Walk

We certainly live in extreme times, don't we? I have never seen such times as these. Dangerous illnesses are sweeping through every nation. Extreme weather is occurring in unexpected places and creating havoc. Rage and violence have intruded into every activity: road rage, airplane rage, school rage, workplace rage, subway rage, pedestrian rage, political, economic, racial and social rage. There is an on-going shortage of food and goods. Justice is difficult to obtain. It even seems that a type of tyranny is emerging where the lives of the many are dictated by the interests and strange ideas of the few. The world seems to have been turned upside down, and so many people just want to see everything to go back to the way things were two years ago. They look forward to the future when they can eat and drink freely at restaurants, go to concerts and stadiums again, go back to school as in the past and have graduations, proms, and parties, or attend church as it used to be. People want to be able to marry and have the kind of weddings that we remember, and gather with family and friends like we used to. So many hearts are saddened and perplexed, even fearful. How are we as believers in Christ to go through these trying times? Jesus said that the days leading up to His return would be like the ones that we are now experiencing (see Mt. 24, Lk. 21). He pointed to a similarity to the time of Noah. Noah's time was a time when men's hearts were evil, and violence ruled (Gen. 6:5, 11-12). The human race had been corrupted by rebellious angels, and the offspring produced were physical giants, called Nephilim. Many write that these giants were also tyrants in the earth (see Gen. 6:1-4). In comparing the days of Noah to His return, Jesus said: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Mt. 24:37-39). However, scripture tells us that Noah was different from the others on the earth: "...Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God." (Gen. 6:9). God began discussing His impending judgment of the earth with Noah long before the event occurred, instructing Noah to build a means of escape and safety for himself and others according to God's specific instructions (Gen. 9:13-14). The term "walked with God" as it was used to describe Noah, was also used to describe another man - Enoch: "After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him." (Gen. 5:21-24). I think it would be important to know more about the phrase, "walked with God", since it was uniquely applied to these two very important men connected to very unusual circumstances in scripture. The word "walk" in Hebrew used in these verses is halak, written as הָלַךְ, which means "to go, depart, manner of life, proceed, move, live, to lead, follow". I would especially like to look at the Hebrew letters that compose the word halak, meaning to walk. The letters in this word are he, lamed, and kaph. Each letter in the Hebrew language has a meaning, and we get a deeper look at what it means to "walk with God" as we look at these individual letter meanings. He means "to look, behold, to reveal, to show". Lamed means "a shepherd's staff, to teach, yoke together, to control, to prod, to guide, to urge forward". The letter Kaph used in this word means, "palm of the hand, the power to lift up or suppress, to bend, open, allow, cover". As these two men walked with God, we can see that God revealed or showed things to them: the Shepherd's hook (Jesus is the Good Shepherd) guided them, taught them and urged them forward. As they walked with God, they were also covered by His hand, and understood and walked in God's power to lift up or suppress, to open or close concerning all things that pertained to them, and creation. God wants us to walk with Him in the same manner as Enoch and Noah, and He will get us through the days ahead. Jesus said regarding those who walk with Him, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." He also said, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." (Jn. 12:26). This Sabbath's reading portion deals with the timely story of Noah in Genesis 6, and also the reading of Isaiah 54. The portion from Isaiah also reflects a "walk with God" and with our Shepherd Jesus, if we will walk with Him as Noah and Enoch did: "For this is like the waters of Noah to Me (says the LORD)...For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed...In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you...No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me", says the LORD." Our walk with God, in the revelation of His Son, is reflected in how we walk. According to scripture, this is what our walk should look like if we are indeed walking with God: we should be walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), walking after the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1, Gal. 5:16, 25), walking by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), walking worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1), walking not as other Gentiles (Eph. 4:17), walking in love (Eph. 5:2), walking as children of light (Eph. 5:8, Jn. 8:12), walking in Jesus (Col. 2:6), walking in wisdom (Col. 4:5), walking as Jesus walked (1 Jn. 2:6), walking in His commandments (2 Jn. v. 6), walking in truth (3 Jn. 1:4, see also Jn. 17:17, Jn. 14:6). It means something important to walk with God, and we need to know about it during these difficult times especially. God has provided this privilege for us in order to keep us, protect us, and to bring us through any and every circumstance. There are those who desire to walk with God, and those who don't. I want to be one of the ones who does want to walk with Him, and I want my family to be doing so also. If you would like to begin walking with God, or to renew your walk with Him, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, like Enoch and Noah, I desire to walk with You. You have provided in that walk the revelation of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and rose again from the dead. I want to be one who hears His voice, and follows Him. Fill me with the Holy Spirit so I can walk in the way that reflects walking with You. I thank You, Father, that in my walk with You, You establish me in righteousness, and You keep me far from oppression and fear. I praise and thank You for calling me, and allowing me, to walk with You. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen."