Walking - more references in Genesis

This time we will look at the remaining references to walking in the book of Genesis.  First simply to note that, following Enoch, Noah is one of the few characters in the Bible who are said to have walked with God during their lives.  Not taking the rest in the order they appear, one key verse is where the Lord speaks to Abram (Gen 17:1) saying "I [am] Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless".  This reminds us that all our lives are lived out in the full sight of a holy God.  He takes account of the whole manner of life.  Ultimately, there has only ever been one life in this world that has fully met God's standards - the life of His Son, Jesus Christ.  And yet Abraham (as he was later named) is on record as a friend of God.  He failed in various areas, and yet is rightly held up as a father of faith who to a rare extent did walk before God in integrity.

Later, Jacob refers to his fathers (ancestors) Abraham and Isaac when he in turn blessed his son Joseph.  He says that they walked before God, the God who was faithful to him in his own at times wayward journey through life.

In a similar vein, speaking about the overall manner of life, Abraham's servant reports his master's own words as "The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and prosper your way".  This leads us to the final two references which turn aside from this general word for a life of faith and consistency, to two rather interesting and more specific references to walking.

Continuing in Genesis 24 with Abraham's servant's journey in search of a bride for Isaac, right at the end of the story, Rebekah asks "who is this man walking in the field to meet us?"  It was indeed Isaac.  This chapter also includes the second reference in the Bible to love, this time the love between bridegroom and bride.  The whole chapter is a wonderful picture of Christian experience.  The Holy Spirit convicts us and convinces us, finally confronting us with a decision - "will you go with this man" - to trust in one we have never seen. We then travel a journey of faith, with the guidance of the Spirit fully available, through the wilderness of this world before we finally see the One we have trusted when He calls us to Himself either through death or His coming for us.  Isaac was waiting for his bride, he was walking with the purpose of meeting her at the earliest appropriate moment.  It is a wonderful picture of the eagerness of the Lord Jesus to be fully united with His own bride, the myriads who have been redeemed by His precious blood.  Isaac has already been presented as the one who was almost sacrificed at the hand of his father, and is well established as a type of Christ. The Lord Jesus truly entered into death and is the one sacrifice for sin fully acceptable in the sight of God, through which sinners can be saved.

The other verse in Genesis about walking is once again an occasion when God spoke to Abram, back in chapter 13.  Abram had left Ur with his nephew Lot and travelled far before finally being confronted with a vista of the promised land spread out before him.  God says "Arise, walk in the land through its length and width, for I give it to you".  This strikes us by its very physicality and the material nature of the promise.  The Old Testament promises to Israel regarded an actual land, an area of this world.  There are still many promises to be fulfilled concerning this area of the world, in relation to the Jewish people, and to the Lord Jesus Himself.  All God's promises for the material and physical will be literally fulfilled to the letter, and there are many that have clearly never yet been fulfilled in the passage of history.  But it is also interesting to notice how Abram was invited to walk through the land, to explore it, enjoy it, and learn to appreciate it as a land for him and his people given by God.  It was to be their home, even if not for many generations, and even if struggled over in a way which continues to this day.  Surely the time will come when God's earthly people are truly at home in their land in a full and complete relationship with their God and their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is also a lesson for us, as also exemplified by the experiences of Joshua and the people as they entered the land.  For us the lesson is spiritual rather than physical.  Believers are brought into a vast sphere of spiritual blessings, as outlined in Ephesians.  We are to "walk through" this land, explore the scriptures and seek the meaning and extent of the revealed thoughts of God in blessing towards His people, as well as the truths He reveals about His own glory.  It is a "large land" we are encouraged to explore for ourselves rather than only relying on doctrinal formulae and systematic theologies, however good and valid they may be.  I am in no way suggesting we should have our own private interpretations, or that it does not matter how we view scripture - it holds the ultimate truth which is real and complete, yet cannot be contained within any human analysis or framework.

Walking in the Bible - the first mentions

It looks as though walking in the Bible is going to be an even more interesting study than I was anticipating.  I realised it was an important word with both practical and metaphorical senses at the heart of human experience, and of a true relationship with God.  The first mention of a word is often significant in the Bible, a well known example being "love" - Abraham being told to take son "whom you love" and to sacrifice him; one of the most telling Old Testament pictures of what it would mean to God the Father to send His Son to bear our sins.

It struck me that the first mention of walking was also of interest.  Checking out confirmed that indeed the first mention of walking is the account in Genesis 3 where the Lord God was "walking in the garden in the cool of the day" after Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit.  The animal creation comprised "creeping" things.  Walking seems to be regarded as something altogether more elevated.  The fact that walking is first applied to God Himself is important, because it must surely be pointing to something greater than the mere physical activity.  Indeed, people would probably argue about there being any real physical footprints of God left in the garden.  It does record that Adam and Eve heard the sound of Him walking, which certainly gives the sense of a real physical presence. I believe it could be a theophany, one of the pre-incarnation appearances in bodily form of the Son of God.

The other fact is that Adam and Eve were hiding from the presence of the Lord God.  They did not enjoy the privilege of a walk with Him.  There is a certain standard of life that is required to be seen to be fit to be regarded as walking with God and having a relationship with Him.  Almost at the start, Adam and Eve lost this closeness and were instead trying to hide themselves away and at the same time trying to cover their shame.  The Lord God is never spoken of as walking with Adam and Eve, or they with Him.

The next references to walking are also very significant.  Twice in the remarkably brief account of the life of Enoch, he is referred to as walking with God.  He seemed to have enjoyed a unique experience of a relationship with God, so much so that he was taken to heaven before the judgement of the flood - surely a clear picture of the New Testament teaching of the rapture of the church before the tribulation judgements to come.  The quality and reality of this link with God is simply summed up in the term "walked with God".

This link is what God sought when He walked in the garden, but sin had brought about separation, and the fellowship was no longer possible.  Even mature Christians will confess that their walk with God is often inconsistent and full of falterings and failures, but all will also testify to the faithfulness of their Saviour, the Lord Jesus, who never leaves or forsakes, and is an ever consistent guide and friend on life's journey.  The fact that He walks with us far outshines the marvel that He brings us to a position where we are said to walk with Him.