BETWEEN THE LINES
A TIME TO CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD
Exclusive: Joseph Farah spotlights key examples in Hebrew, Greek scriptures
“And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” – Genesis 4:26
Seth is certainly an interesting Bible character.
His name is mentioned only eight times – seven in the Hebrew Scriptures and once in the Greek.
But I suspect it is very significant that he is the one first associated with a time at which “men began to call upon the Lord.” Seth was special as the son who was born to Adam and Eve after Cain killed Abel. It was through Seth’s genealogy that the promised Redeemer would save the world.
Since it is a good thing that God wants us to call upon His name, it probably means we should do it. It probably means we need to do it.
Let me give you some other similar hints we see in Scripture:
- Genesis 12:8: After being called out of his own pagan country, Abraham built an altar and “called upon the name of the Lord.”
- Genesis 26:24-25: Isaac did something similar after He was comforted by God by being told “fear not for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.” So, Isaac built an altar and “called upon the name of the Lord.” (More on this one later)
- Psalm 116:4: David said, “called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.” In fact, he did it three times in that one psalm – one of the reasons David is, no doubt, a man after God’s own heart.
- Isaiah 48:1: This verse is a little different in that swearing the name of the Lord, or making mention of it “but not in truth, nor in righteousness,” might not be the best idea.
- Zephaniah 3:9: We hear through the prophet from God that He will one day provide “the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.” What do you suspect than language might be? Interesting topic.
There are two very powerful and hopeful admonitions in the New Testament:
- Romans 10:12-13: “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:2: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s:”
It would seem calling upon the name of the Lord is a good thing to do – so long as it is in truth and righteousness.
Remember, when we do this, we’re calling on the Creator of the universe. It’s not something that should be taken lightly. It’s not something profane, or common. Notice that both Abraham and Isaac built altars before setting about calling on the Lord.
I strongly suspect this form of calling is something more than an inaudible prayer. The Hebrew word, qara, behind these calls means “to call or cry out.” Similarly, the Greek word, epikaloumai, means to call a person by name. By calling out to the Lord we are telling Him we need Him, we are surrendering to Him, we can’t make it without Him. And that is true. We can’t.
Let’s return to Abraham and Isaac again. I think there’s some very significant information provided here that explains both why Isaac was not fearful about his father’s obedient willingness to sacrifice him, and why Abraham himself was willingly obedient to do so.
Recall what God told Isaac in Genesis 26:24-25: “Fear not for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.”
This was a promise to Isaac that he would either not die before having children or that he would, alternatively, be resurrected to life. Meanwhile, Abraham’s faith was so strong, he also likely understood that nothing was beyond an omnipotent, supernatural God who knew what He was doing.
For that reason, James 2:21-24 says: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”
In conclusion, let’s return to where we began – with Seth.
After Seth fathered a child, the boy was named Enos. There’s a clue.
The Hebrew name Enos means “frail, mortal man.” Seth was showing recognition of the fall of mankind – his parents and their descendants. I suspect it was a reminder of the state of mankind – and its need to “call out to the Lord.”
By the way, Seth and Enos are not just any father and son duo. After all, we are reminded in the genealogy provided in Luke 3:38: “Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”
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Read more at https://www.wnd.com/2018/10/a-time-to-call-upon-the-name-of-the-lord/#K3QU7a5Lr1VQwq5M.99
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