On MATTHEW 6:9 “HALLOWED BE THY NAME”
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On “HALLOWED BE THY NAME”
This statement is a protection against sentimentalism and abuse of claiming God as Father.
This is a petition not just a statement. It is the most difficult of the petitions to comprehend to be expressed meaningfully. The root of the Greek word translated hallowed, is “hagios”, the Greek word usually translated “holy”, but the basic meaning of the word is “different” or “separate”. So the petition means let God’s name be treated differently from all else; let God’s name be given a position which is absolutely unique.
Remember, in Hebrew the name of a person is not just a label, it is a descriptive of the nature and character of personality of the person involved.
NAS “And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; For Thou, O LORD, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee.”
This verse does not mean that those who know God’s nomenclature and His titles will trust Him. But those who know the quality of His nature and character will trust Him.
The petition “Hallowed be thy name,” therefore means enable us to give to God our Father the unique place that His name and character deserves and demands. (; ) To hallow God’s name begins in the heart. When we sanctify Christ in our hearts we also sanctify Him in our lives.
The best descriptive English word for giving to God the unique place He deserves is reverence. This petition is, that we should be enabled to reverence God as God deserves to be reverenced. There are four essentials elements in the meaning of reverence.
First, in order to reverence God we must believe He exists.
NAS And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
The Bible nowhere attempts to prove the existence of God. For the Bible God’s existance is an axiom, something which is a self-evident fact in intellectual pursuits: , thus the basis of all other proofs. Kant said “the moral law within us, and the starry heavens above us,” drive us to God.
Second, we must know the type of god, God is. We cannot revere a God we know little about. No one can reverence capricious, immoral, impure gods. But in Jehovah God we know Him for three great qualities: Holiness, Justice, and Love. We also sanctify Christ by having true knowledge of Him, His words, His character, His actions, and true doctrine of His teaching.
Third, reverence contains the quality of acknowledging with a constant awareness of His presence and essence – we never lose sight of or forget God. Most people are spasmodic in their awareness of God. But spasmodic thinking about God does not hallow His name. Reverence is the constant awareness of God. (; ; )
NAS I have set the LORD continually before me.
Fourth, reverence is the knowledge of God to the extent of changing our participation in life’s experiences, i.e. obedience and submission with our heart’s devotion. This means the definition of our intellectual convictions and our practical actions are in full submission to the will of God. To revere God is by definition to wholly believe God with unhindered acceptance unto obedience and submission.
NAS Teach me, O LORD, the way of Thy statutes, And I shall observe it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Thy law, And keep it with all my heart. 35 Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, For I delight in it. 36 Incline my heart to Thy testimonies, And not to dishonest gain. 37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, And revive me in Thy ways. 38 Establish Thy word to Thy servant, As that which produces reverence for Thee.
Let God be given the reverence His nature and character deserve. (; )
NAS “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;”