Far be it from You

Imagine you are a lawyer. Your client has just been convicted of a crime. The jury has pronounced him guilty. The judge is now weighing in his mind what sentence to pass. Will he throw the book at your client, or will he show some mercy? You have one chance to plead for mercy, to try and convince the judge to let your client off easy. What arguments are you going to use?

What pops first into my mind is to talk about the newly convicted criminal. To tell the judge how much a long sentence will hurt him and his family. I would try to portray him as not really bad inside, that somehow his recent crime is not truly indicative of his character.

Now suppose that the judge is God himself and he is threatening your client with judgement and destruction? How do you plead for mercy then? That is the situation we find in a number of places in the Old Testament, and the plea made by the advocate in each of these does not revolve around the sinner, but rather around God's character and reputation.

Genesis 18:20-26
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah have become horribly corrupt, full of perversion, violence and wickedness. God is weighing whether or not to destroy them for their sin. But first he visits Abraham and gives him a chance to intercede. What does Abraham say to God? "Spare these poor people! They aren't really so bad. They had a tough childhood. I am sure they will be nicer in the future." No. Here is what Abraham says,

Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are 50 righteous people within the city? Far be it from you to do such a thing to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked. Far be it from you! Shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?

He then goes on to urge God to spare the cities if there are even less than 50 righteous people until he gets down to ten.

Abraham's argument goes like this: We know that most of fhe people in Sodom are wicked, but there might be some that are not, who do not deserve the judgement that the rest do. It would be unjust to treat them the same as the rest. We also know that you, God, are righteous, you are the judge of all the earth and always judge and act righteously. Therefore, if there are any good people in the city, please spare all for their sake. The center of Abraham's plea is that God be true to his righteous character. Even when bringing judgement on a whole people, God will do it justly and righteously. Abraham seems horrified, not just at the impending destruction of the cities, but at the prospect that God would sully his own name, that he might act contrary to his character. "Far be it from you!"

I am sure that Abraham was concerned for the life of his nephew, Lot, who was, hopefully, one of the 10-50 people righteous people in the cities whose presence would save them. But Abraham seems at least equally concerned with God's character and reputation.

In the end, not even ten righteous people are found in Sodom. But God does answer the heart of Abraham's prayer. Though there are not enough righteous people to spare the sinners from judgement, God does not "put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked," but he goes to great lengths to save Lot, the one righteous man found.

Now this may seem a lot of fuss over a small passage. And I might not of paid much attention to it, except that it is the first of many that exhibit the same pattern, as we shall see next time when we look at Moses.

Reputation

"What is in a name?"
Romeo & Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

"But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed."
Othello Act 3, Scene 3

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold."
Prov. 22:1

So it seems that when Jesus told us to pray, "Hallowed by Your name" he was showing a concern for God's reputation, honor and glory. But what is this thing "reputation?" Why is it important?

Information, not you.

Your "name", your reputation, is not you, yourself. It is information about you. It consists of how others think about you, what they say about you, and what they write about you. Nowadays it includes information stored in computer databases. One very important part of your reputation is information about you how you handle money and ebt which is compiled into your credit report.

Deeds, not words.

What really affects your reputation is not what you say about yourself, but what you do. If you tell me you are honest, that does not affect what I think about you near as much as knowing you have demonstrated honesty. Often I do not have direct experience with your choices, so I have to depend on others who do know you, who have observed your actions over time. That is why .we ask for references.  If I apply for a loan, the bank doesn't spend much time asking me if I plan to pay them back. Rather they consult my credit report, a record of my past actions regarding money. But reputation is not just a list of past actions. Just as a credit agency will sum up all my financial history into a single score, so we sum up all we know about a person's actions.and choices into a judgement regarding their character.

So when God wanted to show humanity what he is like, he did not just give us a list of his character qualities. Rather he entered into relationships with a number of people. They got to know him firsthand. They learned by word and experience what God is like, what he values, his ways and his heart. Then they wrote down, both a record of their dealings with this God, and their summary judgement of his character and nature.

Look at Psalms 105 and 106.  The psalmist recounts God's actions in bringing the Hebrews out of Egypt(105) and disciplining them afterwards (106), all to illustrate the judgement that:

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" Psa. 106:1

This is a major reason why the Bible exists, not only to show us how to be saved or teach us the moral law, but to reveal God's character, to honor his name.

