Enoch – walk with God even more closely as a parent that pleases the Lord.
EDC Christian 