Gen 4:26, And to Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord. 
Before we leave this chapter, I wanted to spend a little time on this last verse. As I was reading it, I was struck by this statement, Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord. There is something inherent in this phrase that needs to be investigated with regard to our relationship with God. To this point in history, He was apparently not revered and reverenced as the Lord God Almighty. In this chapter, we find Eve referring to the Lord when she gives birth. We also are privy to the conversations that God had with Cain. However, the rest of the people referenced do not seem to have any direct dealings recorded with God, until the birth of Enosh. 
It is at this point that the Word describes that men began to call upon the name of the Lord. This is an interesting proclamation because it is the revelation that mankind began to consider God in a different manner altogether. There developed a sense that man needed to deem God with a special view and to honor and reverence Him. Many authorities believe that this is the point at which God began to receive worship from humanity. It marks the change of attitude toward God in which He became seen as the wondrous and supreme God. 
There are some telling signs of what was in the heart of mankind as we consider the various translations of the name of the Lord as recorded in this passage. We have Lord, as in our reading. We also find the use of Adonai or Lord, Yahweh the ‎self-Existent or Eternal One, and Jehovah. As The Biblical Illustrator declares, quote, As a proper name, Jehovah is the fit and customary word to enter into a solemn invocation. It is… highly significant. It speaks of the Self-existent, the Author of all existing things, and in particular of man; the Self-manifest, who has shown Himself merciful and gracious to the returning penitent, and with him keeps promise and covenant. Hence it is the custom itself of calling on the name of Jehovah, of addressing God by His proper name, which is here said to have been commenced. Growing man now comprehends all that is implied in the proper name of God, Jehovah, the Author of being, of promise, and of performance. End quote. (from The Biblical Illustrator Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 Ages Software, Inc. and Biblesoft, Inc.). 
As well, this could be the point at which there was a separation within humanity as to those who would seek after God and those who would seek after the things of this world. It has been argued that Cain and his descendents set up a city and strove after the wealth of the world, with all its cares and false promises and separation from any interest in God. Seth, on the other hand, became the lineage of those who would seek after God and choose to worship Him as Lord.
As Keil and Delitzsch state, quote, We have here an account of the commencement of that worship of God which consists in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, or in the acknowledgment and celebration of the mercy and help of Jehovah. While the family of Cainites, by the erection of a city, and the invention and development of worldly arts and business, were laying the foundation for the kingdom of this world; the family of the Sethites began, by united invocation of the name of God of grace, to found and to erect the kingdom of God. End Quote. (from Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)
One aspect in this line of consideration is that scripture then follows the lineage of Adam through Seth. Cain’s line is not recorded, to the best of my knowledge and study, any further. The people of God are linked through Seth and his descendents unto Noah. It is in this vestige of worshippers that God manifests His plan and purpose in the hearts of created men.
With the establishment of that worshipful attitude, men began to think of God in terms of being a Savior. When difficulties arose, men began calling on the name of the Lord for rescue and for help and for guidance and for comfort. There was a realization that God could do far more than man could accomplish. Reliance upon God for survival was established in the hearts of men. There arose the knowledge of man’s need for God. The vital realization developed that it was necessary for God to guide and direct mankind throughout the passage of this life. While this need increased an awe and reverence for God, it also increased a sense of distance from God. The sense of closeness and communion and friendship with Him was lost as men recognized the separation of sin that stood between God and His creation. Man needed to come to God on God’s own terms and be open to what the Lord required of him. 
This study then brings us to the relationship that God created with Abram. God sought out Abram and chose to reveal Himself to Abram in a manner that was not the usual affiliation of those who worshipped God. God’s heart was revealed to Abram in the manner in which the Kingdom of God would be advanced on this earth. It was a relationship of friendship and promise and covenant. Abram received this covenant into his heart and obeyed as the Lord instructed him.
Gen 12:7+8, And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. Abram did what the Lord required of him, uprooting his family and journeying to the place that God instructed. In so doing, he took into his heart the promise of God and called upon His name in worship and adoration. 
Abram built an altar to the Lord and consecrated it and himself to the Lord in that place, even returning to it as we read in Gen 13:3+4, And he went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar, which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. 
