This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide for Genesis 5 and Moses 6 includes the story of Enoch.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters of scripture.
Moses 6
“We know Enoch as a mighty prophet who established Zion in the midst of great wickedness. But before he was a mighty prophet, Enoch saw himself as ‘but a lad, … slow of speech,’ and hated by all the people (Moses 6:31). Listen to the words the Lord used to encourage Enoch. They are also His words to you who are called to minister to others as a priesthood holder:
“‘And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good. …
“‘Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me’ (Moses 6:32, 34).
“Brethren, our ordination to the priesthood is an invitation from the Lord to walk with Him. And what does it mean to walk with the Lord? It means to do what He does, to serve the way He serves. He sacrificed His own comforts to bless those in need, so that’s what we try to do. He seemed to take particular notice of people who were overlooked and even shunned by society, so we should try to do that too. He testified boldly yet lovingly of the true doctrine He received from His Father, even if it was unpopular, and so must we. He said to all, ‘Come unto me’ (Matthew 11:28), and we say to all, ‘Come unto Him.’ As priesthood holders, we are His representatives. We act not for ourselves but for Him. We speak not our words but His. The people we serve come to know Him better because of our service.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2017 general conference, “Walk With Me”
“The Lord Himself taught Adam and Eve the truths of the plan of salvation. And then He said to them, ‘I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children’ (Moses 6:58).
“What does it mean to teach freely? It is learning the truths of the gospel, having a personal testimony of them, and sharing that knowledge with our children. It is promoting both formal and informal teaching moments. It is living according to that knowledge and testimony. ...
“Parents, in this world where there are many voices and sometimes much darkness, God Himself has commanded us to raise our children in light and truth. He entrusted us with the responsibility to teach our children the saving truths of the gospel. If we fail to do so, the world will not do it.”
— Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, October 2025 general conference, “Prophets of God”
“Everything about the Father’s plan for His beloved children is designed to bring everyone home.
“What do God’s messengers, His prophets, call this plan in Restoration scripture? They call it the plan of redemption, the plan of mercy, the great plan of happiness and the plan of salvation, which is unto all, ‘through the blood of mine Only Begotten’ (Moses 6:62).
“The intent of the Father’s great plan of happiness is your happiness, right here, right now and in the eternities. It is not to prevent your happiness and cause you instead worry and fear.”
— Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2024 general conference, “God’s Intent Is To Bring You Home”
“When the Lord called Enoch to journey through the land and testify of Him, Enoch hesitated. He was just a lad, slow of speech. How could he walk that path in his condition? He was blinded by what was broken in him. The Lord’s answer to what hindered him was simple and immediate: ‘Walk with me’ (Moses 6:34). Like Enoch, we must remember that the One who was bruised and broken for us will allow mortality to do its work in us, but He doesn’t ask us to face those challenges alone. No matter the heaviness of our story or the current course of our path, He will invite us to walk with Him.”
— Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, October 2023 general conference, “Walking in Covenant Relationship With Christ”
“The ancient prophet Enoch, described in the Old Testament, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, was instrumental in establishing the city of Zion.
“The scriptural account of Enoch’s call to serve indicates that ‘he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them — Repent, … for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off’ (Moses 6:27).
“‘And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth … and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?’ (Moses 6:31)
“Please notice that at the time of Enoch’s call to serve, he became acutely aware of his personal inadequacies and limitations. And I suspect all of us at one time or another in our Church service have felt much like Enoch. But I believe the Lord’s response to Enoch’s pleading question is instructive and applies to each of us today.
“‘And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance. …
“‘Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me’ (Moses 6:32, 34).
“Enoch ultimately became a mighty prophet and a tool in God’s hands to accomplish a great work, but he did not start his ministry that way. Rather, his capacity over time was magnified as he learned to abide in and walk with the Son of God.”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2023 general conference, “Abide in Me, and I in You; Therefore Walk With Me”
“Enoch counseled us, ‘Teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ’ (Moses 6:57). As a boy, I wondered why in the New Testament Jesus is often referred to (and even refers to Himself) as the Son of Man when He is really the Son of God, but Enoch’s statement makes it clear that these references are actually a recognition of His divinity and holiness — He is the Son of Man of Holiness, God the Father."
