“What Does Hallowed By Thy Name” Mean?

I was thinking about this phrase this morning. “Hallowed” means purify, make holy, consecrate, venerate. The Greek word is used more times in the New Testament and is typically translated with words dealing with sanctification.

It’s curious to me that most other translations stick with “hallowed” when few know what it means. Even the NIV uses it! I imagine that’s because these words are so familiar no one wants to mess with them.

The Jewish people, in an attempt to not use the Lord’s name in vain, wouldn’t say His name. This is silly. Whatever “hallowed” means, it doesn’t mean some sanctimonious ritual action. I get the idea, if you don’t use His name then you can’t use it in vain, but still.

This reminds me more of the Parable of the Talents. The last guy, knowing his master was harsh, buried the talent and didn’t do anything. How is not using God’s name different from that?

Also interesting that the OT Law tells them not to do something with God’s name, whereas the NT says to do something with it. I find that interesting even if I have no further point!

I think the basic idea is similar with fearing God.

Names represent the person and often their character. The name of God isn’t just a title for a thing; it’s expressing who He is. If you understand who He is and His name represents who He is, then use it in a sanctified manner.

Being too afraid to use it sounds like sanctimonious legalism rather than the intent. Only use His name in ways that are consistent with who He is.

That would be my take.

David’s Anger Toward God for Killing Uzzah

2 Samuel 6 is the account of Israel bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem on a cart. Uzzah reaches out to steady it and God smites him dead.

2 Samuel 6:8 says, “And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah.” The KJV says David was “displeased.” That’s a wimpy translation of the word.

The word literally means to be hot with anger, burning anger is kindled within a person, to be incensed.

It seems to me the simplest reading is that David was angry with God. He didn’t understand, in the midst of their joy, why God would do such a drastic thing. Kind of a buzz kill.

The note on this verse in the MacArthur Study Bible says, “Probably anger directed at himself because the calamity resulted from David’s own carelessness. He was confused as to whether to carry on the transportation of the ark to Jerusalem and would not move it, fearing more death and calamity might come on him or the people.”

OK, it’s possible David’s anger was at himself, but come on! Really?

Maybe this isn’t the best example, but I get annoyed when people skip the simplest sense of words for a sanctimonious interpretation. David was human. The guy wrote about his anger quite a bit. I can’t recall one Psalm where David expressed anger at himself! Plenty where he was angry with other people and well, a little ticked at God too.

That’s the way I would interpret the verse. There’s no need to over spiritualize Bible characters and make them non-human.

Again, maybe I’m wrong, there’s a chance David wasn’t angry at God but at himself or Uzzah, or someone else. But the simplest reading sure makes it sound like he’s mad at God, and that’s the common sense direction of anger here.

I’m not saying the anger was righteous. I’m not saying that David was without sin for feeling that way, but it sure seems like that’s what’s going on.

I think David is burning in anger toward God. I think God is big enough to handle that. God was still right. David was still wrong. But ask yourself, last time it was pointed out to you that you were wrong in the midst of your happy time, did you feel a little anger toward the person who rained on your parade?!

David was angry with God. No need for dehumanizing an otherwise very emotionally expressive guy. David is human. Leave him that way.

My Resignation Sermon

The other day I put a battery in an old MP3 player because my iPod I’ve been using for 20 years finally died on me. Turns out the MP3 player was the thing I used to record my sermons back in the days I was a pastor.

Four old sermons were on it, including a rehearsal of my resignation sermon.

I resigned over two years ago now. The circumstances were a little odd as my mother was dying of cancer and had a turn for the worse the week I was scheduled to give my resignation.

One of the options was for me to record it in case I had to leave for my mom’s. I was able to deliver the sermon in person so the recording was not needed. I left right after I resigned and was at my mom’s for two months. She died three weeks after my resignation.

I completely forgot I ever made the recording. So I pushed PLAY and the memories came flooding back.

I will always be appreciative of my 21 years of pastoring. I can’t even explain how much it did for me spiritually.

I can’t explain how much it hurt either though. When I delivered this sermon to the church live, I pretty much cried through the whole thing. At the church we’re attending now, this past Sunday the sermon was about being a pastor from 1 Peter5. I teared up several times.

I clearly still have some emotions about the whole thing.

Anyway, my resignation was kind of hurried and many people were not at church the Sunday I gave it. Now that I found the recording of it, I put it online for anyone who was interested.