	When God ratified His promise to Abram, He also changed his name to Abraham. This signifies God’s complete establishment of Abraham’s lineage as God’s own covenant people. He will be the father of many nations. However, the fulfillment of the very heart of God’s eternal plan and purpose will come through the line of Isaac, the child of promise whom God provided to Abraham and Sarah when there was no hope of that possibility. It is also an example of the closeness of the relationship that Abraham and God shared with each other. Abraham called on the name of God because he loved God and trusted God and counted on God. 
It was evident in Abraham’s life as witnessed in the manner in which Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, regarded Abraham. Gen 21:22, Now it came about at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do… Even those who did not call upon the name of God recognized that here was a man whom God regarded with love and with power and with honor and with protection. God heard the prayers of Abraham and honored those prayers with His very own presence.
This was carried forward by God with Isaac, the son of the promise made to Abraham. Isaac, also, called upon the name of the Lord and worshipped Him in the presence of his servants. He opened his heart unto the Lord in prayer and supplication as God revealed Himself to Isaac. Gen 26:24+25, And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham." So he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well. 
This promise was carried forward to the entire people of God, the Children of Israel. Moses continually called upon the name of the Lord in the manner in which God chose to lead them through the wilderness. The people grumbled and complained and turned away from the Lord God, their Deliverer, Jehovah Jireh, their Provider. Even through the absolute faithlessness of His people, God remained faithful and true and there were those among the people who did continually call upon His name. 
As the second generation prepared to enter into the Promised Land, Moses instructed them in the way that they should go. He taught them of the need to constantly call upon the Name of the Lord in their every endeavor. It is a lesson that we each need to have established in our relationship with the Lord God Almighty on a moment-by-moment basis. Deut 26:16-19, "This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice. And the Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He shall set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken." 
	When we call out to Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we are calling on the name of God. We are taking this covenant relationship that was put into place all those centuries ago, and we are bringing it forward into our hearts and our lives. We are calling upon the name of the Lord in response to His faithful and holy call into our hearts to honor and to adore Him. It is a call to be consecrated unto Him as the people of the Lord God Almighty. We are entering into the relationship of those who first began to call upon the name of the Lord, the lineage of Seth, in whom the kingdom of God meant far more than the kingdoms of this earth.
	It is the heritage that was proclaimed by the Prophet Elijah as he faced the onslaught and wrath of the disbelief of King Ahab and all the prophets of Baal. 1 Kings 18:22-24, Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox, and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people answered and said, "That is a good idea." 
	God proved Himself as Elijah called upon His name. He responded to the heart that placed its full trust and confidence in the Lord God Creator of the heavens and the earth. The prophets of Baal called upon the name of their god, but lifeless wood and stone cannot respond to the call of its suppliants. Only the Living God can honor the requests and the petitions of those who call upon His Name. He loves to answer when His name is invoked in reverence and awe and heart-felt supplication. He is moved to prove Himself mighty to respond and to save, as in the case of Elijah and the offering presented unto the Lord. 
	As we read in Isa 44:5-8, "This one will say, 'I am the Lord's'; And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will write on his hand, 'Belonging to the Lord,' And will name Israel's name with honor. "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. 'And who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. 'Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'" 
	God hearkens to those who trust in Him and desire to know Him in increasingly greater measures and call upon His Name. It is not just for those in need that He makes Himself known. He answers each heart’s petition for His glory to be evidenced throughout His creation. He makes Himself known to those who call upon Him, not for their sakes alone, but for His name’s sake on this earth! 
	He loves to respond to those who come before Him in worship and adoration. His heart is moved when we bring Him true praise and honor for no other reason than that we love Him and love to call upon His name. It is a joy to commune with the Father through Our Lord Jesus Christ. As we do, we find that He is fully pleased in the praise and worship and adoration that we bring before Him, in the love that is expressed from our hearts unto His heart. We come before Yahweh, before Jehovah, before Adonai, and bring Him worship as we call upon His name in the assembly of the beloved, as well as in the closet of our prayers. To His glory Alone, so be it!
And to Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord. Amen.

This morning’s benediction is Ps 104:33+34. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the Lord. Amen.