God’s Word for You
Genesis 5:6-24 He walked with God
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Sunday, October 18, 2026
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years. He had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.
In these verses, we see the regular repetition of birth, life, and death. Just as Adam died, so also his son Seth died. But a careful reading of this chapter will show that Seth, like Adam, lived to see many generations, seven after his own, and that he was still living when the miracle took place that we will read about in a few verses.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years. He had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.
Like his father and grandfather, Enosh lived more than nine hundred years. He preached the gospel faithfully, warning people of their sins and proclaiming the coming of the Savior, who would be one of his own descendants. His was the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, for that is the purpose of the Savior Jesus Christ. “Properly speaking” our Confession declares, “true repentance is nothing else than to have contrition and sorrow, or terror, on account of sin, and yet at the same time believe the Gospel and absolution (namely, that sin has been forgiven and grace has been obtained through Christ)” (Augsburg Confession XII:3-5).
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years. He had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.
Kenan, too, like the other patriarchs before him, lived more than nine hundred years. He died about four hundred years before the flood. Doubtless he followed his father Enosh from place to place, preaching and teaching about the coming Savior. By the grace of God, he lived to be an old man and was not put to death by the marauding persecution of Cain’s descendants.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years. He had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.
While Mahalalel lived less than nine hundred years, it was only five years less, so we cannot say that he was killed in a persecution. But we certainly know that he faithfully passed along his faith to his son Jared, the father of the famous Enoch.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years. He had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.
Jared is outstanding on account of his long life, the second-longest we know of in all of Scripture after his grandson Methuselah. Jared lived a total of 470 years alongside his ancestor Adam before Adam’s death. He was the last patriarch to die prior to the warning about the Flood. He brought up his son Enoch in the truth and purity of the word of God, the promises given to Adam and Eve in the Garden and all of the miraculous things God had done for mankind. The promise of the Savior was especially dear to his son Enoch, and we should not forget the role of parents in the faith of their children. Therefore, “We should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents and others in authority, but honor, serve, and obey them, and give them love and respect.”
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years. He had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
That Enoch “walked with God” means that he led a righteous and pious life, since he walked with God for the three centuries before he was taken away. Also, Noah is described the same way in his exceptional life of faith before the Flood (Genesis 6:9). This is God’s will for us all: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). And Moses preached: “Observe the commands of the Lord your God; walking (that is, living) in his ways and revering him” (Deuteronomy 8:6).
To “be no more because God took him away” is the same thing that happened to Elijah in the days of the divided kingdom. Here there is no mention of angels or chariots of fire, but there were undoubtedly witnesses who could verify that he was not simply missing and a victim of the violence of the Cainites.
The best interpretation of this passage is given in Hebrews 11:5, where the Apostle says, “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” Enoch was suddenly removed from the world while some of the Patriarchs watched; he was taken away before their eyes into heaven. We say this because his account is placed before us, a brief account of a brief event. “He was to be a living sermon of repentance before the world because by his example he teaches that after this life there remains another life promised to those who repent and fear God” (Gerhard).
Why was Enoch carried away at this time? There are two possible matters, one more likely and one less. The less likely is that at this time, Enoch’s dear wife was the victim of the persecution of the Cainites, and therefore God did not harm her with Enoch’s translation, leaving her alone on earth to mourn or to long for him. But this is not likely because there is no other hint of this in Scripture. But it is always a good thing to consider how the actions of the patriarchs affected their marriages.
The more likely issue is found within the text with the most elementary math. Just about midway between the deaths of Adam and his son Seth is where we find the assumption or translation of Enoch. What did the world think, both the patriarchs and the Cainites, when the news reached them that Adam had died? Death was not simply a question of murder, as with Cain and his descendant Lamech and their foul crimes. Now Adam himself had died and was buried. Was there hope for mankind in the world? Would this be the result of sin: death and burial and grief, and then nothingness? In Enoch we see a visible sermon, the certainty of the removal of God’s people after death into heaven on account of faith in the forgiveness of sins and the coming of the Savior who would crush the power of the devil and remove mankind’s guilt forever.
Enoch’s preaching (a sample is preserved in Jude 1:14-15) was especially about the return of God on judgment day, to convict the ungodly, and by application, to carry away the godly to Paradise. For Enoch was not only in the line of Abraham (1 Chronicles 1:3) and one of the ancestors of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:37), he also preached Christ, and foretold the end of the world and judgment day on account of the wickedness of his time. He was an outstanding pillar of faith, and God used him to teach us that what he believed and taught were true, and therefore his account builds up our own faith. We trust in our Savior Jesus, and we especially praise God that unlike the ancient believers who looked forward to his coming, we know when he came, precisely what he did for us, and we praise him knowing his name.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.