Enos,

A foreshadowing of Messiah

Enos, one of the short testimonies in the Old Testament, coming out of the genealogy record from Adam to Noah, in Genesis chapter 4.

How does the testimony of Enos (in Genesis 4):
Create a foreshadowing picture of the coming Messiah?

• A picture of Revival?

• Returning to God?

Genesis 4:25-26 (KJV)

25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 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.

Genesis 4:26 (KJV) states:

Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.” 

This passage marks a significant development in the line of Adam through Seth. It mentions the birth of Enos (the son of Seth) and then notes that “men began to call upon the name of the Lord” during his days. While this may seem like a relatively simple historical statement, it actually carries profound theological and prophetic implications that foreshadow the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Here’s how the conflict during Enos’s days might point to the Messiah:

1. The Shift to Calling on the Name of the Lord

• Prior to this, the focus in Genesis was primarily on Adam and Eve, and then on Cain and Abel, with Cain’s murder of Abel introducing a division and conflict within humanity. However, with the birth of Enos, there is a shift: “men began to call upon the name of the Lord.”
• This marks a renewal of a relationship with God after the fall. In Enos’s time, people began to publicly acknowledge God’s sovereignty and begin to call upon Him in a personal way, signaling a movement toward repentance and worship.
• The act of “calling upon the name of the Lord” can be seen as a foreshadowing of the kind of relationship people would have with God through the Messiah. Jesus would later teach that worshiping God in spirit and truth (John 4:24) and calling on His name is central to the salvation He brings.

2. A Call to Redemption After the Fall

• The fall in Genesis 3 introduced sin and alienation from God, but here, with the beginning of Enos’s days, there is a movement back toward God. This “calling upon the name of the Lord” can be seen as a response to the ongoing spiritual crisis that began in the Garden of Eden.
• The foreshadowing element comes in the recognition that calling upon the name of the Lord is the first step toward redemption. This theme becomes central in the Old Testament and reaches its fulfillment in the New Testament through Jesus Christ, whose name is the means by which salvation is found (Acts 4:12). Jesus, through His atoning sacrifice, would enable humanity to truly “call upon the name of the Lord” in a way that brings reconciliation and salvation.

3. The Role of Seth’s Descendants in God’s Plan

• Enos is the son of Seth, who was appointed to continue the godly line after the murder of Abel by Cain. The birth of Enos, and the calling upon the name of the Lord, signals the ongoing hope in God’s promise of redemption. Seth’s line, beginning with Adam and extending through Enos, represents the preservation of a faithful remnant in the midst of a fallen world.
• This line is significant in that it is through Seth’s descendants (specifically Noah) that God’s covenant promises continue, ultimately leading to the Messiah, Jesus, who is described as the “seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15). Jesus is a descendant of Seth through Noah and Abraham, establishing Him as the fulfillment of God’s promises to redeem and bless humanity.

4. A Foreshadowing of the Messiah’s Name

• The phrase “calling upon the name of the Lord” is powerful because it suggests that the name of God, in a relational sense, has the power to save. In the New Testament, we learn that the name of Jesus is central to the salvation of humanity. Jesus Himself affirms this when He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and when He promises that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
• Thus, during Enos’s time, there is a prophetic foresight that the “name of the Lord” would be directly tied to the Messiah, whose name—Jesus—would be the key to salvation. The act of calling upon God’s name in the days of Enos prefigures the ultimate call to salvation through Jesus Christ, whose name would be the name by which all people can be saved.

5. The Significance of Enos’s Name

• The name “Enos” itself is interesting, as it comes from the Hebrew root meaning “man” or “mortal.” This highlights the frailty and fallen nature of humanity, yet it also implies a need for God’s intervention for salvation. The birth of Enos, in this sense, underscores the need for redemption—a need that will ultimately be fulfilled by Jesus, who, as the God-man, would provide the way for humanity to overcome its mortality and sinfulness.
• Enos’s name, signifying humanity’s frailty, mirrors the central truth of the Gospel: that the Savior must be both fully God and fully man to save fallen humanity.

Conclusion

The conflict during Enos’s days—represented by the growing human awareness of the need to call on God—foreshadows the coming of the Messiah in several ways:

• It marks a return to a relationship with God after the fall, a movement toward worship and redemption that will be fully realized in Jesus.
• It points to the importance of calling upon God’s name for salvation, a theme that reaches its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament through Jesus Christ.
• It highlights the continuing line of promise through Seth’s descendants, culminating in Jesus, the Savior, who would restore humanity’s relationship with God.

Thus, Genesis 4:26, in the context of Enos’s time, creates a powerful foreshadowing of the Messiah who would one day make it possible for all people to “call upon the name of the Lord” and find salvation through Him.