Lately I have been thinking about walking, actually longing for warmer weather and the snow to be gone so I can go and walk freely in the woods. Given my limited walking over the winter with my second knee replacement three months ago this longing seems deeper than usual. Part of this desire is that when I walk in the woods and mountains my heart is drawn to prayer and worship.
With my desire for walking in mind I heard something that led me to reflecting on the first mention of anyone walking in scripture. We find it in Genesis 3.
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8 (NKJV)
Our next example of walking is in Genesis 5.
24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Genesis 5:24 (NKJV)
Not surprisingly the Hebrew word for walk means, you guessed it, walk or walking.
I have heard people suggest that the language of Yahweh walking is an accommodation to our understanding as God is spirit and doesn’t have a body. I respectfully disagree. The consistent testimony of scripture refutes that view. For example, in Genesis 18 three men visit Abraham. We later discover that two are angels and one speaking to Abraham is Yahweh. In Isaiah 6 Isaiah sees Yahweh on His throne. He has a bodily appearance. The same is true for Ezekiel’s encounters. There are other Old Testament examples as well should you choose to search them out.
My point in raising this is that I believe Yahweh was in the habit of coming to Adam and Eve in the evening in bodily form and walking with them. Something was passed down to Enoch that stirred him to seek out Yahweh and walk with Him. In the walking their relationship became so close that Enoch was taken from earth to heaven.
My experience is that there is something significant about walking with another. Decades ago, working on an adolescent psychiatric unit I found walking and talking with the patients more productive than sitting and talking with them in an office. A friend from church recently shared that in a supervisory role he was in there was an identified problem with an employee, he went to see him and said, “Let’s go for a walk.” After 20 minutes of walking the source of the problem was revealed. I have another friend who regularly gets away to the mountains to ‘walk with Yahweh’ and the fruit is evident in His life. Walking is an openness and intimacy opportunity and we see the pattern of walking with Yahweh further reflected in Genesis.
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. Genesis 17:1 (NKJV)
40 But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house. Genesis 24:40 (NKJV)
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, Genesis 48:15 (NKJV)
Walking with Yahweh was important both from the perspective of Yahweh and the patriarchs.
Now, I don’t want to stretch a metaphor beyond its usefulness but I believe there is spiritual truth and opportunity in the idea of walking with Yahweh, in particular outdoors. Research demonstrates that people working on difficult tasks do better when exposed to nature. It makes sense given our original habitation was a massive garden.
There is an expression, ‘Not all who wander are lost.’ It reflects being more than doing. I know that when I sense His drawing to walk and be with Him I become more conscious of His presence with me throughout the day. So, is He asking you to walk with Him? Is that something you will do?
Bing Videos Kim Walker-Smith Walk with Me
