Sparkling water refreshes their spirits as it cleanses the flesh. Waterfowl with iridescent green and blue bodies paddle near the edges of the mighty Euphrates River.
It runs slow. Walleye break the surface stirring eddies of ripples which eventually join the steady flow toward their home downstream.
Enoch and Orna walk upstream. Fish swish brightly colored tails near the bank. They eat, rest, and relish quiet moments away from the grasping greediness of the marketplace where violence increases at a frightening pace.
They are leaving new fears behind and feel as if this journey might take them to the source of life. There is something about the water—its clarity, even its taste. The few who still sacrifice at the altars as God had instructed really believe it has a value for health and peace. They say,
“That is why our old ones live well over eight hundred years on earth.”
“Nokh, could we build an altar and give one of the best calves to the Lord when we return home?”
Enoch’s wife started calling him Nokh some time ago. It is a term of endearment for her. He likes it.
Her desire to look into the old ways is a great blessing. At times in the past, he thought she doubted because it caused much unrest and dissension in the community; and even their own families who were divided over the issue. Lack of unity makes her sad.
The questions she has about bringing babies into this wildly wicked world still trouble her but now for the first time, Orna knows she is with child. The effort of walking on the long journey wearies her. She thinks it is just an upset stomach; they had eaten fresh greens with oil, salt and cured olives the night before.
This is different. Growing excitement of possibilities and realization cause her heart to leap; this with added light-headedness and troublesome nausea experienced each morning convinces her.
Orna also experiences a growing and hope-filled longing for God. Joining the few who share the old stories causes her renewed interest in the altar as the way to have fellowship with their creator God.
She asks,
“Do you think we are coming closer to God?”
Enoch agrees. They see an intensity of light; white light filters through the atmosphere with hues of brilliant color; even the air they breathe invigorates. Trees stand as sentinels directing their steps toward mysterious beings.
As they contact some of their upriver relatives a heightened sense of loving apartness fills each of their hearts. Simple living speaks peace to the weary couple.
The uncluttered lives of working the ground, herding sheep, birthing babies, sacrificing lambs, feasting as peaceful families gives them goodness and joy.
One evening as Nokh and Orna floated together in the privacy of a crystal pool, he asks,
“What did the older mother among our new friends mean last night when she spoke to you. I heard her say,” ‘Are you ready to give birth to the one whose coming announces judgment?’
“I wanted to tell you first; I am with child.”
Orna’s voice breaks as she adds, “Is it possible the older woman has received a word from God?”
Life would never be the same for Enoch. Joy envelopes every endeavor—meals, work, relationships, sleep, distant relatives, even the sacrifice takes on new meaning. He realizes that everyday routines of life impact worship.
So many years ago God had taught Adam to walk and talk with him in the cool of the day. A few of his descendants still practice the old ways even though they would not see God face to face as Adam did.
Enoch likes it. Mosquitoes still swarm. Children cry. Animals prowl and roar in the night. Man kills man. Neighbors argue.
Enoch’s old and esteemed family demonstrates there is a way to overcome sin’s curse by walking with God in this evil world.
Hope stirs in Orna’s womb as Nokh ponders the power of truth.