Call Upon His Name

The King James Version (KJV) is mostly used in these lessons. Click here to access the KJV online.

When the Earth came forth from the hand of the loving Creator, it was perfect.  Every blade of grass, every petal, every creature, from the greatest to the smallest, showed forth the glory of its Maker.  The crowning part of the entire Creation was Man. 

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle . . .  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  (Genesis 1:26, 27, NKJV)

Made in the very image of the Creator!  Nothing else on earth had been given this honor, only mankind.  The perfect beings made in the image of the Almighty were created for the companionship of the angels and the Creator Himself.  The holy pair were not only children under Fatherly care, they were students receiving instruction. They were visited often by angels and had the privilege of talking face-to-face with their Maker.  

The laws and function of nature were open to their astonished minds.  Every living creature from the largest to the smallest was to be observed and understood.  From the meadow flower to the tallest tree, from the earth and sky and sea, His children were to recognize their Father’s name written in love.

In the cool of the evening the Creator came to visit with the holy pair to talk over the events of the day and share the joy of being together. As long as Adam and Eve remained loyal to the divine law of love, they constantly would be gaining new insights, new knowledge and discovering fresh sources of happiness as they obtained ever clearer understanding of the immeasurable, unfailing love of their Creator.  As each happy day passed, the Creator came to the garden and called for His children to come to Him.

Then a great tragedy happened:  sin entered.  When Satan came to tempt Eve, she was not hungry.  The temptation was not food.  She was tempted to doubt the love of her Creator.  Satan tempted her to doubt the truthfulness of her Maker.   He tempted her to desire a station that had not been given her. She wanted to be like a "god" - the very temptation into which Satan himself had fallen.  (See Isaiah 14:12-14.)  She aspired to a position for which she was not created: that of "knowing" (or experiencing) both good and evil.  It was never the Father's plan for His children to ever experience evil.

Following that terrible day when Adam and Eve chose to sin, they found themselves devoid of the garment of light that had covered them, and they felt guilt.  Having no way to cover their nakedness, or to excuse their disobedience, they ran in terror and hid when they heard the voice of the Creator calling them:

"Where are you?" So he [Adam] said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, that you should not eat?"  (Genesis 3:9-11, NKJV)

Thus begins the long sad history of mankind's sin.  Love of the Creator, joy in His presence, trust and confidence in His care was replaced with fear of all that had attracted them to Him before.  As a result, they no longer enjoyed His company.

The heavenly Father did not desert Adam and Eve, but explained to them that a life of pain and sorrow, of toil and sadness, would be their future experience. He explained the cost of sin: that in the fullness of time, the divine Son must die to atone for their disobedience.  They were told they must leave their beautiful garden home.  Adam and Eve pleaded to remain in the Garden of Eden, the home of their joy.  They promised that in the future they would strictly obey, but they were told that their very nature had become spoiled by sin.  By their own choice they had lessened their strength to resist Satan. They could not maintain their integrity because of their state of conscious guilt.

In sadness, they went out to dwell on the earth where the curse of sin now rested.  All heaven was touched with feelings of sympathy for Adam and Eve, but the Creator had a plan whereby they could be restored to their state of innocence. That divine plan provided for constant communication between the Creator and His children. They were to have immediate access to divine help if they asked for it.

The descendents of Adam and Eve did not long retain loyalty to the heavenly Father.  As sin became more and more prevalent, people did not hear the divine voice calling them.  People did not want to retain in their minds the law of love provided by their Creator.  As more people were born and grew up, people continued to forget that a Voice was calling to them.  Seth, born to Adam and Eve after Cain killed Able, had a son whom he named Enos.  Genesis 4:26 states: “And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD."  (KJV)

How sad that it took so long for men and women to begin to call upon the name of their loving heavenly Father!  To limit the power of Satan and to keep things equal in the great controversy between good and evil, the Creator imposed rules.  Any human could contact whichever side he wished: Heaven or Satan.  But neither Satan nor Heaven could directly contact the human unless first invited to do so.  The Father did this in order to protect His children from constant harassment by demons.  It is still the "rules of engagement." 

