"Hallowed be thy name..."

       Do you know God's name? Millions speak of "God," either in prayer, or profanity. But "God' is not so much a name as it is a proper noun, connoting divinity. A dictionary definition is, "God, the Maker and Ruler of the universe; the One Supreme Being. "As we shall see, this definition, leaves much to be desired. Millions assume, when they speak of "God," that they refer to the One Jesus called "Father," the Creator, as they suppose, of the Old Testament; the giver of the Ten Commandments; the God with whom the ancients dealt. This is untrue. As we shall clearly see, the Bible demolishes cherished myths, casually assumed tradition. Much more is implied by the word "God" than we may have realized.

       The first place in the Bible where we encounter the name "God" is in the very first verse of Genesis, the first chapter: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth..."

        The Hebrew word is Elohim, which occurs 2,700 times in the Bible. Its contextual connection is with the creation, and illustrates its primary meaning—that of the divine family of Beings who did the creating. Elohim is a plural word, and connotes more than one personage. Notice, "In the beginning was the Word [Greek: Logos, or "Spokesman"], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men ... He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.

        "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name,...and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten Of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-14).

        This unmistakable reference to Jesus Christ plainly says that He, the member of the divine family called the Logos, or the "Spokesman" of the Elohim (more than one—a duality of persons) did the creating! it also tells us something else rather startling to familiar traditions and concepts: That, when Jesus tells us to pray to "Our Father," He is not telling us to address the God of whom we generally read in the Old Testament Scriptures! For, as shocking as it may appear, the Bible is replete with proof it was the One who became Christ who is the God of the Old Testament!

        Notice further proof: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom He made the worlds [Greek: aion, or "ages"], Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high..." (Hebrews 1:1-3).

        Therefore, the one personage of the dual name for God, Elohim, we see in the first verse of the Bible is that same One who was to come into this world: Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Remember, Christ said, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1: 18).

        Christ came to reveal the Father to the world for the first time. He said, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27).

        The name Elohim connotes the Son as very God; as the living Word, who did the creating. Notice, "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature; for by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and. by Him all things consist" (Colossians 1: 14-17).

        Notice contextual proof that Elohim means more than one person:

        "And God [Elohim] said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26).

        The next name for God we encounter is Jehovah which is a name used in covenant relationship between God and His creation. The name means, "The Ever-living One; the Eternal; the One who was, and is, and is to come."

        The name Jehovah is combined with ten other words in the Bible, forming ten different "titles" for the divine personages.

        They are: (1) Jehovah-Jireh, meaning God will see, or provide. Read Genesis 22:14 for an example. (2) Jehovah-Ropheka, meaning the God who heals us. See Exodus 15:26. (3) Jehovah-Nissi, meaning Jehovah my Banner, or Shield. See Exodus 17:15. (4) Jehovah McKaddishkem, meaning the God who sanctifies you, or sets you apart as holy. See Leviticus 20:8. (5) Jehovah-Shalom, meaning the God who sends peace. See Judges 6:24. (6) Jehovah-Sabaoth, Jehovah of hosts, or multitudes. See I Samuel 1:3. (7) Jehovah-Zidkenu, meaning God our Righteousness. See Jeremiah 33:16. (8) Jehovah-Shammah, meaning God is there, emphasizing the nearness of God. See Ezekiel 48:35. (9) Jehovah-Elyon, meaning the Most High God. See Psalms 7:17. (10) Jehovah-Roi, meaning Jehovah my Shepherd. See Psalms 23:1.
It is fascinating to see how David was inspired to use seven of these names and titles for God in His inspiring 23rd Psalm! Read it in your own Bible. In verse 1 you will see number (1), above; in verse 2 Jehovah Shalom, or number (5) above; in verse 3, both number (7) and number (2) are used; and in verse 4, number (8); finally, in the fifth verse, both Jehovah-Nissi (3), and Jehovah-McKaddishkem (4) appear. Thus, in this moving Psalm, very possibly the one on Christ's lips as He died (see the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, together with Psalms 22, which is obviously prophetic), seven names, or titles, for God appear!

        There are many other names of God in the Bible: A few are, JAH, which is Jehovah in the special meaning of having become our Salvation; EL, which means "the Almighty, " and ELOAH, which is God in connection with His will and purpose, used primarily as "the Living God," in contrast to dead idols.

        The word ADON is one of three additional titles, all of which are generally translated as "Lord," but which convey special meanings. ADON is the Lord as Ruler in this earth; ADONAI, the Lord in relationship to this earth, and ADONIM means, generally, the Lord who rules His own.

        Jesus Christ said we are to show honor, respect, even awe toward the name of God, by including in our prayer, "Hallowed be Thy Name." He intended that we come to understand the many names and titles of both Himself and His Father; that we come to know the usage of His names and titles as they relate to various situations. For example, if one were to pray to God for healing, it would be altogether appropriate to remind God that one of His very names is Jehovah (or Yawveh) Ropheka, God our Healer.

