Hallowed be thy name

Rev Paul Damasane Talking Spirituality
LAST week I discussed the first line of the commonly known and used Lord’s Prayer. I was then reminded of the Sunday schoolchild who could not quite recite the prayer as rendered in the King James Version of the Bible. It reads “Our father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” The Sunday schoolchild could not quite understand the old English used. So she went to her mother after the class and asked, “Mama, who is this Father who shouts from heaven, hallo what is your name!” Imagine that is how we at times read and recite the verses we read in a version that we are not so familiar with. But today is another day we look at the next line of the prayer template.

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer the Lord Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6: 9-13 and Luke 11: 2-4. Matthew 6: 9-13 says, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Today we are considering the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be Thy Name.” In John’s Gospel we see an instance where Jesus prays publicly, “Father, glorify Your Name.” Then a voice thunders from heaven: “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The word “hallowed” means “holy.”

To “hallow” also means to sanctify, to be sound, fit or whole, to make special, to be perfect, free from defilement, uncontaminated. It means to have a different quality of being, to be extraordinary, set apart. God is separate from us in that He is undefiled.

The opposite of hallow is to profane or disgrace God’s Name. This petition could be translated: “May Your Name be held Holy.” In other words, “May You be revered and respected because of who you are. May your character and reputation be honoured and kept untarnished. May nothing debase your person?” Our primary concern and our deepest passion should be that God would cause His Name to be revered by you and me without change.

To hallow God’s Name is to recognise, regard, respect, reverence, profess and proclaim God as holy. We do not add to God’s holiness in prayer — we treat Him as holy. Although we have free access to God, when we take advantage of His open-door policy, we speak to Him with reverence. “Hallowed be Thy Name” balances out “Our Father”. In these two phrases we see both our close, intimate relationship to God, and the reverential honour we owe Him.

Peter writes, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” (I Pet 3: 15). We need to set God apart from everything that is common and profane, and give Him the place He deserves in our lives. We need to be conscious of God’s presence, then strive to do everything for His glory. Martin Luther posed a question in his catechism: “How is God’s Name hallowed among us?” The answer: “When both our doctrine and our life are godly and Christian.” It is not just in prayer but also in lifestyle that we make his name holy.

We should hold his Name holy always.

Jewish worshippers regarded the Name of God as utterly sacred — so much so that when scribes copied Scripture they would use a new quill to write the Holy Name. It was considered irreverent to speak God’s Name aloud.

There are many names for God in the Bible. Religious leaders took two names — Adonai, which means “the Lord God”, and Yahweh, the Name “I AM” God gave to Moses — they took the vowels of the first, the consonants of the second, and came up with Jehovah, a made-up word, one they felt they could speak without offending the holiness of God. That is as awesome as God should be revered.

Do we truly understand what it means to revere the Lord? The Negro spiritual, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord” captures a sense of the holiness of God: “Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, and tremble.” We are struck and overwhelmed by the awesome majesty of God. When we stand before God we tremble. It is not a common sight. He takes the pride and bigness from me because he is much bigger than me. So I will declare Holy and distinct is your name. Holy is also to say the name is more significant and unique!

By starting with God’s holiness in the Lord’s Prayer, we recognise that prayer is not primarily for our benefit. People today love to have their names highly regarded — they want to see their names in lights, on plaques, awards and in headlines. They are seeking fame and fortune. To this attitude David responds, “Glorify the Lord with me and let us exalt His Name together” (Psalm 34: 3).

When Moses appeared before the burning bush, he heard the voice of God and removed his sandals, to signify that he was of the earth. This was an act of humility before a holy God. When Isaiah beheld a vision of the majesty of God, he cried out in fear, realising that he was unworthy to appear before the Lord. At that moment he understood who God was and who Isaiah was.

This affirmation, “Hallowed be Thy Name”, reflects the many prayers of King David, who declared the majesty and holiness of God before he made any requests. We see in most Biblical prayers worship prior to petition.

By revering God’s Name, we are making known His reputation, proclaiming Who He is and all He has done. We say that people have “made a name” for themselves. Our name is linked to our reputation. Psalm 102:15 proclaims, “The nations shall fear the Name of the Lord.” The many Names of God in Scripture describe His nature and attributes; they explain Who He is:

Yahweh —He is immutable, unchanging
Elohim — Creator, Lord of Lords
El Shaddai — God Almighty
El Elyon — Sovereign Ruler
Jehovah — jireh — God will provide
Jehovah — rophe — God heals
Jehovah — shalom — God our peace
Jehovah — sabaoth — the Lord of hosts
Jehovah — shammah — God is present
Jehovah — tsidkenu — God our righteousness
Jehovah — rohi — God our Shepherd

This is the name and reputation of God that we should hold in reverence and holiness. One reason to pray this prayer is that we live in a fallen world which defiles and degrades the holy Name of God. Obscene blasphemy is commonplace. We should be in a world where everyone reveres God, yet we find ourselves surrounded by people who express hostility and indifference instead of reverence.

We pray “Hallowed by Thy Name” in protest against those who revile the Name of God. We are praying that God will be regarded as holy in an unholy world. We are also distinguishing our worship as Truth. To worship an idol involves calling something holy that is not holy. In this sense, the Lord’s Prayer becomes an affirmation of faith.

God bless you as you pray on. Till next week, keep the name of the Lord holy. Shalom!