SETH
The first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, are called the Torah, or “The Law.” These books are also called the books of Moses. Moses was an individual who benefited from the principle, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” He was a wilderness survivor. As an infant, he was placed in a basket and set sail upon the Nile by his family trying to protect him from oppression, and fled into the wilderness, as a man, after he killed a taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave. He also found abundance and calling in the wilderness. He found his family and heard the call of God to, “Set my people free.” Moses was the also the leader he was because of the education and privilege he enjoyed as an adopted son of Pharaoh. His Egyptian education is woven into the revelation of God's Word and its application in the stories he wrote down in the midst of oppression.
As an introduction, The Bible’s creation story reveals the context and direction of the following stories. The climax of the creation story is the birth of Seth.
“And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.”
Genesis 4: 25-26
These words are almost all we know about Seth. The passage ends with the final thought that beginning with the birth of Seth people began to call on the name of the Lord. People began to seek and listen for God’s Word and travel through life on the game trail called “The Way.” All we know about Seth personally is his name. Why? I believe Seth's name reveals God's greatest gift; the ability to live in peace in the midst of Chaos.
The name Seth is also attributed to the Egyptian god of Chaos who was believed to have the power to govern chaos. Seth could cause chaos through storms, violence, disorder, and foreigners. Seth also had the power to subdue chaos. The most important Egyptian god was Ra, the god of the sun. They believed Ra rode his chariot across the sky from sunrise to sunset every day providing life giving sunlight. His primary adversary, who sought to disrupt this life giving journey, was Apep, the dark serpent of chaos. Every day Seth would defend Ra and his life giving journey by subduing the serpent. Those images should sound familiar to anyone who has read the first four chapters of the Bible. Why name the third child of Adam and Eve Seth?
The Word of God provides a way to live in productive peace in the midst of a world filled with chaos. Sometimes the peace makers cause a whirlwind like a civil rights movement, sometimes they must respond to genocidal maniacs like Al Qaeda, often they are treated like foreigners in their own land, but it is the soul where a focused peace begins and is maintained. In the midst of chaos God’s Word enables the believer to live in peace.
I meditate on the wilderness and I am in awe of the finches who busy about gathering seed, the pelicans floating down the river looking for fish, the black birds filling the air with song, and squirrels busy discovering buried treasure. All of them live in the same world we do, but they do so without fatalistic views of life. Surly, as Jesus has said, God loves us more than these.
As an introduction, The Bible’s creation story reveals the context and direction of the following stories. The climax of the creation story is the birth of Seth.
“And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.”
Genesis 4: 25-26
These words are almost all we know about Seth. The passage ends with the final thought that beginning with the birth of Seth people began to call on the name of the Lord. People began to seek and listen for God’s Word and travel through life on the game trail called “The Way.” All we know about Seth personally is his name. Why? I believe Seth's name reveals God's greatest gift; the ability to live in peace in the midst of Chaos.
The name Seth is also attributed to the Egyptian god of Chaos who was believed to have the power to govern chaos. Seth could cause chaos through storms, violence, disorder, and foreigners. Seth also had the power to subdue chaos. The most important Egyptian god was Ra, the god of the sun. They believed Ra rode his chariot across the sky from sunrise to sunset every day providing life giving sunlight. His primary adversary, who sought to disrupt this life giving journey, was Apep, the dark serpent of chaos. Every day Seth would defend Ra and his life giving journey by subduing the serpent. Those images should sound familiar to anyone who has read the first four chapters of the Bible. Why name the third child of Adam and Eve Seth?
BECAUSE
THE WORD OF GOD PROVIDES A PEACE THAT PASSES UNDERSTANDING
The Word of God provides a way to live in productive peace in the midst of a world filled with chaos. Sometimes the peace makers cause a whirlwind like a civil rights movement, sometimes they must respond to genocidal maniacs like Al Qaeda, often they are treated like foreigners in their own land, but it is the soul where a focused peace begins and is maintained. In the midst of chaos God’s Word enables the believer to live in peace.
I meditate on the wilderness and I am in awe of the finches who busy about gathering seed, the pelicans floating down the river looking for fish, the black birds filling the air with song, and squirrels busy discovering buried treasure. All of them live in the same world we do, but they do so without fatalistic views of life. Surly, as Jesus has said, God loves us more than these.
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