Hebrews 11:5,6

Hebrews 11:5-6. By faith Enoch was translated. The language of this verse is taken from the Septuagint (Genesis 5:22-24). ‘He was not' is there rendered ‘he was not found.' The phrase ‘God took him' is translated ‘God translated him;' changed corruption into incorruption, the natural body into the spiritual. The Hebrew phrase, ‘he walked with God,' which probably had no clear meaning to a Greek, the Septuagint renders ‘he pleased God,' or strove to please Him; he lived a life well - pleasing to Him. Nothing is said in the Old Testament of his faith; but before his translation is recorded, it is recorded that ‘he pleased God;' and now the writer proceeds to show that faith was the foundation of his God-accepted life.

Hebrews 11:6. But faith is essential to our well-pleasing, and therefore Enoch had faith. Without faith there is a double difficulty; there is no complacency on the side of God, who regards the impenitent and unbelieving man as a sinner, and on the side of man there is no trust. The logical proof of the need of this faith is that whoever draws nigh to God to serve Him, or hold communion with Him (see chap. Hebrews 7:19-25; Hebrews 9:14), must believe (1) that He is a reality towards whom he stands in closest relation of love and duty, and (2) that to those who seek Him He becomes (not will become) the bestower of a full reward. God's being is a thing not seen, His reward a thing hoped for; faith an assured conviction of the first, and a solid expectation of the second.