Worshiping the Lord by NameSample

Context

In Genesis 4:26 we encounter a peculiar and often overlooked verse - how it was not until the days of Enos that people began "worshiping the Lord by name"; some translations render it "called upon the Name of the Lord."

For the reader, this raises some very interesting questions:

• Did Adam and Eve not worship the Lord by name?
• Did Abel, their slain son, not offer worthy sacrifices to Him?
• Were human beings unaware or had they already forgotten about the Almighty?

The answer to all these is, of course, no. But it does beg the question, what does Genesis 4:26 actually suggest?

Following Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the death of their son Abel at the hands of his brother Cain, and the subsequent birth of their third son Seth, human society continued to grow and advance. Those descending from the line of Cain followed a humanist path of development - one inherently antagonistic to the will of God. Those descending from the line of Seth meanwhile - particularly at the time of his son Enos - emerged as a people of faith, openly professing their worship of the One True God and seeking the path He had laid out for them. (It is from the line of Seth and Enos that Noah later enters the genealogy.)

Genesis 4:26 speaks not only of those in early human society who made public professions of faith in the Lord, but also those who sought to live their lives in accordance with His moral standards - which is to say, in direct contravention to the prevailing pagan and atheistic cultural norms of their day.

With Genesis 4:26 in mind, this study will highlight three areas in which modern Believers can (and should) call upon the name of the Lord in everyday worship: our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. As in the days of Enos, we, too, can profess and openly live out our faith despite cultural resistance and social expectations to the contrary.

Prayer and Reflection: In which areas of your life - thoughts, words, or deeds - do you find it easiest to call upon the Lord for guidance, strength, etc.? In which of those areas do you find everyday worship most difficult? Why do you think this is?