Not always true.

Because your reputation is not the same as yourself, it may be wrong. The ideas others have about you may not accurately describe your choices or your character. There is a neighbor who won't talk to you and keeps giving you dirty looks. You finally find out why. It turns out that he heard some old falsehood about you and has gotten the wrong idea regarding your character. Or the story was actually about someone else. Or maybe what they heard was true, but it was out of context and interpreted wrongly. You need to clear your name with them. Of course the opposite mistake can happen. Because of lies and missing information we think someone is a good, trustworthy person, when actually they are the opposite. A credit report may have wrong information on it, and it can be kind of a pain, though really important, to get it corrected.

All these same things can and do happen with God's reputation, his name. Lies are told about him, false judgements are made. Evil things others did are credited to him. Actions he did out of love, are considered cruel and vindictive.

The Family Name

Another source of reputation, besides our own actions, are the actions and choices of those associated with us. That is why children are warned against doing things that would sully the family name, and status-conscious teens are careful not to be seen hanging out with "uncool" kids. Think what could happen to your credit rating if you co-sign on a friend's loan application. Doing so would be lending them your name.

The same applies to God. The actions of God's people reflect back on his name, his reputation. As in Romans 2:23-24 "You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, 'The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.'" What we do in God's name reflects back on his name.

But not only do our actions reflect on God's name, but his name and reputation reflect back on us.

Ps. 69:7-9
For it is for your sake [Lord] that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons. For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

God and his people are joined together. The name, glory, and reputation of one affects the other. We will, someday, share totally in his glory, and we do share in it somewhat now. But now, just as God is dishonored by our actions, so we too share in the dishonor that God has among the nations.

As our reputation can be shared with someone else, so it can be taken, stolen. People can say they are doing something "in my name", when I never was told about it. When someone uses my credit history as their own, we call it identity theft. Jesus warned about people stealing his own reputation and authority when he said, "Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray." (Mark 13:6) if we do something "in Jesus' name" that he does not approve of, isn't this the real meaning of "taking the Lord's name in vain"?

So what?

Why do we care about reputation? Why all this effort to find out about people's and God's past actions? Because we want to predict the future. We need to know what to expect from others in our relationships with them. We may be loaning someone money, hiring an employee, entering into marriage, or trusting someone to change our life and save our eternal soul. In all these cases a person is promising us something. We need to know that they can fulfill those promises. But more Important than their ability, is their character. Not "can they do it", but "will they"? Are they honest and trustworthy? Do they place any value on keeping their word? Do they care about me, even love me? Or are they only looking out for their own interests, and even if so, are they honest about what those interests are?

Reputation matters because actions and choices reveal character, and character does not often change. In fact how changeable you are is an important part of your character. In Christian evangelism we are trying to convince people to put their faith in God. But do we show them that he is faithful? You can't trust God, especially with your soul, your life, if you do not think he is trustworthy,

I am believe that many people who reject a belief in God, do so because something in their experience convinced them that if he exists, then he is evil. Maybe it was a tragedy, a so-called "act of God". Maybe someone associated with God, a professed Christian or a whole church, hurt them or did something they judged as evil. And though, I guess, it is possible to intellectually affirm that an evil god exists, it makes a pretty horrible world-view, and it is impossible to trust, have faith, in such a god. It is far easier to deny his existence.

Next time I'll jump back to the Old Testament and we will see this same concern among God's people there.

(“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”)

Hallowed Be Thy Name - what does it mean?

We have seen that "hallowed be your name" is a request, and that it is a request for something to happen, or to be, on earth that is already accomplished in heaven.

But what does "hallowed be your name" mean? Let's break it down this way: What does "hallowed" mean? Then what does "name" mean, especially the Father's name? and then what does it mean when we put them together?

Except for reciting the Lord's Prayer we hardly ever use the verb "to hallow" nowadays. "Hallow" means to make something holy,  The exact same Greek verb and verb form is used at the end of Rev. 22:11 "Let the evildoer still do evil, ... and the holy still be holy." So a more literal translation of "Hallowed be thy name" could be "let your name be holy."