        Notice the annunciation concerning the name of Christ....... and she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

        The name "Jesus" is a proper name, coming from the Hebrew Joshua, or Yashua. The two are perfectly interchangeable. The Je prefix in the name as translated into English is indicative of the Hebrew Jah, or Yah, together with the remainder of the word, and means "God our Savior," or "God who is our Salvation."

        In this same passage, Isaiah 7:14 is quoted. Notice the verse from Isaiah, "Therefore the Lord [Hebrew: Adonai]Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name 'IMMANUEL.' " The name means the Lord as connected to, or in relationship with this earth, or "God with us." It is so translated by Matthew, who writes, quoting Isaiah, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name IMMANUEL, which, being interpreted is, God with us" (Matthew 1:23).

        It is fascinating to note that never, not once, during any personal conversations when the disciples of Christ were addressing Him directly, did they call Him "Jesus." Always, it was "Master," or "Teacher," or "Lord, " as titles of great respect. Though they were to use the name Jesus in later writings, they never called Him by that name face to face.

        The Third Commandment says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7).

        Obviously, using God's name in profanity is a direct, flagrant violation of this command. Profanity turns God's face away from us; it insults His divine integrity, deliberately hurls epithets, curses, vile utterances toward God. It is a capital crime exactly on a par with murder, according to God's law, and will not go unpunished. God says the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Using God's name in profanity is a sin, just as it is sinful to use His name in monotonous repetition.

        Man has found many devious methods of "pretending" not to swear, yet using similar-sounding words and names, or using the first letters of "Jesus Christ" in profanity. Millions say "Jeepers, Creepers," or "Jeeze." They say "Jumpin' Jimminy" or "Jehosaphat! " which includes a tide of God. The slang words "Gee Whiz" and "Judas' Priest" are references, albeit supposedly "indirect," to Jesus Christ. People say "For the land's sake," or even use the name of the capitol city of ancient Judah, "Jerusalem" as a byword. Why? One wonders whether rebellious men have searched the Bible to see what God says don't do, and then proceeded to do it. Want an example? Notice the following passage from the famous Sermon on the Mount:

        "Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, 'Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:' But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King ... let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matthew 5:33-37).

        Yet, how commonplace are such expressions as "merciful heavens! " or "heavens, no! " How many times have you heard people using various oaths to proclaim their honesty? Even our childhood nursery rhymes teach us to ignore Jesus' commands; the little pigs, when refusing to allow the wolf into their house say, "Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin, " but Jesus said we are not to swear "..by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black" (Matthew 6:36).

        Could it be many of us who plaintively cry, "O God, where are you when I need you," have unknowingly severed contact with God as surely as if we had pulled the plug on our reading lamp? Could it be we are overlooking the biblical requirements to successful prayer, short-circuiting our communication with God—placing barriers between ourselves and our divine Father in heaven, so He will not listen?

        He says, "Behold, the Eternal's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear" (Isaiah 59:1, 2). The remainder of the chapter is a powerful indictment against all who have not repented of sin, who have not come to God as a little child: "We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar like bears, and mourn sore like doves; we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; in transgressing and lying against the Eternal, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood" (Isaiah 59:10-13).

        God tells us any lack of communication is simply not His fault, but ours! He is there—waiting, listening, ready to receive our cries. Is He our Father? In other words, are we His begotten children, repentant, of contrite spirit and humble heart? Do we truly seek His will in our lives, as well as His special favor from time to time? When we acknowledge the awesome holiness of God's name, praying "Hallowed be Thy Name," we need to realize how truly great is God; to understand the limitless power which can be unleashed by His great name.

        Great miracles were accomplished by Jesus Christ, and astounding miracles were performed for the apostles. In each case, it was through recognition of the awesome power inherent in God's name! Jesus absolutely promised His disciples would accomplish even greater works than He did—through prayer, through faith, and through the powerful name of Jesus Christ!

        Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it!" (John 14:12-14).

        "In my name" also connotes asking according to His will and purpose; asking according to His authority.

        Striking examples of the veracity of this promise occurred in the first few years of the early church. For example, Peter and John, who recorded the words above, were entering into the temple only days after the resurrection of Christ when they saw a crippled beggar. Read the Bible account of what happened: "...and a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called 'beautiful,' to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.

        "Who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, 'Look on us!' And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

        "Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk!

        And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God" (Acts 3:1-9).

        Notice that the cripple did not seem to know who Peter and John were—only that they were worshipers, about to enter the temple. Notice too that he did not expect to be healed; he looked expectantly at them, expecting "to receive something," obviously a small amount of money. This miracle was performed for the purpose of evangelism as is clear by the following texts. The crowds were amazed; a great discussion arose. Peter then began another of his stirring messages, referring to the miracle they had seen.

        Was there ever a greater way to gain the attention of a crowd? Peter said, "Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we made this man to walk?

        "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up ... whom God raised from he dead. And His name through faith in His name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all" (Acts 3:12-16). Though we may only remember it from childhood Bible tales, the account of Moses' calling; how He came into the presence of God at the burning bush is fascinating, stirring. Israel was in slavery. Moses, like all his compatriots, was a product of the Egyptian society; he had been raised by a daughter of the reigning Pharaoh. After fleeing for his life when it was discovered he had killed an Egyptian for mistreating one of his fellow slaves, Moses encountered God, who appeared to him in a bush which seemed to burn, yet was not consumed. The interesting story is found in Exodus, the third chapter.

