pleasing God

Hebrews 11:5-6

The author is continuing the list of those people in Israel's history who lived by faith. The key words in this section are taken, please God, faith. The author focuses on Enoch in this section. Enoch doesn't get much press in the Bible but the press he does get is very significant. He is barely mentioned in Genesis, standing out only because he walked with God and was no more because God took him (Genesis 5:22&24). The author picks up on that theme here in this section recognizing that it was Enoch's faith that made it possible for him to please God.
The author's argument is that Enoch pleased God because he had faith in God. The author argues that it is impossible to please God without faith in him because in order to please God, one must come to God and in order to come to God one must have faith that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
The emphasis that God places on faith continues to astound me. Here I am reminded that Enoch was commended because of his faith. God was pleased with his faith. In the parable of the talents, it is the servants' faithfulness that is commended. The master is pleased with their faithfulness. I tend to complicate things beyond where they need to be complicated. I make all kinds of effort to please God. The reality is that God is pleased by my faith.