Day two of Bible readings takes me through Genesis 4&5 looking at Cain & Abel and then descending generations to Noah.
Firstly, reading Gen 4 and not noticed the favouritism God shows to Abel. I guess I'm so used to pedalling the story that God loves everyone equally and receives their varied offerings with equal gratitude - something i still believe is true - that this sense of arbitrary favouritism to Abel's offering seems so harsh. Am happy to read this literature as myth - but if it is some kind of theological myth there is theological truth here - but what is that? That God is sovereign? That God does have favourites? Perhaps the point is more about how trivial an issue can spark rage and revenge leading to murder in humanity and how frail our moral sense/passion can be?
Then into Chapter 5 with its lilting poetic liturgy of the generations - telling in a couple of phrases the story of each generation and in its repetition showing the frailty and temporariness of human lives and existence. But i love how all of a sudden the repetition and rhythm is broken as we come to Enoch. Am aware of how often this happens in Scripture that a pattern is broken to say a little extra about one person or situation. Jabez i guess is the 'famous' example. But here, in just a few words, it is said of Enoch, what so many followers of Jesus would love to have on their gravestone. 'Enoch walked faithfully with God...' What a great epitaph that would be. There is no mention of the exploits of Enoch, of his ministry successes or how influential he was on the world around him, just that he 'walked faithfully with God...'.
Am challenged by that wonderful word this morning. How much could that be said of me? How much to i place ministry 'success' above and beyond simply walking closely with God? How will today be different because i am keen to be an Enoch?
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