The Lord’s Prayer

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Hallowed Be Thy Name”

“Hallowed be Thy name” is the first of the seven petitions in the Lord’s Prayer. It concerns the reverence due His holy name. As God Himself is holy, so is His name. We pray that we may hallow that holy name, hold it in reverence.

 

In Old Testament times, a name generally mirrored some outstanding characteristic in the person named. Thus, Jacob earned his name because of the unreliability of his character. Genesis 27:36. He had difficulty telling the truth. After his experience with the angel (Genesis 32:28), God changed his name from Jacob, a deceiver, to Israel, an overcomer.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, before the birth of her son was commanded, “Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. Jesus, Savior, was to be His name, for He should save His people.

If God’s name is to signify all that He is, it must be a special name. And it is. God Himself chose it as the summation of all His attributes, an expression of His total being and eternal existence, the Almighty, the One “which is, and which was, and which is to come.” Revelation 1:4.

Moses had been chosen by God as leader of Israel. As such, it would be his work to go to Egypt, where Israel was in bondage, and persuade the king to let them go. He was also to gather Israel together and persuade them to go. Both of these missions were hard ones, and Moses hesitated to accept this work. He was unknown to the Israelites, having left Egypt forty years before, and he knew if would be a Herculean task to persuade a whole nation to leave all their property and start on a journey that would bring them into a barren desert. He felt that he must have divine credentials, or he could never succeed. So he said to God, “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 SM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:13,14. In the next verse, God explains further. 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 forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.” Verse 15.

This is indeed a strange name; but it is the name God Himself chose. It is His name forever, and His memorial unto all generations. It denotes the Ever-living One, the Self-existing One, the One who always has been and always will be. The original Hebrew word is JHVH, -- Hebrew was originally written without vowel sounds, -- and this name was probably pronounced YAHWEH, from which we get the word Jehovah. The word YAHWEH occurs thousands of times in the Old Testament, and in the American Revised Version is always translated Jehovah, while the King James Version translates it Lord God, written in small capitals. When the reader finds Lord God in his Authorized Version, he may know that the original is Jehovah, God’s self-chosen name, the I AM.

 

This name was counted so sacred by the Jews that it was never pronounced by them. Not only did they not pronounce it, they were even forbidden to think it. When they came to it in their reading, publicly or privately, they substituted in its stead ADONAI.

 

The name Jehovah becomes of interest to us as we learn that commentators in general hold that Jehovah in the King James Version is the name of the Second Person of the Godhead, Christ. The I AM who told Moses that this was His name forever, is the same who calmly told the Jews that He was the I AM. John 8:58. “It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, ‘I AM THAT I AM.” When Christ with solemn dignity told the Jews, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM,” silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He  announced Himself to be the Self-existent One. He who had been promised to Israel, ‘whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.’ “Then took they up stones to cast at Him.” John 8:59.

 

This was not the only time that Christ claimed to be the I AM. One time when the disciples saw Christ walking on the water, they cried out in fear, thinking they saw a spirit. Mark 6:47-50.Christ calmed them by saying, “Be of good cheer: is I; be not afraid.” Verse 50. The Greek reads, “Be of good cheer. I AM.” “And the wind ceased.” Verse 51.

 

The name I AM stands for the revealed character of God. This is made clear in God’s answer to Moses’ request that he be shown His glory. Exodus 33:18. Said God, “I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.” Verse 19.

Accordingly, “the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:5-7.

 

The Lord did not proclaim to Moses a name as such. He let His “goodness” pass before him, and that was His name. He told Moses what He was, naming His attributes, His character, His inmost self, His complete personality. That is His name. In effect, God said, “What I AM, that is My name. In addition, this He summed up in the Hebrew word YAHWEH, or Jehovah, I AM THAT I AM, or as some translate, I AM WHAT I AM. What God is, that is His name

Christ is the great I AM, that “ever liveth,” “the Prince of life,” “Spirit of life.” Hebrews 7:25; Acts 3”15; Romans 8:2. With Him there “is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17. He is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 That is why His name is I AM. When we think of the past, of the days of Abraham, there is the I AM; or if we thing of the future, the “forever,” there is the I AM also. He ever liveth

For another reason than that mentioned above, the name of God becomes of special interest to the church of God today; for as John looked, “lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.” Revelation 14:1, R.S.V. this means that they had the character of God impressed upon them.

