What’s In A Name?

My bride and I spent a career learning what it was like to jump off cliffs and rely solely on God to provide the parachute we would need to land safely – sometimes with only minor injuries. We learned over thirty years together that leaping in faith would be our norm, and all we needed to do was wait and see how God’s parachute worked each time. This was not a test we prayed for, but it was our reality regardless.

God has a way of managing our landings and fulfilling His promises to us as Christians.

I would like to show you one of the most amazing promises of God, written in Genesis Chapter 5. When reading this chapter, it is easy to think of this as “flyover scripture country” since all it does is list the descendants of Adam up to the time of Noah. It is, instead, a glimpse of the future, pointing to the greatest event in human history – the birth, life, death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us start by listing the names and then the translations of those names.

Adam                    =             Man

Seth                       =             Appointed

Enosh                    =             Mortal

Kenan                   =             Sorrow

Mahalel                =             Blessed

Jared                     =             Shall Come Down

Enoch                    =             Teaching

Methuselah       =             His Death Shall Bring

Lamech =             Despairing

Noah                     =             Comfort or Rest

By putting the translated names in sequence, we can see the promise:

This is the kind of miracle only God can perform. Who among us would be able to cover vast periods of time and create this message using people’s names?

God sent his Son Jesus Christ, who is God in human form, to pay the price for our sins and restore our relationship with Him. The plan for redemption through Jesus Christ is seeded throughout the Holy Bible, but Genesis 5 shows clearly that God knows our greatest need and always has.

Today’s world is filled with examples of evil, the same evil that has plagued mankind since our creation, while inventions like television, radio, and the internet often serve to pipe those evils directly into our homes and lives. The ultimate solution to that evil is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

No matter what you see happening in the world today, it is no surprise to God. Do not fear or be anxious.

Instead, trust in the promises of God while sharing the good news with all.

For those who do not yet know Christ, I implore you to walk the path of knowledge that leads to Him. That path is laid out HERE. Other articles that you might enjoy are HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.