Bible Characters – Part 1

Series – March 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Bible Characters
Gleanings From The Old Testament,Part 1

“Please let me glean and gather after the reapers.” —Ruth 2:7 NKJV

The theme of this Series is derived from the book of Ruth. After Naomi returned from Moab to Bethlehem, a name meaning “the house of bread,” her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, went to glean ears of grain among the sheaves in the field of Boaz. These sheaves can be seen as a picture of the abundant spiritual food which Christ, the true Boaz who has power to redeem, has available for us in His Word. In the harvest field of our Lord, His inspired servants – His apostles and prophets – have reaped and orderly tied the harvest together into sheaves: constructions with their individual structures, namely the separate Bible books. We also see in Scripture those who would give explanations of them (consider Neh. 8:1-12; 2 Tim. 2:2).

The meditations to follow that are gleaned from various places in the Word of God can be valuable for any hungry reader, for all these Bible characters are important examples for our Christian life. I trust the “Lord of the harvest” (Mt. 9:38) will use these short Bible studies to bless the reader.

Enosh, The Son Of Seth, And His Worship
Then men began to call on the name of the Lord. —Genesis 4:26

Praising With Christ
It is always very helpful to see when and in what context a certain saying is first mentioned in Scripture, particularly in Genesis, which is the book of beginnings. The expression, “to call on the name of the LORD” first occurs at the close of Genesis 4, after the birth of Enosh, the son of Seth.

In contrast with the offspring of Cain, mentioned earlier in Genesis 4, who had gone out from the presence of the LORD, we find the family of Seth and perhaps other descendants of Adam and Eve who desired to seek God’s presence. Therefore we have here the children of God distinguished from the children of this world, who tried to manage without God. Cain was the first builder of a city, and his descendants were the founders of the first human civilization. However, they had no relationship with God, which was the special feature that marked the offspring of Seth. In the midst of a world without God the children of Seth called on the name of the LORD and honored Him, knowing they could not live without Him. They realized they needed His help from day to day. God noticed this and had it written down.

Here we have the beginning of regular worship. They started to serve the LORD and to call on His name. This was not an individual matter; it was collective – people together. Abel was the first man to bring an offering that was pleasing in God’s eyes. He did so alone, as far as we can gather from the beginning of Genesis 4. Seth, the one who had come in the place of the deceased Abel, and his offspring did it collectively. In Seth we see a picture of the risen Lord praising the Father together with His own and singing God’s praises in the midst of the Church (consider Gen. 4:25; Ps. 22:22; Jn. 20:17-20; Heb. 2:10-13, 12:24).

The Beginning Of True Worship
When did Seth and his children start doing this? It was after the birth of Enosh, whose name speaks of man’s weakness and mortality (see Job 7:16; Ps. 8:4, 90:3). They began to call on the name of the LORD in the awareness of their own weakness and helplessness. There was a realization that in themselves they were no more than a breath, so they called upon Him who lives forever, the LORD, the eternal I AM. They acknowledged Him as both the Source and the Sustainer of life. While Cain’s offspring were characterized by pride and self-glorification (see Gen. 4:23-24), the descendants of Seth were marked by humility and self-abasement.

They called on the name of the LORD. God’s name indicates who He is and what we can know about Him. It reveals His relationship with men:

1. The patriarchs knew Him especially as the Almighty.
2. Israel knew Him as Yahweh – the great I AM.
3. Believers in the church period, the dispensation of God’s grace today, know Him as their Father in Christ.
4. In the future dispensation of the kingdom of peace He will be known and honored especially as the Most High who possesses heaven and earth.

God is “the God of Shem” (9:26). “Shem” means “name.” God is the God of those who know His name and who have a relationship with Him. Thus, later in the history of Israel we find the Angel, in whom the name of the LORD was, going with God’s people (Ex. 23:20-21). We also read that God’s name was put on the children of Israel in order to bless them (Num. 6:27).

That name was their refuge: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Prov. 18:10). This indicates how strong the ties are between God and the people who are called after His name, including us who now call on God as our Father (Jn. 4:23; Rom. 8:15; 1 Pet. 1:17). The Son has declared the Father, and the Spirit leads us to worship the Father (Gal. 4:6).

The Simplicity Of True Worship
We do not know exactly how the family of Seth arranged their worship and called on the name of the LORD. Genesis 4 does not give any details. This indicates that it was done in all simplicity. In the words of our Lord, when He spoke with the Samaritan woman, their worship was in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24). They worshiped with sincere hearts, fully aware of their smallness and of God’s mercy and truth. It was in the power of the Spirit of God, without impressive liturgies.

This is how we as Christians ought to call on the name of the Lord. “Calling on” Him means looking away from ourselves and our weakness, and expressing what we have found in Him. It means worshiping Him for all that He has done and for what He is. It implies that we realize His greatness and bow down before Him in adoration.

Perhaps the only thing the family of Seth had was an altar. Abraham and Isaac called on the name of the LORD at their altars (Gen. 12:8, 13:4, 26:25), and we believe Seth did the same. With their sacrifices they drew near to God and offered them on the altar, following the example of Abel, whose offering was pleasing to Him.

The altar was the center of worship, the place where man met God in order to worship Him. This is confirmed by the history of Israel. The altar of burnt offering near to God’s sanctuary was the most appropriate place to call on the name of the Lord, for there He chose to make His name abide in the midst of His people (Dt. 12:26-28).

True Christian Worship
In the New Testament, calling on the name of the Lord is not restricted to a certain geographical place. Actually, it is quite remarkable that even in Genesis 4 no such place is mentioned! Yet we do have an altar in our midst, in the spiritual sense. Our altar is Christ Himself, in whose name we gather and through whom we offer the sacrifice of praise to God (Mt. 18:20; Heb. 13:10,15). Christ is the center and the basis of our worship. If we have anything to offer up to God – voluntary offerings, sacrifices of thanksgiving – it can only be acceptable to God through Him.

When we as Christians call on the name of the Lord, it should be in agreement with God’s full revelation in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not call upon God as Yahweh, the eternal I AM, as the children of Israel did. We worship Him as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the Father is seeking such who worship Him (Jn. 4:23). This is true Christian worship.

We also call on Christ as our Lord, as we find in 1 Corinthians: “… with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1:2). Calling on Him as “Lord” means that we recognize His authority as our Head and are guided by His Spirit, rather than by rules and commandments of men. In times of decline and decay, this also implies that “everyone who names the name of Christ” departs from iniquity (2 Tim. 2:19). We must reject all practices that contradict with the rights of the Lord. If we want to be vessels for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, both outward and inward separation from evil is necessary. We should pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace together with those who “call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (v.22).

May these few, yet significant, words at the end of Genesis 4 encourage us to call on the name of the Lord in all simplicity and in spirit and truth. Let this be our testimony in a world that does not know God and has turned its back on Him. Let us honor and glorify Him, both personally and collectively, “in the presence of all His people” (Ps. 116:14,18). Let us do so because of all the benefits He has bestowed on us, but most of all because of all the excellencies of His name!

By Hugo Bouter (adapted)

Look for Part 2 of this Series next month.