 

This name is that which was revealed to Moses when God came down on Mount Sinai and let His goodness pass before him and proclaimed the name of the Lord. Exodus 34:4-7. In view of this, it may be profitable to look a little more closely at the attributes listed, for, as far as these attributes are applicable to mankind, the 144,000 will possess them. This is a high honor and a high responsibility.

In this first petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we express our desire to keep holy and sacred the name of God. Strange that this name should be the one which the world most misuses and take in vain! God’s name is dragged in the filth and slime of obscene curses and oaths and is coupled with Satan’s name in blasphemy. We cannot at all times shut ourselves of hearing this, but we can be warned not to get so accustomed to hearing foul language that it ceases to shock us.

 

As we are commanded to keep holy the Sabbath day, so we are admonished to hallow God’s name, for “holy and reverend is His name.” Psalm 111:9. When we become Christians, we are adopted as members of the family of God and take His name upon us. This name we are not to take in vain; we are not to profane it or bring it in ill repute. Most families are jealous of their reputation and their good name, and guard it carefully from becoming identified with anything that is questionable. God also is jealous of His name and His family.

We must not lower the standard which God has set for His people and which He has made possible of attainment by the abundant provision He has made for man to live above sin. But we wish to encourage those who find themselves coming short of their intentions, or who have been taught that the goal is unattainable. Let such be of good cheer. “A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” Proverbs 24:16. The steps of a good man are ordered by he Lord: and he delighteth in His way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.” Psalm 37:23,24.

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“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.” Micah 7:8. God recons as perfect those who may yet be far from the end of the race, but whose heart is perfect toward Him, who are on the right road and facing in the right direction. They are struggling on, but appear to make little progress. God looks in pity upon them, and though they fall seven times, He will lift them up and cheer them on. It is not necessarily, how far a man has come that counts. It is the direction in which he is going that matters. Hear these heartening words: “When it is in the heart to obey God, when efforts are put forth to this end, Jesus accepts this disposition and effort as man’s best service, and He makes up for the deficiency with his own divine merits.”

God admonishes His people to be holy. Leviticus 19:2. He told Abraham to be perfect. Genesis 17:1. He calls Noah perfect. Genesis 6:9. It is evident that the perfection or holiness, which these men had or strove for, was not the final perfection of God or of the saints in glory.

 

It is possible for a thing or a person to be perfect and yet not perfected. “The bud is perfect,” says Isaiah. Isaiah 18:5. So are the seed, the newborn lamb, and the acorn. These things are perfect in every state of development, but full perfection awaits the time of ripening. An apple from the time of the first bloom may be perfect though it is yet green and unfit for food. When at last it is ripe, it is perfected.

 

Paul informed us that he had not “already attained, either were already perfect.” Philippians 3:12. He had not reached the goal he had set for himself. But “I press toward the mark,” he said. Verse 14. Then, having in mind those who with him were pressing forward, he said, “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.” Verse 15. In verse 15, by the use of the word “us,” he included himself in those who claim perfection.

 

In these verses, Paul exemplified the Biblical use of the word perfect. God counts those perfect who press on and are “thus minded.” “If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” 2 Corinthians 8:12. According to this principle, we are admonished to go on “perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Corinthians 7:1. The man who is on the right road will at last be counted as having attained, even though he was yet far from perfection.

The prayer “Hallowed be Thy name” is a prayer of consecration, a prayer for purity and holiness. It is the first petition in the Lord’s Prayer and thus gives holiness its rightful place. It calls upon men to dedicate themselves to God, to be jealous of His holy name, as they become members of the family of God.

 

“Thy Kingdom Come”

The kingdom of God for which we are to pray includes three distinct ideas:

1.      The kingdom of God on earth, His visible church, consisting of those who have willingly enlisted under His banner. Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9.

2.      The kingdom of God “within you,” the invisible kingdom, consisting of all honest believers anywhere, without regard to church affiliation. Luke 17:21.

