Series: Lesser known women of the Bible
Mrs Enoch is the wife of a godly man, Enoch, who lived with his family when the world was very evil. It was a time when sin was so rampant that it was beginning to cover the earth. Enoch lived in a day of mockers. For the book of Jude makes clear that Enoch saw their ungodly lives, and bore witness against them about the judgement of God.
We also know from Scripture that Enoch was the seventh from Adam and Noah’s great grandfather who lived a holy and faithful life to the Lord. Enoch and his wife were blessed with a wonderful family of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Two of the notable ones among them were – Methuselah who lived longer than anyone else in the Bible and his great grandson Noah.
Can you imagine what it must have been like for Enoch’s wife, children and grandchildren when Enoch suddenly disappeared? Would they’ve had a clue to what was going on? Watching Enoch walk with God for 300 years, Mrs Enoch would have grasped his godly lifestyle of letting God’s presence envelope their family life as well as permeating her own personal life too.
Mrs Enoch witnessed Enoch walking with God first hand, how he allowed the divine presence of God to be central in his life and his family life as well. How do we arrive at this idea? We note the same words “walking with God” in the context of Noah’s life (Gen 6:9). Mrs Enoch, an expert in bringing up godly generations, perhaps passed on the good influence to her great grandson. She is likely to have learnt from her husband that there was no secular-sacred divide since the Living God Yahweh and His divine presence was part of their lives at home, at field, at fellowship, at workplace and fun times too.
She didn’t come under the category of “widow” but was a single mother for the rest of her life. She was so sure that God took her husband and never doubted that he went missing or was dead. I am sure she was the first witness to testify that God took him away and he was not. When people asked where Enoch was or went, she was bold enough to proclaim not only God took him but attested to the faithfulness of God, for Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
This confidence of God’s guidance was so evident in her every choice and decision to live on and to lead the generations to come. She experienced God’s power and provision in the absence of her husband. Though her dreams might have been shattered, there was no evidence of self-pity or shirking responsibility when her husband disappeared. We can safely assume that she never let the societal stigma, judgment and criticism from people around to weigh her down. Instead she looked beyond her past and present into God’s future. She was a crucial link in the lineage of God’s people.
Mrs Enoch thus became a role model for Resilience – the art of bouncing back when the unexpected happens. A resilient woman might not have the ability to solve problems, but she has faith in the One who does. She knows the Lord is faithful and she can safely hand over every broken piece of her life to Him who beautifully mends the broken vessel with His fresh touch for a new beginning.
Anytime we face a life transition or an interruption or a disappointment or an unexpected challenge, it’s natural to experience fear, anxiety, anger, frustration and hurt. But remember when we trust God, the God of Mrs Enoch who knows the end from the beginning, will enable us to understand His greater purpose and give us confidence that He will turn every challenge into an opportunity to bounce back, and that’s resilience!
Talking about a similar situation of Mary, mother of Jesus, Michele Morin, a Bible Teacher, writes, “Resilience is not her claim on Christ, but, rather, the evidence of His claim on her.”
Remember Christ has a claim on you and your every situation, Bounce back!!!