What does "holy" mean? This an important word and i can only scratch the surface here. "Holy" means, first of all, to be set apart. Consecrate, sanctify and dedicate are all words with close meanings to "hallow". We hallow a piece of ground when we erect a memorial on it or turn it into a cemetery. (Remember Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.) We hallow a building when we turn it into a church. Holiness is, first and foremost, attributed to God. Or it might be better to say that God's nature defines what holiness is. But not only God is holy. That which belongs to God, what is dedicated to him, is also holy. So the temple is holy, and God's people, Israel and the Church, are holy. In fact in the New Testament, the word for Christians, "Saints", is just another form of the word "holy", so Paul often addresses his letters to all the "holies" in a certain city.

But then what does "name" mean, particularly "Our Father's name"? You might think that after dealing with "hallowed", "name" would be easy, but here is where things get interesting. In older, more traditional societies, names are not just tags to identify people, but they also tell something about the person. Often, when a major event happened in a person's life, they would change their name to reflect that. That happens a number of places in the Bible.

When the New Testament uses the term "name" applied to Jesus or God, there is a continuum of meanings these terms can signify. At one end of the spectrum is that it means simply God or Jesus himself. In these sentences you can replace "the name of God" with simply "God" without changing the meaning. For example:

• Act 2:21 everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, (calls on the Lord).
• Heb. 6:10 by serving the saints you show love for God's name, (show love for God).

If we use this sense in "Hallowed be thy name" we get: "may you, heavenly Father, be holy." But that doesn't make sense as a prayer, a petition. It is like praying, "God, be omnipotent."

Another meaning for "the Lord's name" is the truth about the Lord, his works and his character, and the proclamation of that truth.  Examples are:

• John 17:6 I (Jesus) have manifested your (the Father‚Äôs) name to the disciples.
• Acts 9:15 Paul will carry Jesus' name before the Gentiles.
• Acts 26:9 Paul thought he should oppose the name of Jesus.

If we use this sense in "Hallowed be thy name" we get something like: "may the truth about you, Father, and its proclamation, be set apart, held in honor." A fine sentiment, but a bit incoherent.

A third meaning is a title, position or honor.

• Phil. 2:9-10 God gave Jesus the name that is above every name. 
• Heb. 1:4 Jesus has inherited a name superior to the angels.

I am not sure what it would mean to "make holy" the name, the position of authority, that Jesus has from the Father. Unless it would refer to how people view Jesus' name. Which brings us to the last shade of meaning of "name":

The fourth way "the Lord's name" is used is to mean reputation, how other's talk and think about the person. Do they view his character as good or bad? This is the meaning we find in Proverbs 22:1, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches." This is also the meaning for "name" that I believe is appropriate in the Lord's prayer.

• Acts 19:17 name of Jesus was extolled (after sons of Sceva) 
• Rom. 2:24 name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of Jews breaking God‚Äôs commands.
• Rom. 9:17 God raised up Pharoah that God‚Äôs name might be proclaimed in all the earth
• 2 Thes. 1:11-12 Pray to God to make you worthy of his calling ‚Ķ so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him. 
• 1Tim 6:1 slaves honor their masters so that the name of God may not be reviled.
• James 2:7 the rich blaspheme the honorable name by which we are called.

Now let us put this together. A literal use of my definitions turns "Hallowed be thy name" into "may your (the Father's) reputation be holy, set apart," or "may you be known as holy." Note that in this sense, a name, even God's name, can be honored or reviled. A good reputation can be won or lost. From a human perspective it is still an open question whether God's name will be hallowed or not.

Here are a few translations of this passage, that also do not follow the traditional wording:

May your name always be kept holy. (New Century Version)
May your holy name be honored; (Good News Translation)
May your name be honored (New Living Translation)
Your name be honored as holy. (Holman Christian Standard)
Hallowed (kept holy) be Your name. (Amplified)
Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. (The Message)

So Jesus commanded us to pray that the Father's name be held sacred, that God's reputation and honor would be upheld. That instead of his character being blasphemed and reviled, it would be praised, honored, known and spoken of as it truly is: pure, faithful, loving and just.

Next time I will look a little more at the idea of "name" or "reputation" and see how it applies to God and why God should care what we think about him.