Daily Devotional

“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints’ ” (Jude 1:14). was the third son of Adam and Eve, and in Hebrew his name can mean “appointed” or

Whistle-blowers are those who expose activity that is illegal or dishonest. It might be over a violation of company policy or the law and could include anything from fraud and corruption to threats to the public. Often, they face strong retaliation for “telling” on the organization. Even though laws exist in many countries to protect whistle- blowers, they are often attacked by the group they have accused.

Enoch was a whistle-blower. The book of Jude indicates that he prophesied about the coming judgment “to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 1:15).

Four times in one verse the writer uses the word “ungodly” to describe those who will face the judgment. We sometimes picture Enoch, who walked with God, as a hermit who lived mostly in isolation. But this fearless Bible character was a preacher of righteousness like Noah. He boldly brought attention to abuses by the wicked against God and fellow human beings.

Enoch was not a lowly “snitch.” He didn’t poke at trivial issues or try to garner attention to himself. As any prophet of God, he spoke fearlessly against sin, but he also appealed for his hearers to turn back to the Lord. He bravely swung the sword of truth, which cuts deep to remove sin and thereby save the sinner.

We can be sure, as do all who live godly lives, that Enoch was ridiculed. The evil generation that lived just before the destruction of the world by water turned away from God. It’s the same today. Millions scoff at righteous whistle-blowers, but some will listen.

We need more people like Enoch in our day.

Father in heaven, thank You for the courageous voices that condemn sin but extend a hand of compassion toward sinners.