By Barry Black

Who is the world’s most senior citizen? Who is the oldest person who ever lived? It is not Methuselah, who died at 969 years of age (Genesis 5:27). Methuselah was the oldest person to ever die. His father, Enoch, Adam’s seventh son, is the oldest person to ever live. He holds this distinction because he never died. He is still living, according to Genesis 5:24 which states, “walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.”

Hebrews 11:5-6 provides us with insight into Enoch’s life: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying— ‘he disappeared, because God took him.’ For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God” (NLT). We learn from this passage that Enoch lived by faith and made pleasing God his primary focus. His life was so special that he was inducted into Faith’s Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11.

What are the key lessons we learn from Enoch’s life? What does his faithful living teach us about pleasing God? How can we benefit from his great example?

LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH GREAT FAITH IN GOD

The first lesson we learn from Enoch is to make faith a vital part of our lives. Enoch lived with a great faith. He had a faith without which it is impossible to please God. His faith so honored God that Enoch was placed in Faith’s Hall of Fame.

How can we obtain this faith? Romans 10:17 informs us that such faith comes from hearing God’s word. This is perhaps why Jesus reminded us that “we do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God” (Matthew 4:4). We can ignite and build our faith by daily exposure to sacred Scripture.

LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH INTIMATE COMMUNION WITH GOD

The second lesson we learn from Enoch is that we live our lives in blessed communion with God. The Bible says that Enoch walked with God. This implies a relationship and fellowship. Amos 3:3 says: “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” Enoch was not the only person to have the experience of an intimacy with God described as walking with Him. Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9) and Abraham walked with God (Genesis 17:1). They also lived in intimate communion with the One who holds the world in His hands.

If I were taking a trip with my wife, driving several hundred miles, it would seem strange if we did not talk to one another. Intimacy with God suggests a desire for sweet fellowship. The Apostle Paul hinted at his passionate desire for such fellowship in Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death” (NLT). Jesus declared in John 17:3: “And this is the way to have eternal life — to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (NLT). Learn the lesson of striving for intimate communion with God.

SEEK TO PLEASE YOUR GOD

The final lesson we learn from Enoch is to make pleasing God a top priority. We are told in Hebrews 11:5 that the great priority of Enoch’s life was to please God. Enoch reminds us of the Messiah who would come. That Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth declared in John 8:29: “‘And the one who sent me is with me — he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him’” (NLT).

Do you make pleasing God your major priority? How often do you pray the petition, “Let Your will be done”? If a presidential election does not bring the person you voted for into the White House, how willing are you to submit to God’s will and not your own?

I challenge us all to learn these vital lessons from the oldest man who ever lived. Enoch lived his life in such great faith with God. He lived his life with intimate communion with God. He also sought to please God as his primary priority. When we want God’s will to be done in our lives, we will be able to say with the hymnist, “Have Your own way, Lord, have Your own way. You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Your will, while I am waiting yielded and still.”

Thank God for the lessons we learn from this wonderful senior citizen about living a life that causes heaven to smile.

REAR ADMIRAL BARRY C. BLACK (RET) was elected the 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate in 2003. Prior to coming to Capitol Hill, Chaplain Black served in the U.S. Navy for over 27 years, ending his distinguished career as the Chief of Navy Chaplains.