In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, there are a few verses tucked away in the list of the descendants of Adam. We are introduced to Enoch as the father of Methuselah, told that he lived for 300 more years in close fellowship with God after the birth of the latter and then was no more, because God took him. Phenomenal.
A number of years ago my daughter and I were in Israel with a tour group with people from different countries. At dinner one evening, one of the gentlemen asked those at the table, ‘If you could choose to be any Bible character, who would it be?’ When it was my turn to answer I said, ‘Mrs Enoch’.
In saying that, I didn’t mean Enoch’s wife. That must have been most disconcerting. Can you imagine, Mrs Enoch calling to her sons, ‘Boys, your father hasn’t returned from his evening walk – he always goes before sundown to speak to God and is back for the evening meal. Today he has not come home. Maybe he has fallen somewhere or a wild animal has attacked him. Go along the road by the river and look for him.’ And so the boys go and come back wide-eyed. ‘The strangest thing mum! We know exactly where dad goes to talk to God. He has a special rock he climbs – you know at the bend in the river. He sits there for a while and then he climbs down and walks to the next bend in the river, where the path is a bit muddy. Well, we followed that path and saw his footprints in the mud and then… nothing! His footprints disappeared! No kidding! Just, like, disappeared! We searched for a clue as to how that could have happened but there is nothing to show in which direction he went!’ And Mrs Enoch, by now may have realized what had happened – ‘Boys,’ she says smiling. ‘You won’t find any footprints – your father went up. His talk with God must have been so special they didn’t want it to end. Don’t worry, we will join him one day. But for now, we should live out the legacy of his life – let us fellowship with God the way he did.’
But I digress. When I said Mrs Enoch at that dinner table in Israel it was because there was that desire to be a female version of Enoch. I have often wondered how that happened and what it would have been like to be so close to God that God was like, ‘You know what, you’re not going home today. Let’s continue our discussion at my place…’ And, just like that, Enoch was in paradise! How incredibly amazing!
*Disclaimer: this is not a theological viewpoint but a reflection.