Protecting the Righteous

Published: February 11, 2018

Author: Joseph

In the fifth chapter of Genesis, Adam’s descendants are named until the time of Noah. Before Noah, another noteworthy figure appears, Enoch. The bible states that “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” Why God took Enoch is not known, but what is known is that Enoch, like Adam and the woman, walked with God. He understood God’s ways and listened to His voice. Enoch was a faithful man who did not allow the increasingly evil world around him to pull him away from his relationship with God.

“No matter how wicked the world seems at any given time, those that walk with God, those found righteous in His eyes, always have hope in His saving power.”

Perhaps God had mercy on him for being one of the only righteous men on earth, and took him away from his oppressors who despised his relationship with God.

Noah was also spared from the judgment of the world. God was grieved and disappointed in how far mankind had turned away from Him. Wickedness had increased like never before. The world was so far gone that only Noah, one man, was found to be righteous. God took notice of Noah and like Enoch, had mercy on him. Unlike Enoch, Noah was not taken away from his circumstances, but was instructed by God in how to save his life and the lives of God’s creatures. Noah and his family constructed a great ark make from gopher wood that sheltered him, his family, and a chosen amount of God’s creatures from the flood that destroyed all life on earth. No matter how wicked the world seems at any given time, those that walk with God, those found righteous in His eyes, always have hope in His saving power.

People living in sin do not have such hope. The rest of the world except for Noah and his family were wiped out because they had become completely corrupt in their evil. The sins of mankind multiplied with each generation and included: unrighteous anger, hate, jealousy, sexual immorality, pride, evil intent, violence, and murder. They lived without knowledge of God, meaning, they chose purposefully to not acknowledge Him. They ignored His teachings, as was seen in Cain offering the sacrifice of fruit instead of an animal. They boasted in pride and committed acts of murder, as seen with Lamech, Cain’s descendant. They became greedy and perverted God’s intentions for human relationships as the sons of God took whomever and however many wives they chose.

Enoch and Noah lived among morally corrupt and wicked men and women, yet they chose to hold fast to their relationship with God. They did not fall into the temptations of the world and did not desire to turn away from God’s ways. Enoch and Noah understood that living in this world that had been corrupted by sin was only possible with the help of the living God and that their purpose for life could only be found in living for Him.

Enoch walked with God and Noah had God’s favor to redeem him from a world doomed to destruction. Looking at your life today, are you compromising with the ideas and beliefs of those that do not know God? Do not be afraid to resist the evil of the world, even under great humiliation. Remember that God will provide you with His salvation when we walk with Him and have faith in who He is.

Bible Passage: Genesis 5:1 – 7:24

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB). www.lockman.org

Photo Credit: Marianne Sopala from Pixabay.com