The Lord's Prayer & The New Exodus-Part 3 "Hallowed be Your Name"
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Hallowed Be Your Name
Hallowed Be Your Name
Good Morning! Today is Sunday, May 17th. Welcome to today’s episode. We are continuing our series on the LP. We began our series by talking about how the LP is a prayer for a New Exodus. And just as Israel was carried out of slavery by God through Moses. The LP is prayer for people in slavery to sin to saved through Jesus. Last episode we discussed how Jesus addressed God as Father. And how that was radical departure from the way the Jewish culture viewed God.
Today we want to move on through the prayer and talk about the next part of the prayer and the “hallowing of God’s name”. So, we want to first talk about what the term “hallow” means. I want to read an insert from the Harper’s Bible Dictionary.
hallow, to make holy or to set apart for special service. In the ot hallow is used to render a form of the Hebrew word qādēsh, the primary meaning of which is ‘separation’ or ‘setting apart.’ In its various forms the Hebrew word is also translated as ‘holy,’ ‘holiness,’ ‘consecrate,’ ‘sanctify,’ ‘dedicate,’ ‘purify,’ or something similar. Thus, a ‘hallowed thing’ was something set apart for a special use or purpose, such as the gifts Israel dedicated to God (Exod. 28:38) or the Jubilee Year (Lev. 25:10), and ‘to hallow’ (consecrate, sanctify) persons or things was to remove them from the realm of ordinary profane labor or use to that of the sacred, such as the consecration of Aaron’s sons as priests (Exod. 29:1; cf. 20:11). Associated with this appointment for special use was a sense of respect and reverence, clearly seen in the application of the term ‘hallowed’ to God’s name, which was understood to be in the sacred realm and therefore deserving of special reverence (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:2). [1]
So it comes as no surprise that the term “ hallowed” is synonymous with the term “holy”. Up to this point we have been following the Scholar N.T Write and his work on the LP. So we want to return to that at this point. N.T. Write in the book “Into God’s Presence he writes the following:
Speaking about the OT he says this…
God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush, speaking his name and giving it as the main reason why he could be trusted to bring the children of Israel out of captivity (cf. Exod. 3:13–16). And it was the honor and reputation of YHWH’s name that Moses would subsequently use as the fulcrum in his great prayer for Israel’s forgiveness after the episode of the golden calf—a theme that was also picked up by Joshua after the debacle at Ai (cf. Exod. 32:11–14; Josh. 7–9). The sanctifying of God’s name, in other words, has to do once more not merely with God’s own reputation in, as it were, a private capacity, but with the fact that he is committed to and in covenant with the people of Israel. To pray that God’s name be hallowed, therefore, is to pray that the Exodus may not only happen but be followed through to its proper conclusion—that is, that Israel be redeemed not only from the original slavery of Egypt, but also from the sin and rebellion that keeps her from arriving and safely settling in the promised land.[2]
He then goes on to speak about the NT….
The sanctifying of God’s name, as in the clause “hallowed be your name” (Luke 11:2//Matt. 6:9), is not a major theme in the Gospels. Where it does occur—as, for example, in Mary’s exclamation, “Holy is his name!” (Luke 1:49); or Jesus’ prayer, “Father, glorify your name,” and the Father’s response, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:28)—it appears as a natural, and typically Jewish, affirmation of God’s holiness and majesty. But the hallowing or sanctifying of God’s name is thoroughly consistent with the sort of work that Jesus conceived himself to be undertaking.[3]
So what Write is saying is that the idea of “making God’s name Holy “which is how it is originally rendered in the Greek, is something that is not readily apparent. But in the LP it comes across as somewhat peculiar. Because if you think about it. Why would Jesus ask to make God’s name Holy? Is it not already Holy? What Jesus is saying has hooks back into the OT with the revelation at Mount Sinai to Moses of God’s “name” where He would reveal himself and ultimately His law for His chosen people. It has a ring of prophecy that is echoed in the book of Ezekiel as well where the Lord promised to vindicate the holiness of His name.
The idea of the
“name”
“name”
in Scripture is actually a very prominent theme. And many Scholars have made noted of it over the years. But I want to point out one recently that has a newly published work on “Bearing the Name”. This is the name of the an excellent book by Carmen Imes. And I want to read you something she wrote about the phrase “hallowed be your name”. She writes this….
When he teaches his disciples to pray, approaching God with hearts wide open, he prays that the Father’s name would be sanctified, reversing centuries of its desecration through Israel’s unfaithfulness to the covenant (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). Jesus’ prayer, “hallowed be your name,” is not just wishful thinking, as though Jesus is hoping that Yahweh is doing well up there. His prayer implies a personal commitment to honoring that name through a life of faithful obedience. He fulfills Israel’s vocation to bear Yahweh’s name with honor.
For Jesus, calling on God’s name is not enough, nor is prophecy, exorcism, or miracles done in his name. The key disposition of one who truly belongs to God is a commitment to action—to doing his will rather than one’s own (Matthew 7:21–22; cf. Luke 6:46). The name of God is not a charm to be used at will. It is not a magic amulet to guarantee protection. Those who fail to carry out God’s will bear his name in vain. Jesus has no patience for those whose verbal proclamations do not match their agenda. He condemns the Pharisees and scribes for having lips and hearts that contradict each other, saying that they “worship [God] in vain” (Mark 7:5–7). They walk around wearing official religious titles, but their hearts are haughty and self-reliant.
Jesus takes his vocation as Yahweh’s representative so seriously that others can see Yahweh by looking at him. John repeatedly highlights this, noting that Jesus had been sent by the Father to carry out his work in the world. “The works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me” (John 5:36). He goes on, “I have come in my Father’s name” (5:43). Jesus is the segullah, the treasured one appointed to represent Yahweh. He even tells his disciples, “The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me” (John 12:45). This is not just because he is God incarnate. It’s also because his behavior and his character reflect God’s the way every covenant member’s character should. He wants his disciples to imitate him. He explains, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).[4]
So, what does this mean for me? Or more importantly as a Christian. How does it affect me and my prayer life? As Christians we take the Name of Christ very seriously. And so, we should. But if we are to keep our focus on our relationship with Christ. Our mission should he His mission. The phrase that we tack on to end of our prayers “in Jesus’ Name” should not become some magical incantation that we can invoke to make sure what we say God hears or He will do. But it is a first request or bold petition in a prayer to further His everlasting kingdom. We cannot let the LP become some “vain repetitious” prayer that loses its power. But we have to let it be the rallying cry that is, for us to spread the good news of the Gospel. We have to make it real. Real Love. Real action from that Love. It is so easy to become complacent in our prayer life. Repeating phrases that are well known and comfortable to us. But the other part of what the LP calls us to do is stretch our minds in relation to how we communicate with Him. Propelling us forward with Him in a dark world.
[1] Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). In Harper’s Bible dictionary (1st ed., p. 369). San Francisco: Harper & Row.
[2] Wright, N. T. (2002). The Lord’s Prayer as a Paradigm of Christian Prayer. In R. N. Longenecker (Ed.), Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament (pp. 140–141). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[3] Wright, N. T. (2002). The Lord’s Prayer as a Paradigm of Christian Prayer. In R. N. Longenecker (Ed.), Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament (p. 134). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[4] Imes, C. J. (2019). Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (pp. 138–139). Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press.