[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Seth David Gruber
Finding my name, meaning, and calling
My Name…
First: Seth
From the beginning…
Seth, though not a rare or unheard of name is certainly not common and comes from the book of Genesis. Seth is the sixteenth name that appears in the Bible and does so under somber circumstances. Seth’s older brother Cain is infamously known for killing his brother Abel, so when Eve gives birth to Seth, she proclaims, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him” (Genesis 4:25b). It is from this section of scripture that the name Seth came to inherit one of its meanings, the first being, “compensation”.
I’m a replacement?
I struggled with this for awhile, when I first found out that one of the meanings of my name was essentially “replacement”. I quickly realized and remembered though that my Mother had a miscarriage before me, so I really am a replacement, a compensation. Though quite sobering, it is also exciting to see how my name fits into my being and knowing that I will see my older sibling one day (2 Samuel 12:13-23).
Appointed…
The second and more broadly understood meaning of my name is “appointed” or “anointed”. In other words, a person who has been assigned a job, or someone who is chosen as a successor for a position. As I begin to draw the connections, you will quickly see the Lord’s divine hand. When I first learned the meaning of my name, I thought of Isaiah 61:1 and with it, Luke 4:18-19, which says, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”
Called…
Now when Jesus made this statement in the Gospel of Luke, it didn’t go over well with those in the synagogue, as he was claiming to be the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah. I am making no such claim, but rather that I feel strangely allured by this passage (as we should with all scripture) because I believe it speaks to my passions, my being, my essence in regards to injustices, particularly that of abortion. God has made it incredibly clear that his specific plan for my life right now is to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8a), that is the lives’ of the unborn, and when I do so, I feel like I am doing what I was created for.
Justice…
Of course, it must be noted that we were all originally created to worship the Lord and enjoy him forever in a sinless world. But now that sin has entered the world, we have commandments to care for those less fortunate and to seek justice (Psalm 33:5, Psalm 106:3, Proverbs 31:8-9, Isaiah 1:17, Isaiah 10:1-2, Isaiah 61:8, Micah 6:8, Zechariah 7:9, Matthew 12:18).
A Successor…
Given that we live in such a sinful world, I believe the Lord does have specific plans for people’s lives (Jeremiah 29:11) that involves standing up against injustices. It is when I do this, that I experience the Lord and see his purposes, and know I am fulfilling mine. In regards to Seth meaning anointed, or one who is a chosen successor: My mother worked in pro-life ministry for years, was the director of a pregnancy care clinic, and lastly was on the board of The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, where I am now on staff. It’s as if I have been chosen as a successor of my Mother to stand up for the unborn children.
The more I dig into my name, the more I see the Lord telling me: “it’s more than your name; it’s who you are”.
*To be continued in Part 2 of 3 – What’s In A Name? -[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
You are so reflective and insightful, Seth. How interesting this post is!
Particularly through the influence of one of my teachers (Dr. Ray Lubeck) and my dad, I’ve thought about the Bible character Seth this last school year. After the Fall, God promises that a Human Victor will come and overcome the Enemy (Gen. 3:15). When Cain and Able were born, Adam and Eve would have naturally hoped that one of their sons would be this Victor. But Cain switches allegiances and Able is murdered and so that hope is crushed.
With the birth of Seth, hope is restored. He doesn’t end up being the Victor, but with him the line continues on, which one day makes the Victors’ coming possible.
Wow Liz!! You are the insightful one. I did read something that was getting on to what you articulated, but didn’t end up connecting all the dots. That is so gnarly and humbling for me. 🙂
I’ve just had a lot of wise people pour into my life 😉 It’s actually a main theme (if not the main theme) that goes through all the Hebrew Scriptures. With each new “hero,” the readers are looking for the “serpent crusher” (Gen. 3:15). Of course, every hero messes up and eventually dies until Christ comes and proves Himself to be the one all the Scriptures had been looking forward to.
This is a side note from the whole name thing, but it’s also cool to see how God preserves the line of promise to lead up to the Messiah (i.e. through Seth’s birth; getting rid of the nephilim; the preservation of Noah and his family; overcoming the barrenness of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s wives; preserving Moses when the babies were killed in Egypt; getting Judah through captivity; preserving Jesus when babies were killed in Bethlehem, etc.).
Also, btw, I enjoyed reading the continuing parts of this post. Makes me very curious to look into my name meanings and pay more attention to that sort of thing and how God may have shaped me.