From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier and where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 13:3-4 NIV
Calling on the name of the Lord is an interesting expression that I find intriguing. But one that is easy to overlook here. It was first used in Genesis 4:26 after Adam’s grandson was born. Then in Genesis 12:8 when Abram first came to Bethel. And occasionally after that, mostly in the Psalms. The last time is in 1 Corinthians 1:2, where those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus are synonymous with God’s holy people, wherever they are found.
We might call out to the Lord in praise or for help. But it seems like, at least in part, to be identifying with the Lord. When I call on his name, I am announcing to the world, not just that he is God. But that he is my God. I belong to him and have submitted myself to him for his use. Abraham called on the Lord when he first came into Canaan. And now again when he returned from the fiasco in Egypt. He was renewing his commitment to the Lord who had called him to follow.
