The top news stories of 2013 included things like: the upheaval and destruction in Syria, the North Korean missile threats, the Boston Marathon bombing, and people like: Pope Francis, President Obama, Nelson Mandela, and even Miley Cyrus.

What about people like you and me? Regular, average people who aren’t in the news every day. Aren’t we still important – to the world, to each other, to God? We certainly are. In fact, the Bible mentions quite a few “average Joes” that made some very important contributions to the world of faith. One such example is Enoch, whom the Bible talks about in Genesis, Chapter 5, and Hebrews, Chapter 11. Enoch was a particularly interesting Old Testament patriarch. Although there is not very much written about him, what is said is very powerful. So powerful that we can, by default, read a lot “between the lines” of what’s missing. This practice is not something that’s always a good habit when studying scripture, so I don’t usually recommend it, but the wording here makes it safe for us to do so. The Reverend W.J. Townsend offers an outline of three distinct things we are told about Enoch:

1. He walked with God

2. He pleased God

3. He was taken from this life, but did not experience death

Even though we are given just a few short sentences about the life of Enoch, they prove to be very powerful in substance and results.

1. “He walked with God” (Genesis 5:21-24)

Walking is a person’s normal mode of getting around. In Hebrew, the word used here means to walk along continuously. Unfortunately, many times in life we tend to “run” around. This is associated with strain and excursion. But the “walking” described here means to walk along at a steady pace. So, the phrase “walked with God” suggests living a life consistent with God’s will, as well as experiencing fellowship with Him.

Humans are social, relational beings. We naturally tend to want to walk along with someone, whether it is a spouse, a mentor, or a close friend. Constantly being alone tends to stagnate our growth and personalities. Loneliness is a growing problem in the digital age, which gives us the ability to do most anything without having to physically interact. It’s convenient, yes, but not very good for the social life. As an example of how humans need to be social, I’ve read stories about POWs who owed their sanity to befriending a pigeon or even a rat. It’s the way we’re made. We like to be in the company of others. When Enoch “walked with God” it denoted regular, unbroken, sustained communion with Him.

2. “He pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5-6)

This is where we can really decipher Enoch’s spiritual and moral qualities. What better goal to strive for than to please God? In scripture, we find there are two indispensable qualities of those who “please God.” The first one is faith. Faith in God means to trust Him or to have ultimate confidence in Him. Of course, by continually walking with Him, such confidence is instilled.

The second quality is “integrity” (as found by David’s example in 1 Chronicles 29:17). It is there that we see King David and his people giving gifts to be used to build the temple. David says that “all things belong to God and, in fact, come from Him” (paraphrased). David realized that it is not possible to give anything to God because God already owns everything. And also, that it is not possible to deceive our all-knowing God. So, he was offering whatever he had with a willing, honest, and pure heart. He saw that the key to pleasing God was to have a heart that truly desired to do just that.

3. “He was taken from this life, but did not experience death”

Enoch was “translated,” or “taken from,” this life. Another word for this is “transpose,” which means to move two things, or to put one in place of the other.

Mankind is a threefold being – we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we are housed inside of a body. Most Bible scholars believe that the Bible tells us of only three men in all of history who are in heaven with all three of these components still intact. They are Enoch the patriarch, Elijah the Old Testament prophet, and lastly, Jesus Christ the Savior of the world. The first two were translated and did not see death. But Jesus definitely did experience death.

The New Testament tells us that death is the penalty for sin. Such death involves torment and eternal separation from our Creator, God Almighty. It is the payment to be received for living a life that was unpleasing to God. Unfortunately, without His help, all of our lives are unpleasing to God. That is why we need a Savior. The fear of death is the constant bondage that humankind endures. Only our faith in the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ’s atonement can eliminate that terror and fear. After paying our debt, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God resurrected Jesus from death and now He lives forevermore. By trusting in that sacrifice, instead of torment and separation, when we physically die, we will be spiritually alive in the Lord’s presence where there will be no sadness or tears.

The example of Enoch is a powerful one for us. He was just a regular, average guy with a wife and kids. But he showed us the right way to live on this earth. We too can strive to walk with God and live our lives pleasing to Him. What better New Year’s resolution can we offer?