The Journey Continues: Walking with God
"Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." - Genesis 5:24, NIV
This verse has always had special meaning for me, especially in these last few years as I have endeavored to walk more closely with God. Several years ago I wrote about walking with God, that I felt Him by my side, listening to me.
And while that sense of walking with God has increased and been amplified by my daily time of prayer, worship and devotion, it wasn't until I read the above verse in a different translation that it became even more personal for me.
"Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him." - Genesis 5:23-24, NLT
When I read that I realized what the passage meant for me, and my personal walk. It wasn't just about walking with God as if we were on a hike in along a path in the eastern Sierra. It means that we are walking in close fellowship together. The Hebrew word for fellowship is "Chabar" (×—ָבַר), meaning "to bind, join, tie together, or be united". It implies more than a social connection, but also a deep, committed connection. To walk with God - to be in close fellowship with God - is to bind our hearts to Him with a deep and personal connection.
I love how reading a different translation can open my eyes to a different perception (not a different meaning) to scripture. I have adopted that in my daily devotions, reading four different interpretations, and often finding a new perspective to a familiar verse. And all of this helps my walk with God, since His Spirit speaks to us - to me - through His Word.
Soli Deo Gloria
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