Throughout scripture, all are repeatedly urged to "call upon the name" of the Father.

Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name; . . .
Talk of all His wondrous works!
Glory in His holy name; . . .
Give to the LORD the glory due His name . . . .
I Chronicles 16:8-10, 29, NKJV

I found trouble and sorrow.
Then called I upon the name of the LORD . . .
I will take the cup of salvation
And call upon the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116:3, 4, 13, KJV

Praise the LORD, call upon His name,
declare His doings among the people,
make mention that His name is exalted. 
Isaiah 12:4

I love the LORD because He hath heard my voice and my supplications.  . . .
I found trouble and sorrow.  Then called I upon the name of the LORD.  . . .
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous.  . . . O LORD, truly I am thy servant . . .
I will . . . will call upon the name of the LORD. 
Psalm 116:1, 3-5, 16-17

Many other verses instruct all to praise the holy Name.

Praise ye the LORD.
Praise ye the name of the LORD;
praise him, O ye servants of the LORD . . .
Praise the LORD;
For the LORD is good:
Sing praises unto His name;
For it is pleasant.
Psalm 135:1, 3
Every day will I bless Thee;
And I will praise Thy name forever and ever.
Psalm 145:2

Other texts urge those who believe in their Maker "To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem."  (Psalm 102:21)  The inspired Word reveals that all may safely trust in the holy Name: "We will rejoice in Thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners."  (Psalm 20:5)

Everything has a name.  Communication is not possible without a name to apply to everything, be it a person, a thing, a place or even an idea or emotion.  The Creator Himself has a personal name. And it is upon that Name that all are to call.  By His Spirit, the divine Father is always close, always available and He just waits; He waits for you to call upon His name.  He longs to answer!

"Lord," however, is not the Father's name and it should not have been substituted for the divine name.  The English words "Lord" and "God" are mere titles and can be applied to demonic gods, too!  The word "Lord" simply means master.  The word translated "God" comes from the Hebrew word "Elohim."  The given translation is:

gods in the ordinary sense; but sepc[ifically] used . . . of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: - God, god, judge, GOD, goddess, great, mighty . . . rulers, judges, . . . . (#430, The New Strong's Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words, emphasis original.)

"Elohim" is the word used in the first commandment and it is applied to both the Creator and to false gods.  The King James Version translates it:

I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, . . . Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.  (Exodus 20:2, 3)

In other words, "I am the Elohim that brought you out of Egypt.  Don't have any other elohim before Me."  Elohim is a plural word translated "gods"; the singular, el, means "mighty."  (See Strong's #410.)

The problem with using a word or a title that can be just as readily applied to a pagan deity, is that there is no power in titles!  Titles do not inspire faith in the power and love behind the divine Name when the same word can be applied to many different people (magistrates, kings, prophets, husbands, gods).  In order to call upon the name of the Heavenly Father in full faith, one must know His name! 

It has pleased Satan well that the divine Name has been hidden behind the title "Lord."  When the Name is hidden behind titles, there is no knowledge of what the Name means and thus there is no corresponding faith in the power of the Loving One who bears that Name.  The stories of the Bible reveal that all who call upon the Name receive an answer.  

From the belly of a whale, Jonah cried out in prayer. From the den of lions, Daniel sent his prayers heavenward and he was protected.  From the burning fiery furnace, from the pit and slavery and persecution, from the heart and mind of the Creator's children, people throughout time were saved from all their troubles when they called in faith upon the divine Name.  Over and over in the history of the nation of Israel, the people sinned and were taken into captivity, or otherwise punished. However, when they repented and called upon the divine Name, they were delivered and saved.

In this final generation, during this last remnant of time when the great tribulation of the wrath of the Almighty will come upon the world, His people need to know the divine Name.  His name is wonderful, powerful and must not be taken in vain, or foolishly.  All are still invited to call upon His name in faith, and all that do will receive an answer.