The Name

Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”  Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.  At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.  Genesis 4:25-26

 

 

Joseph Anthony LaCognata.  That is my full name.  Joseph, after my dad’s dad, and Anthony, after my mom’s dad.  That is an Italian tradition.  We carried this tradition on when naming our first daughter, Alleson Louisa, and our first son, Jonathan Frazier.  Their names were given on purpose.  The names of our other children were also given on purpose: Gabrielle – the angel Gabriel; Christina – Christian; and Sarah – a good Bible name.  But beyond these reasons, these names have no special meaning themselves.

 

However, when we consider names in the Bible, especially the names of God, we find that these names are full of meaning. 

 

Many of the names given to children at birth were descriptive of either the child or the birthing process.  For example, “When the time came for her (Rebekah) to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.  The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau (meaning hairy).  After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob (figuratively, he deceives).”  Genesis 25:24-26

 

Sometimes God was teaching through the naming of children.  For example, “Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter.  Then the LORD said to Hosea, ‘Call her Lo-Ruhamah (not loved), for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them.’”  Hosea 1:6

 

However the word “name” in the Bible, in addition to simply identifying someone, also speaks of their reputation, fame, and glory.  It was this name, The Name, that we read about in Genesis 4:26.

 

The story through Genesis shows us that early in the history of man we find wickedness.  “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?  Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.”  1 John 3:12

 

Yet at the end of Chapter 4, God re-establishes the righteous line of Abel through Seth and Enosh.  It is this group that begins to call on the name of the Lord.  And as His Name was called upon, this godly family line would be impacted by the very nature of the One to Whom they called.  In fact, it would be this family line that God would use to preserve humanity during the Flood.  From Adam to Seth to Enosh we trace this family all the way to Noah.

 

“This is the account of Noah.  Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.”  Genesis 6:9

 

Calling on the name of the LORD made a difference in the lives of this family.  God’s Name, His reputation, fame, and glory, still makes a difference in the lives of those willing to call on The Name.