We have many great examples of faith in the Bible, but the example of Enoch may not be one of the first that comes to mind.  After all, he occupies very little space on the pages of inspiration.  Still, Enoch is a powerful example of faith, making it onto the great list of godly men and women found in Hebrews 11. 

Hebrews 11:5 (ESV)
⁵ By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him.  Now before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God. 

What kind of faith do you have?  This is a significant question.  The kind of faith that we have will determine where we spend eternity.  As the Hebrews writer says, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).  Faith cannot be faked.  Certain characteristics are always shown by saving faith.  One such characteristic is trust.  Faith and truth are inseparable and Enoch had an abundance of both.

When you first read Hebrews 11:5, you may wonder how Enoch demonstrated trust by his faith.  Well, let me ask you this question—in what did Enoch have faith?  It would be easy to simply say God, but that is a foregone conclusion.  We know that he had faith in God, but a part of that included having faith in what God said.

The text tells us that Enoch was taken up by faith.  It does not say that Enoch was taken up because he had faith, but that by faith he was taken up.  Enoch, in other words, believed that he was going to be taken up.  Why?  He believed it because God told him he was going to be taken up.  We do not have the conversation, just like we do not have the conversation between God and Abel, but remember, faith comes by hearing the Word of God; thus, God must have told Enoch what He was planning to do, and Enoch believed Him.  Why did he believe?  It was simply because he trusted God.

What a wonderful picture this gives us of Enoch and his faith.  Remember, faith is, in part, the conviction of things not seen (ver. 1).  So, when God told Enoch that He was going to take him to heaven, he had to believe in something that he had never seen and that was unheard of in his day.  It must have seemed impossible; however, Enoch believed God because he trusted Him.  Trusting God is an integral part of faith.  Listen to Thayer’s definitions of faith.

Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; “in the N.T. of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust.

To have faith is to believe in God with an underlying sense of trust.  We trust God because we believe in Him.  We believe in His Word, His power, and in His character, that is, His love, longsuffering, goodness,  and grace; therefore, we trust Him explicitly.  This is what faith in God is all about—trusting Him in all aspects of our lives.   In our needs, we trust His providence (Matthew 6:33).  In our affliction, we trust His deliverance (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).  In our salvation, we trust His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Enoch had commendable faith that led him to trust God, even when it seemed unreasonable to do so.  When you have this kind of trusting faith, people will see it.  When Enoch was taken up by God, the Bible says that he was not found.  Do you know what that implies?  It implies that when Enoch was gone, people missed him.  He was missed because He was living a visible life.  He let his light shine, and people saw his good works.  People knew that he lived a life that was pleasing to God.  The KJV tells us that pleasing God was the testimony of his life.  Is that your testimony?  If you have true faith, faith like Enoch’s, you will trust God explicitly, and people will take notice.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.