Walking With God

Four Men Who 'Walked With God'

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called”
(Ephesians 4:1 AV)

In scripture walking with God is a figure of speech meaning the manner of life, or how we conduct ourselves. The passage quoted above means then: let our ways of life match up to what we claim to be; our behaviour gives witness to our profession. The Bible has much to say about walking with God. This article (taken from some notes prepared for a Bible study) will look at it from considering four men in scripture of whom it was said that they “walked with God.” From this we can learn much and encourage ourselves in our walk with God.

1. Enoch (=dedicated.)

And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (Genesis 5:21-24 AV)

By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:5-6 AV)

The above passages about Enoch show us the following:

His life was given over to God.
He walked with God after the birth of Methuselah who died in the year of the flood and was so a testimony of God’s impending judgment.
Before his translation He pleased God and that this was by faith.

According to the Newberry Bible the Hebrew word for ‘walk’ means to walk HABITUALLY. i.e. it was a consistent and regular habit.

From this we can deduce the following:

We cannot please God unless we have the Spirit of Christ, and this we receive by faith alone. Romans 8:1-11; 3:27-28
We are to walk in the light of the Lord’s return considering the judgment that is coming on the world II Peter 3:9-13
We ought to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh lest the latter gain a bridgehead in our lives. Galtians:5:13-25
note: occasion =bridgehead in the Greek.

2. Noah (=rest/comfort)

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart] only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his generations, [and] Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (Genesis 6:5-13 AV)

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11:7 AV)

We see that :

Noah was the only perfect and just man in a world full of corruption and sin
His life testified against the world.

From this we learn that our walk with God:

Must not be conformed to the world in any way Romans 12:1-2 we must be careful, just because the world, or a majority of believers, accept certain behaviours it doesn’t mean that it is right!
Our former, unbelieving state, was conformity to the world, now in Christ we ought to be better. Eph. 2:1-10
Walking like the world means that awe are carnal, and not walking as God expects I Cor. 3:1-3
In Ephesians in particular Paul lists how we should be walking as God’s people.
Eph. 4:17-Eph.5:21. see also Rom.13:13and I Jn:2:15-17

3. Abram (= exalted father ; Abraham = father of a multitude)

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. (Genesis 17:1-2 AV)

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews 11:8 AV)

From these scriptures we see the following:

Obedience is the key to Abram’s life.
God called Abram to be perfect at the age of 99!-when his body was ‘dead’ - Rom 4:19.

If we consider Abram’s life up to this point we see that his life was one of sometimes-incomplete obedience. For example in the original call he did not at first leave his family or place of birth until his father was dead. (Gen.11:27-Gen.12:4 compare Acts 7:1-4)

The reader is left to go through the other incidences to trace this theme.

From Ch. 17 onwards we see what God required of Abraham.

To keep the covenant, that is circumcision. 17:9-10
To name the promised son Isaac 17:18-19
The ultimate test- to sacrifice Isaac, ie what God has given . 22:1-2

The lessons for us, in the new covenant, are:

We must have the circumcision of the heart –ie. New birth Col.6-15 the old cut off. Rom.6:4 Col.3:1-4
To be ‘perfect’ according to the new covenant standard Lk6:40, I Cor.1:10 ,Heb10:14 etc.
We must be obedient. Rom6:15-18—we are the servants to whom/what we obey(including habits etc.) Jn.15:10-14

4. Zacharias (=remembered of Jehovah)

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (Luke 1:5-6 AV)

The last open word from God Israel had up to this time was the Prophet Malachi. For some 400 years the people of God continued in their day to day lives with no fresh revelation. Imagine Zacharias day in day out! Yet it is said that he was blameless and that he kept faithful to God despite the outward circumstances. We learn that we are to be:

Faithful to one’s calling I Cor.7:17
To walk by faith, not outward circumstance. II Cor. 5:7
Heb. 13:5-6 (note conversation= behaviour i.e. our walk)

In summary we see the lessons for us clearly as:

Enoch: Walking in the Spirit.
Noah: Not being conformed to this world.
Abraham: Perfect obedience.
Zacharias: Faithful in all things.