3.      The kingdom of heaven, when “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ.” Matthew 8:11; 2 Timothy 4:18; Revelation 11:15.

 

Christ’s preaching concerned itself almost entirely with the “gospel of the kingdom,” which might mean any one of the three named, or all three, as the context indicates.

In the beginning of His ministry, Christ “came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Mark 1:14,15. “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom.” Matthew 9:35; 4:23.the people in a certain place asked Him to stay with them, He declined to do so, saying, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also.” Luke 4:42,43.

 

The disciples followed the lead of their Master. When He sent out the Twelve He commanded them “to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:2. When He sent out the seventy, they received this commission: “Say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” Luke 10:9. It is of note but when Christ said that the gospel is to be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations, He designated it as “this gospel of the kingdom.” Matthew 24:14. Christ considered the gospel of the kingdom so important that He put it fist on the list of that for which men shall seek. Said He, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things hall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:31-33.

When Pilate asked Christ, “Art Thou the King of the Jews?” He answered, “My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:33,36. When Pilate pressed Him further,

”Art Thou a king then? Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king,” an affirmative reply. Christ was a king, but His kingdom was not of this world.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s,” says David, but the earth hath He given to the children of men.” Psalms 115:16. When the earth was given to Adam, he became, under God, its ruler. When man sinned and came under the dominion of sin, Satan promptly claimed the earth as his and felt emboldened to offer it to Christ on condition of submission and worship. Showing Christ “All the kingdoms of the world, and the glory pf them,” Satan said, “All these things will I give Thee if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8,9. Satan had assumed charge of this earth, had become its prince, and taken men captive. Christ had come to wrest this dominion from Satan, liberate the prisoners, and establish His own kingdom. Satan understood this, and his first plan was to win over Christ and, if this failed, to tempt and torture Him in an effort to discourage Him from finishing His work. Unless in some way he could overcome Christ, he knew that his own doom was sealed.

 

Christ also knew what was at stake. If He failed, all would be lost. Satan would then have undisputed control, and this world would be his kingdom. Once before, Satan had claimed control over the earth when, as a self-appointed representative from this world, he met with the sons of God as recorded in the book of Job. When God pointed to Job as the true representative, Satan sneeringly answered, “Doth Job fear God for nought? Put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.” Job 1:9-11. In the test that ensued, Job on, and Satan retired defeated.

 

Once more Satan tried it, and again he was defeated. After this he appears no more in the book. Job stood the test. Satan was not God’s representative. Job was. From any human viewpoint, Christ’s task was impossible. Having taken on the nature of man, how could He ever expect to cope with the powers of darkness? His plan was to win men from the army of Satan, deliver them from the power of darkness, and translate them into the kingdom of heaven. See Colossians 1:13. This would necessitate that Christ attack the stronghold of Satan, who as a “strong man fully armed guardeth his won court.” Luke 11:21.

If Christ was  “to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house” (Isaiah 42:7), He would have to enter the prison house Himself and become subject to death; but having in His possession the keys of hell and of death (Revelation 1:18), He would open the prison door, walk out, and take with Him those who wished to be liberated.

 

This is the very thing He did. At the time of His death “the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the Holy City, and appeared unto many.” Matthew 27:52,53. Thus, it was possible for Christ through death to “destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Hebrews 2:14,15.

As stated above, it was Satan’s plan to get Christ to sin, if that were possible, for He would thus come under Satan’s control. Satan did his best in the temptation in the wilderness, but did not succeed. He did his best all through the time of the ministry of Christ, but again he failed. He tried it again in Gethsemane, but found no foothold whatsoever. Said Christ, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. Christ repelled every dart thrown at Him, resisted every temptation. Successfully He challenged the Jews, “Which of you convinceth Me of sin?” and there was no answer. John 8:46.


As the climax in the life of Christ approached, the time which Jesus called “your hour, and the power of darkness,” (Luke 22:53), when He single-handed and alone, should enter the domain of death and wrest from Satan “the captives of the mighty” (Isaiah 49:25), His humanity shrank from the magnitude and apparent impossibility of the task. John gives us a glimpse of the inner struggle of Jesus when he quoted Him as saying, “Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour; but for this cause came I unto this hour.” John 12:27.

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