HONORING GOD’S NAME
(Mal 1:6-2:2)
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Introduction: We are in the midst of a study of the Lord’s Prayer and the principles that we can learn about our praying from the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Tonight we turn our attention to the very first petition of the prayer—“Hallowed be thy name.” It is significant that the very first thing we are told to pray about is God’s name. At the top of our prayer list stands a concern for the name and glory of God.
First, consider some basics. Throughout Scripture names were always important. Names often stood for the character of the one they represented. When a person’s life changed direction, often they received a new name. Cf. Abraham, Jacob. In this context, “the name of God” means more than the proper name or label for God. A person’s name, especially that of a king or ruler, stood for the authority of that person. This is same notion in the Great Commission when Jesus tells his disciples to baptize new disciples “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” The term name stands for more than just a word. Behind it lies all the honor, glory, and dominion of God.
God’s personal name, as we learned in our last studies, is YHWH, Yahweh, or Jehovah. At the burning bush, the LORD identified himself as the “I AM,” the self-existing one, the one not dependent on anyone or anything else (Exodus 3). He is not just any old god. He is different and distinct from the imaginary gods of the nations. He wants those who pray to him to know him personally and individually. He is a God who identifies himself in terms of those who rely upon him. He is the “God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
The term “hallowed” means to make holy, or unique, or special. It is related to other biblical terms such as holiness, saints, sanctification, or sanctuary. Each carries the idea of something that is given special treatment because of the special purpose to which it has been dedicated. One of the most helpful illustrations of “holy” that I have heard compares it to your toothbrush. Your toothbrush is special and important to you because of the unique purpose to which it has been dedicated. You wouldn’t take kindly to anyone using your toothbrush for a different purpose. You might even have another toothbrush around the house, one used to clean shoes or another to polish the terminals on your car battery. You wouldn’t want the three confused. Imagine your reaction if your youngster comes in and announces that he has just brushed the dog’s teeth with your brush!
In a similar manner, anything in the Bible that is holy has been dedicated for a special purpose and therefore is deserving of special treatment. To pray that God’s name be made holy is to acknowledge that it is unique and special. God’s name is not to be treated as common or everyday. To pray the Lord’s Prayer is to be consumed by that concern.
This first petition of the Lord’s Prayer stands in direct relationship to the Third Commandment, “Thou shall not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.” What we wouldn’t want to do personally, we want to be taboo for the entire universe. Our passion is that God receives the honor that is due him, that we, nor anyone else, treat him as trivial or unimportant. What is important to us, we pray about.
A basic principle of Bible study is what is often termed the “analogy of Scripture.” This simply means that Scripture is best understood in light of other Scripture. Scripture is its own best commentary. I want to propose that the Old Testament book of Malachi provides a good explanation of what both the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer and the Third Commandment are all about. Did you note how many times in our text the theme of the name of God and honoring it surfaced?
A bit of background is in order. Malachi is one of the last books of the Old Testament to be written. About four hundred years or so before the time of Christ, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were called of God to challenge the faith of the settlers returning to Jerusalem from the Babylonian Captivity. When Babylon fell to Persia, the Jews were eventually allowed to return from exile. But the task of rebuilding their homeland was a lot harder than they had anticipated. Eventually, the settlers became dispirited. They called into question the faithfulness of God. If he were truly concerned about them, then he would have blessed them more, so they thought.
But the prophets reminded the Jews of their unfaithfulness. God had always kept his end of the covenant. But they hadn’t. Time and time again, they had turned from his Word. Each time God would call them back and give them another opportunity to walk in his blessings.
Malachi begins with God’s answer to the accusation that he didn’t truly love the Jews. Malachi 1:2-5 focuses on the choice of Jacob over Esau centuries before. Esau, or Edom, was a wasteland. Compared to that, the land of the Jews was a paradise. How could they possibly question God’s grace and love? Again and again, Malachi tells the people that God has blessed them and will. But if they turn from him, they cannot expect continued blessings. They can expect swift and certain judgment.
In the midst of this discussion lies a concern for the name of God. If the Jews wanted the blessings of God, they needed to be concerned for the honor of God’s name. If they dishonored his name, then they could not expect his blessings. Here is where Malachi has much to teach us. If at the top of our prayer list is a concern that God’s Name be Hallowed, then we must understand the ways in which our lives can contradict our prayers. Something is dreadfully wrong if our prayers and our lives are headed in two totally different directions. If we truly want God’s name honored/hallowed it will show up in other areas than prayer closet.
In Malachi, honor for God’s name took four different forms:
God’s Name should be hallowed in our worship. Did you hear the concern of our text? The priests of Jerusalem had defiled God’s name in worship. They had shown and brought contempt upon it. How? By offering sacrifices that were less than what God had commanded and even less than they would have dared offer in tribute to a king. They had acted as if worshipping God was trivial or unimportant. They could rationalize away their second best behavior because God’s Name was no longer central in their lives. Listen again to the prophet’s charge.
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, ’How have we shown contempt for your name?’ {7} "You place defiled food on my altar. "But you ask, ’How have we defiled you?’ "By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. {8} When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty. {9} "Now implore God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?"--says the LORD Almighty. {10} "Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD Almighty, "and I will accept no offering from your hands. {11} My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty. {12} "But you profane it by saying of the Lord’s table, ’It is defiled,’ and of its food, ’It is contemptible.’ {13} And you say, ’What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty. "When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD. {14} "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations. (Mal 1:6-14 NIV)
You do understand that in the New Testament all followers of Jesus are priests of God (cf. 1 Peter 2). This principle of the “priesthood of believers” means that we all share a duty to bring honor to God’s name in the way we worship. Worship is not primarily about us, what we want, what we like, or what we can get out of it. Worship is about honoring God’s name. It is about asking, what does God want out of this?
Any time worship is a matter of convenience, or tradition, or personal preference, it has ceased to be about God’s Name. There the lies the problem with many of the battles that lots of church are having over the style of worship music. It is all about personal wants and little about holy worship.
The abuse of the Lord’s Table in 1 Corinthians 10-11 provides a similar illustration. Believers fought instead of fellowshipping at communion because “they” were the center of attention, not God. To “hallow God’s Name” is to put him at the center of our worship. To do less is to bring dishonor upon him—and ourselves.
Malachi illustrates another way to dishonor God’s name. By contrast, it provides insight into what it means to pray that God’s name would be hallowed or made unique and special. Our God is either honored or dishonored by our words. Listen again to the prophet:
(Mal 2:7-9 NIV) "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction--because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty. {8} But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi," says the LORD Almighty. {9} "So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law."
Contrast this with what God had intended to come from the lips of his priests: (Mal 2:5-6 NIV) "My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. {6} True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.”
Make no mistake about it, our words have a powerful impact on the name of God. James reminds of the power of the tongue—for good or evil. He cautions against words that contradict our prayers: "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. {10} Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. {11} Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? {12} My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." (James 3:9-12)
Paul paints a graphic picture of an abusive tongue that casts dishonor on the God we claim to serve: "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. {26} "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, {27} and do not give the devil a foothold. {28} He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. {29} Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. {30} And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. {31} Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. {32} Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Eph 4:25-32)
That Third Commandment which parallels so much of this First Petition is also about the dangers of the tongue.
Conclusion to Part I: If we pray the way Jesus taught, we must start with a righteous concern for the name of God. We must want it honored and given its rightful place of distinction and respect in the world. If that is to happen, it will begin when we are concerned about praying for it are also concerned about living that way.
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