        After God instructed Moses to take off his shoes, He said, " 'I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.." A few verses later Moses asked, "… behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, 'The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you'; and they shall say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say unto them?'

        "And God said unto Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM;' and He said, 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.' And God said moreover unto Moses, 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations' " (Exodus 3:6-15).

        The Hebrew for the expression "I AM THAT I AM" is 'Ehyer 'Asher 'Ehyeh and means what it says, in the sense that God proclaims He is the One who is self-perpetuating, with life self-inherent within Himself; the One who was, who is, and who is to come.

        A fascinating reference is made by Christ in the New Testament to this name of God, another obvious proof that the Member of Elohim who did the creating was the One who became Christ. Christ was confronted by the leaders of the synagogue following a sensational healing of a man born blind. The entire chapter is an incredible study in human bigotry, fear religion, how churchmen can sometimes keep their members in a constant state of concern over being "put out" of their church. Finally, the argument became so heated, the Pharisees accused Christ of being illegitimate. Jesus managed to raise their anger to white hot heat when He said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

        "Then said the Jews unto Him, 'Thou are not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?' Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM!'

        "And they took up stones to cast at Him..." (John 8:53-59).

        This is unmistakable reference to the same name used by the same personage of the God family to Moses. It enraged those who heard it, for they knew He was clearly stating He was God in the flesh.

        To us today, it is another confirmation of the absolute divinity of Christ His pre-human origins—that He was the God of the Old Testament, the One who dealt with the patriarchs and prophets, the One who appeared to Moses, the One who wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger.

        What's in a name? Today, many prospective parents find names in books of names for babies; perhaps name their children after relatives, or others they have known and admired. Many are named for famous persons; many are named almost haphazardly. Humorous stories abound about families so large their frustrated parents began calling them "Al, A2, A3, " and so on. But God names things what they are. He called man Ish in Hebrew, merely meaning "Man." "Woman" was Ishah, or the one who came from Ish. "Adam" meant, literally, "red clay."

        God's names are meant to convey to us His many divine attributes; His love, mercy, patience; His kindness, gentleness, goodness; His magnificent power; His eternal character. In the Oxford Press edition of the King James Bible, with the concordance, there is a section under "Proper Names" devoted entirely to the many scriptural examples of the qualities of the divine family.

        Is your name important to you? Do you know what it means? Are you proud of your name? The word "name" conveys reputation, and quality of character. When we speak of a man having a good name, we mean a good reputation. Surely, when you name your children, their names become who they are. When we speak a name, our minds instantly give us the complete understanding of who we mean, depending on (note this well!) how well we know that person. If it is your spouse, then your usage of his or her name conveys an immediate picture of the total person. That's the way Jesus Christ wants us to address God. He wants us to come to know Him—to understand how thoroughly, how completely, God knows us!

        David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalms 139:23-24).

        When we read the Psalms, like Psalms 51, David's heartfelt prayer of repentance after the affair with Bathsheba, we come to understand why David was "a man after God's own heart." God simply loves a broken and contrite heart, a prayer of repentance, a deeply felt, sincere, personal prayer for forgiveness.

        Constantly, David exulted in the name of God. He prayed, "Bless the Lord [Hebrew: Jehovah, or Yahveh, The Eternal] O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Eternal, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things... " (Psalm 103:1-4).

        And again, "Praise ye The LORD, praise, O ye servants of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and evermore" (Psalm 113:1-2). Here, the Hebrew expression is Hallelu-Jah. Psalms 111 through 113 are known as the "Hallelujah" Psalms. Each is a moving call to prayer, praising the great name of God. The 111th is an acrostic Psalm, and includes the phrase, "Holy and reverend is His name." This is one reason I have never accepted the title "Reverend," though I am an ordained minister. The Bible says His name is holy and reverend; I doubt that any man's name is to be reverenced. There are dozens of references to God's name in the Psalms; David continually praised the name of God; thought on His great qualities of character. David is the only man in history who earned the rich accolade, "A man after God's Own Heart. " Was it because he was able to deeply repent when he had sinned; because He continually prayed to God, constructed dozens of poems set to music, praising His holy name?

        When Jesus said we should pray "Hallowed be Thy Name," He intended we know the great and holy names of God, and to know that those names and titles help us to understand God as our Father in heaven, to really come to know Him.

        The first thing we usually say to someone when we meet for the first time is, "Hello, my name is..." We then call them by name. God wants us to know His great names, to appreciate their great significance. Perhaps, after reading this brief chapter, you will be much better equipped than before to put real meaning into your prayer the next time you say, "Hallowed be Thy Name... " You might want to remember that God is our Protector, our Provider, our Banner and Shield; that He is our Life-giver; that He is our Savior. Think on His names; pray to Him directly—by name. After all, He knows who you are!