— President D. Todd Christofferson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2017 general conference, “The Living Bread Which Came Down From Heaven”
“Because our Heavenly Father wants us to know Him and to feel His love, He planned a world filled with magnificent creations that bear record of Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. Have you ever counted all the things that bear record of the Savior? There are sunsets and seashells, lilacs and lakes, insects and animals, miraculous mornings and star-strewn skies.
“The Lord Himself told Adam, ‘All things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me’ (Moses 6:63).
“Wherever we live in this world, we see the glorious rising sun, which bears record of the Light of Christ that fills our hearts and enlightens our minds. The mighty rivers and the meandering streams bear record that the Savior is the source of the living water that can quench our thirst for spiritual things. The lilies of the field and even the smallest sparrow bear record of His generous and personal care.”
— Sister Susan L. Warner, then the second counselor in the Primary general presidency, October 1998 general conference, “Bear Record of Him”
“How do we press forward on the straight and narrow way? How do we focus on our eternal progression when we live in a world that demands such attention to daily tasks? How do we remain steadfast when so much around us is laden with sin? The people in Enoch’s day faced these same challenges. Enoch began his ministry preaching to an unrighteous audience, but the people softened their hearts and heeded the words of the Lord to ‘walk with me’ (Moses 6:34). So can we. ...
“This is a journey made up of many steps. Our progress on this journey is determined by recognizing the straight and narrow path, having an eternal perspective and acting accordingly.
Remember, our eternal progression is the very essence of our earthly existence. It is the Lord’s plan to get us all the way home to our Father in Heaven. This I know: Each of us can get there from here.”
— The late Sister Elaine L. Jack, then the Relief Society general president, April 1994 general conference, “Walk With Me”
Genesis 5
“In the first dispensation, the Lord created Adam and Eve, placed them on earth and gave them opportunities to choose. ...
“The second dispensation is known as that of Enoch, who ‘walked with God’ (Genesis 5:24). He established the city of Zion, which became a powerful symbol of the righteousness that can be obtained on earth as well as in heaven.
“Next in line is the dispensation of Noah. Noah lived in times of great wickedness, and although he cried to the people to repent, they did not heed his words. When the flood came, only Noah and his family were saved (see Genesis 7:23).
“The second and third dispensations teach us great lessons about what comes from choosing good over evil. Enoch and all who were with him were blessed mightily as a result of their righteousness. The people who would not follow Noah found that destruction follows the sinner.
“These two dispensations teach us to seek after that which is good and wholesome. In our plan for life, certainly our objective will be to absorb as much of the good as we can find on this earth. We can find much of this good by searching the scriptures daily. They will lead us to life eternal.”
— The late Elder L. Tom Perry, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in the February 2009 Liahona article “The Great Plan of Our God”
“Eternal marriage is a principle which was established before the foundation of the world and was instituted on this earth before death came into it. Adam and Eve were given to each other by God in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. The scripture says, ‘In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them’ (Genesis 5:1-2). The prophets have uniformly taught that the consummate and culminating element of God’s great plan for the blessing of His children is eternal marriage.”
— Elder F. Burton Howard, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2003 general conference, “Eternal Marriage”
“There was no question about God in Old Testament times. He walked and talked with Adam and Eve, and even after their transgression they continued to call upon Him and to sacrifice to Him. He gave them commandments which they obeyed.
“Cain and Abel learned of God from the teachings of their parents, as well as from personal revelations. After the acceptance of Abel’s offering and the rejection of that of Cain, followed by Cain’s crime of fratricide, God talked with Cain and Cain answered.
“Adam lived for 930 years, during which time he could give personal testimony to eight generations of his descendants, down to Lamech, the father of Noah (see Genesis 5:5-31). Through Noah and his family, a knowledge of God by direct tradition was carried beyond the flood.”
— The late President N. Eldon Tanner, then the first counselor in the First Presidency, October 1978 general conference, “A Basis for Faith in the Living God”
