The third in a three-part series on why God is interested in people’s names.*
God knows us by name. That’s why we find so many people mentioned in the Bible. He works through people, relates to people, and his primary concern is for people. God is relational.
The genealogy of Genesis chapter five is more than a family tree. It has a redemptive purpose. The names in this genealogy give an account of those in the line of Seth who trusted in the Lord. Moses used it as a literary tool to describe God’s actions within history.
Genealogies Include a Gospel Message
Within these names, a gospel message appears on three levels. The first is that those who trust in God experience abundant life. Highlighting this is the symbolic meaning of the ages of Enoch and Lamech. Second, if the meanings of the father’s names are joined into a brief paragraph, what appears is a description of Jesus as the promised deliverer. (Read the two previous articles on What’s In a Name.)
Yet, there remains a third aspect of this genealogy even more important than godly men living fulfilling lives, or that the accumulated meaning of their names illustrates redemption. We need to ask the questions, “Why does God so often take the time and space to record people’s names?” The answer to this question reaches the heart of the text. The Bible often lists the names of families because God is personal. Names are important to him. He knows people by their names.
Names Are Important to God
When God created Adam, he named him (Gen 5:2). Adam repeats this divine activity and names Eve and his sons. This pattern continued throughout the genealogy; the fathers name their sons. So, these names reveal a transfer of faith from one generation to another.
One striking literary feature repeated eight times is the phrase “and then he died” (vss 5,8,9,14,17,20,27,31). As God warned Adam, the consequence of sin would bring death. This disastrous effect even reached those who trusted God. Yet, in judgment, God is merciful and he gave them long lives. Adam lived to see, in his seventh generation with righteous Enoch, the reverse of death’s curse. Additionally, all the patriarchs were alive (except Adam) to witness Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived.
Walking With God
Adam lived long enough to hear Enoch preach. Enoch walked with God and denounced ungodliness to a wicked and rebellious generation. The phrase “walk with God” refers to Enoch’s intimate faith and relationship with God. The Hebrew word “Halak” refers to two people walking beside each other while in conversation. God walked with Adam in the Garden (Gen 3:8). And by faith, Enoch walked with God (Heb 11:5-6). He walked in holiness (1 Jn 1:5-7), and in humble submission to God’s will (Amos 3:3). He preached righteousness while walking in holiness in the midst of the most pagan society in history. And did this for over 300 years.
After Enoch fathered Methuselah, he began his walk with God. And he received a vision of the end of the world. His son’s name reflects this. It means “when he dies, it will come.” Methuselah was 869 years old when his grandson Noah began building the ark. God prophesied that in the year Methuselah died judgment would befall the world for its intense wickedness. God’s mercy held back the flood for 100 years giving Noah time to preach repentance. God offered salvation beyond the time anyone expected. It’s no coincidence Methuselah outlived everyone else to the ripe age of 969. The year Methuselah died God shut the door of the ark.
God is Relational
Biblical genealogies exist because God is relational. He knows us by name. “And the LORD said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name” (Ex 33:17-18 ESV). Isaiah wrote, “I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name” (Isa 45:3 ESV).
In God’s mind people are not things or property; abstractions or imaginations. We are not an animal species. Humans are not a glob of cells in the uterus. From the moment of conception to the day we die, God knows us by name. God notes every birth and remembers every name. And God calls people to salvation personally—by name. Redemption is personal too. He delivers each person by calling them by name.
God Catelogues Every Person’s Name
God writes in a book of remembrance the names of everyone he creates (Rev 20:11-15 ESV).
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”.
God is interested in us. So much so that he writes our names in the book of life. Because of Jesus’ interest in us, all our actions are recorded in a book of remembrance. From Adam to Noah to you and I, God remembers people. God is personal.
God is Deeply Personal
The most personal act of God was in sending his son Jesus to earth. Jesus came for a specific purpose. His name describes why he came. The name Jesus means God saves (Mt 1:21). Jesus’ title is Emanuel (Mt 1:23). This title describes how Jesus will save. He will do it by being with us. That is, experience what we experience in order to save us from our sins.
God’s son’s name contains the final description of redemption. In the person of Jesus, God would complete the salvation of all who call on his name (Rom 10:13). And he redeems us personally (one person at a time). Jesus pronounces judgment against our sins, advocates his death as payment for our sins, and then prepares a place for us in heaven.
Jesus bought us access to God. He completed everything necessary for our redemption. And while he hung on the cross, he remembered those for whom he died. Each of our names passed by his consciousness before he died. He died for specific people, whom he loved. His death was for particular people. It’s as though he whispered our names while suffering on the cross.
It’s Time to Respond
Jesus’ death was personal because everything God does and allows is personal to him. He personally died for you and me. That’s why Jesus expects us to respond to his offer of salvation in a personal manner. God knows us by name. And now he wants us to name him as Lord of our lives and our Creator God (Jn 20:28).
Now that you understand how personal God is, isn’t today the right time to place your faith in him (Ps 95:6-8)?
*The cover slide is a picture of the Voice of Martyrs’ Memorial Wall. It’s a sobering reminder of the battle between faith in God and rejection of Jesus’ rightful place as Lord.
Photo attributions: Martyrs memorial wall at Voice of the Martyrs, Name tab by Rya McGuire @ Pixabay.com, graveyard by Pexels.com, Footprints by superintelligencek@Pexabay.com, broken chain by Thomas B @ Pexabay.com, hand by Gerd Altmann @ Pixabay.com,
