For those who like to find symbolism in every “nook and cranny,” Enoch’s 365 years reflect the 365 days in a solar year. Somehow, that is supposed to be a reflection of a “complete life.” We prefer to see the 365 years as reflecting reality, just as the other’s ages reflect reality and are not symbolic.
If we are able to understand these lifespans in a chronological way, then Methushelah died the year the flood came, if not in the flood. He lived an extremely long time and saw many children and more generations come and go. It is interesting that the man who had the shortest lifespan in this chapter (Enoch) had the son who lived the longest.
Enoch “walked with God.” That was his manner of life, the cumulative choices he made on a daily basis. There is implied in that statement that God communicated, in some way, His expectations of Enoch and Enoch met those expectations. We are not suggesting that Enoch was sinless, but God chose to take Enoch straight to heaven for a reason. Perhaps it was a great blessing on Enoch for living a godly life in an ungodly environment (cf. Jude 14-15); perhaps it was to show later generations that death is not going to touch every single person as the text suggests. Indeed, Elijah (2 Kings 2:3, 10-11) will not taste death either and there will be some alive when the Son of Man returns, so that they will not taste death (cf. 1 Thess. 4:17). It seems clear to us from this text and we believe it would have been clear to Moses’ contemporaries that there is life after death.
Stories of Enoch will grow up and inspire later generations of Jews, so much so that three literary works in the years between the OT and the NT will be named after Enoch. The NT writers will not treat any of those works as written with the aid of the Holy Spirit and authoritative.
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Moses’ Contemporaries – Just as Enoch walked with God, so Noah is said to have walked with God (Gen. 6:9). Jehovah God will call on Abraham to walk before Him and “be perfect” (17:1). Abraham will summarize his life as walking with Jehovah (24:40) and Jacob will, on his deathbed, comment that both Abraham and Isaac walked before God (48:15). In the Law, God will promise to walk among Israel (Lev. 26:12; Deut. 23:14), predicated on their faithful obedience to His law (cf. Deut. 5:33; 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 13:5; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16).
Later Hebrew writers – Later writers will also challenge Israel to walk with God (Joshua 22:5; Judges 2:17; 1 Sam. 2:30; 1 Kings 2:3; 8:23, 25, 61; 11:33; 2 Kings 10:31; 17:19; 21:22; 2 Chron. 6:14, 16; Neh. 10:29; Psa. 56:13; 78:10; 84:11). The prophets call on Israel to walk before God, walking in His paths (Isa. 2:3; Jer. 7:23; 42:3; Ezek. 5:7; 11:20; 18:9; 20:19; Dan. 9:10; Micah 4:2, 5; 6:8). God will describe His ideal disciple in terms of one who walks with Him in peace and uprightness, turning his back from iniquity (Mal. 2:6).
NT writers – Jude (ver. 14-15) informs us that Enoch was the “seventh from Adam” (consistent with Gen. 5) and that he preached the coming judgment of God. It sounds like Enoch was on Noah’s side, in trying to get their violent contemporaries to change their behavior. Enoch had no success. The flood was the next step in God’s plans. The Hebrew writer holds up Enoch as an example of faith, by which he pleased God (Heb. 11:5).
The NT writers also use the “walking” metaphor to refer to one’s relationship with God (Luke 1:6; 1 Cor. 7:17; Gal. 6:16; Eph. 2:10; 5:2; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12; 4:1).
Paul Holland
