Hebrews 11:5

Heb. 11:5. 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.

Blank Bible: "[5.6] see p. 698. _H."

Hebrews 11:5; Hebrews 11:6 - Before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The apostle refers to that testimony which the SS [Scriptures] give of Enoch that he walked with God which expression implies Friendship and friendly Intercourse and mutual complacence for how can men walk together except they be agreed and therefore the apostle might well say that he had this testimony that he pleased God and he most properly observes that there is no pleasing God in this (?) sense no maintaining Friendship and mutually complacential Intercourse without believing that God is and without believing that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him in the sense explained in my distinct note on v. 6 when the apostle says He that cometh to God, He may be understood to mean He that comes to him to walk with him he unites himself to him in friendly complacential union and Intercourse. Dr. Doddridge here says in his note, Raphelius hath shewn that the original word p??se???µe??? is applied in the Greek classics to coming to God by prayer; and it is used in Hebrews 10:1; Hebrews 10:22 and Hebrews 12:22; Hebrews 12:23 for approaching to God in any act of divine worship. He therefore justly observes that it may here be taken in a larger sense, and refer to that steady course of Piety and virtue which is implied in pleasing God, or walking with him.

Enoch, as in this verse, represents a significant development in The History of Redemption :

8. The next remarkable thing towards carrying on this work that we have an account of in Scripture is the translation of Enoch into heaven. The account we have of it is in chapter 5 [of Genesis, verse] 24 (Genesis 5:24) ["And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him"]. Here Moses in giving an account of the genealogy of those that were of the line of Noah don't say, he lived so long and he died, as he does of the rest, but "he was not for God took him," i.e. he translated him in body and soul, carried him to heaven without dying, as 'tis explained in Hebrews 11:5, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death." By this wonderful work of God the Work of Redemption was carried to a greater height in several respects than it had been before.

You may remember that when I was showing in my first discourse from this text what were the great things God aimed at in the Work of Redemption, and what the main things were that he intended to bring to pass, I among other things mentioned the perfect restoring the ruins of the fall with respect to the elect, and restoring man from that destruction that he had brought on himself both in soul and body. Now this translation of Enoch was the first instance that ever was of restoring the ruins of the fall with respect to the body. There had been many instances of restoring the soul of man by Christ's redemption, but none of redeeming and actually saving the body till now. All the bodies of the elect are to be saved as well as their souls at the end of the world; all the bodies of the saints shall actually be redeemed: those that then shall have been dead, by a resurrection; and others that then shall be living, by causing them to pass under a glorious change. And before this there was a number of the bodies of saints raised and glorified at Christ's resurrection and ascension, and before that was an instance of a body glorified in Elijah, but the first instance of all was this of Enoch, that we are now speaking of.

And the Work of Redemption by this was carried on further than ever it had been before as by this wonderful work of God. There was a great increase of gospel light to the church of God in this respect, that the church hereby had a clearer manifestation of a future estate and of the future glorious reward of the saints in heaven. We are told, 2 Timothy 1:10, that "life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel," and therefore the more of this is brought to light, the more clearly does the light of the gospel shine in that respect. What was said in the Old Testament of a future state is very obscure in comparison of the more full and plain and abundant revelation of it given in the New. But yet even in those early days, the church of God in this instance was favored with an instance of set before their eyes, in that one of their brethren was actually taken up to heaven without dying; which we have all reason to think the church of God was knowing in the time of it as they were afterwards of Elijah's translation. And as this was a clearer manifestation of a future state than the church had had before, so it was a pledge or earnest of that future glorification of all the saints which God intended through the redemption of Jesus Christ.

Heb. 11:6