Enoch & Elijah

Genesis 5:24 CSB

Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.

INTRO—

[**Well done is for good and faithful servants…NOT for steaks!]]

…Saying this as one whose Dad loved the well done steak.

Well…..now that I have everyone thinking about lunch, let’s dig in to our focus this week. Today we look at two guys from the Old Testament—[as, each week we’ll be looking at one or two people from the Scripture to find encouragement and challenge regarding what it takes to hear, “WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT…”]—two guys, whose lives are uniquely characteristic of the focus of our investigation.

ENOCH & ELIJAH…

THE EVENT

[[…in each of their lives, which causes them to stand out.]]

ENOCH [Genesis 5.18-24] — God took him

Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.”

This is what happened. This is all we know about HOW this event happened.

ELIJAH [2 Kings 2.1-12] — Taken by a chariot in a whirlwind

2 Kings 2:11 “As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.”

2 Kings 2:12 “As Elisha watched, he kept crying out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” When he could see him no longer, he took hold of his own clothes, tore them in two,”

The tension for this event builds from the beginning of the narrative here (2.1-10). Here we see that God sends a chariot of fire [cue the music!] pulled by horses of fire. Elisha, for sure, and possibly others was/were witness to what happened.

**GOD TOOK ‘EM!

THE CHALLENGE

ENOCH [Jude 14-15] — Bold declaration

Jude 14 b “Look! The Lord comes with tens of thousands of his holy ones”

Jude 15 “to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly concerning all the ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against him.””

A quote of Enoch’s boldness…the reference being uncertain (maybe even Book of Enoch/1 Enoch…).

Clearly Enoch ment to call out ungodly & their acts…which Jude applies to—not just the general ungodly, ‘heathen,’ BUT specifically to the ungodly false prophets, teachers, pastors, leaders who paraded as legit!

A BOLDNESS in the “seventh” (likely generation) from Adam. Didn’t take long for ungodliness to spread/increase. Couldn’t have been easy to take such a stand—even “way back then.”

ELIJAH [1 Kings 19.1-18] — Faithful resignation

1 Kings 19:1 “Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.”

1 Kings 19:2 “So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!””

1 Kings 19:3 “Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there,”

1 Kings 19:4 “but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my ancestors.””

1 Kings 19:5 “Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, “Get up and eat.””

Right on the heels of a significant display of God-honoring faithfulness (we’ll check on that in just a minute), Elijah hits “rock bottom”—a big-time low feeling…fear & frustration.

He sees himself as a failure for the ungodly actions & attitudes of God’s people. He feels utterly alone…& is done (1 Kings 19.10-14).

BUT…God, again, shows his faithfulness…& that a larger-than-Elijah-thinks remnant of faithful ones remain in Israel! [[Good news…there.]]

**A WALK WITH GOD, THROUGH ALL OF LIFE! (including the highs and the lows)

FAITHFULNESS SHOWN

ENOCH [Hebrews 11.5-6] — Faithful perseverance

Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.”

Being taken away = he did not experience death! [Best commentary on the Bible is the Bible!; also, can you imagine that search party? (if that was needful for this)]

“He walked with God” (Genesis 5.22, 24; “approved as one who pleased God” [11.5]— Intimacy, like Adam & Eve w/ God [Genesis 3.8] AND, Noah w/ God [Genesis 6.9].)

ELIJAH [1 Kings 18.16-40] — Fiery confrontation

1 Kings 18:30 “Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the Lord’s altar that had been torn down:”

A confident call to God’s people!

1 Kings 18:31–35 “Elijah took twelve stones—according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”—and he built an altar with the stones in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons. Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.” Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time. So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water.”

1 Kings 18:36–37 “At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah approached the altar and said, “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that you are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that at your word I have done all these things. Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that you, the Lord, are God and that you have turned their hearts back.””

Clear, confident challenge…showing the ONE true God.

1 Kings 18:38–39 “Then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!””

This action immediately preceded Jezebel’s threats to Elijah.

Calling God’s people to refocus themselves on the ONE TRUE GOD, LORD OF ALL CREATION, ETERNAL KING OF AN ETERNAL KINGDOM!!!

CONCL—

Well Done from God for…

ENOCH

[[“Walked with God” (Gen 5.22, 24)]]

“He was approved as one who pleased God” (Heb 11.5)

As we have seen previously in Hebrews 11 regarding Enoch — Attested (had a testimony) as someone who (well) pleased God. [[An intimacy and closeness]]

Hebrews 11:6 “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

ELIJAH

“And what more can I say?…& the prophets…escaped the edge of the sword <1 Kgs 19>…women received their dead, raised to life again <1 Kgs 17>” (Heb 11.32, 34-35)

Writer of Hebrews: Man, I could go on and on, but let me summarize instead; Summary includes “the prophets”…prophet whose life was threatened, and who raised a widow’s son!

[[“Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him” (Matt 17.3 — in Matt. 17.1-8)

You don’t get to appear in that scenario—Jesus, Moses, & ELIJAH—without “Well Done!”]]

…FOR — Faithfulness, Courage, Perseverance

It takes daily courage…to persevere…to live faithfully.

INVITATION:

Salvation

Walk with God

2 Kings 2:11 CSB

As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.