Some of you blog folks have read me for many years, which I appreciate. Perhaps you’d be interested too. A little glimpse into my pastoral career. Broke my heart.

Unfortunately, since the resignation was a little hurried, it surprised some people. Some thought there were nefarious things going on. There weren’t. This recording is basically what I said at church live. It’s the whole story. Nothing nefarious; just painful.

You can CLICK HERE to listen to it if you desire.

Thank you.

Jesus Allegedly Kills Again

A man in California who ran over a bicyclist with his car and then got out and stabbed him to death claims it’s ok because he is Jesus Christ.

The suspect in an interview “quoted Bible verses and said people would think differently about his alleged crimes if they knew he was the “King of Kings.”

“I have killed,” Smith said. “If they knew who I was, they would let me walk out of here. They would fulfill all my desires.”

He later claimed his victim’s death was “minuscule compared to other deaths, and claimed it was Jesus who had killed thousands of people by summoning the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that has devastated Turkey and Syria.”

So, not only is he a deranged killer, he also appears to be a Calvinist.

Drugs are involved, of course. Very sad what people do. He also has a history of mental illness.

I’ve seen people with mental illness do very weird things with their half understood religious training. Religion often makes these people worse. I’ve seen it myself in working with people. They will take half-truths and act on them as though their half understood truth is what the Bible says and that half understanding is used as justification for all manner of sin.

Even so, come quickly.

Presumption, Faith, and Good Seats

There’s a fine line between presumption and faith.

Two disciples asked Jesus if they could sit on His right and left hand in His kingdom. It’s a pretty bold ask. Usually we interpret it as being wrong, although Jesus didn’t rebuke them. He told them they didn’t know what they were talking about! But He never rebuked them.

Their timing is what gets them judged. Jesus had just told them He was going to be betrayed, beaten, crucified, and resurrected. To follow that up with requests about seating arrangements doesn’t come across well!

But still!

Jesus is the one who told them, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

Here’s two of them agreed and asking! When Jesus multiplied bread the disciples later never thought to ask Him for bread. They got rebuked for not asking!

This question reminds me of Peter asking if he could walk on water. I mean, who comes up with that? Joshua asking the sun to stand still. We look at that as tremendous faith.

Why do we bash these two for asking about good seats? I wouldn’t mind good seats in the kingdom! Why not ask?

When David ran after Bathsheba and caused all that problem, God said to him, “Why didn’t you just ask me for another wife if you wanted one?”

Here’s God telling a married man to ask Him for another wife! I mean, you can’t even justify that one with Scripture! At least the disciples asked a sensical question, even if they didn’t understand fully the implications.

We hit the disciples awful hard. We who don’t even read God’s word with attention all that regularly. We can learn from their mistakes and sins, and the Bible is open about such things for our learning. But to bash them for not understanding things is even going beyond what Jesus Christ did who was sitting there with them!

It is funny that in another Gospel it was the disciples’ mom who asked Jesus about their seats. Now that’s pretty creepy! It reminds me of sitting on the bench in high school basketball games and the kid who always sat next to me all of a sudden gets put in games. “What’s up with that?” I asked. “Oh, his mom told the coach to put him in more.”

I was a little miffed. I get the other disciples being annoyed, but yeah. I don’t know.

There’s a fine line between presumption and faith.

The Full Measure of My Joy

When people begin taking their faith seriously, when they contemplate what faith and holiness mean for their life, there is a tendency toward moroseness.

Puritans and monks come to mind. Their holiness makes them miserable, not able to enjoy anything. Separating enjoyment from sin becomes difficult. Typically the answer is found by simply not enjoying anything! Why take the chance?

But the New Testament has quite a bit to say about joy. Here’s one verse I came across today:

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”
–John 17:13

This is from Jesus’ intercessory prayer for His followers before His crucifixion. He is talking to His Father about His followers.

Jesus knows He’s about to leave the world, but while He’s still here, He has these things to say to the disciples. He says these things in the world so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

I wonder what that means? What specifically is the joy He’s referring to?

Some commentaries say it’s the joy of Jesus’ intercession. This might be what Jesus referred to in John 16:24, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

Some say it’s the joy Christ has knowing He’s about to leave the world. In John 16:22 Jesus seems to connect joy with His leaving and their joy with the fact that He will see them again. “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”

I suppose those could be part of it. I tend to think the joy is having Christ’s words. This verse is in the midst of an immediate context about God’s word. Sanctify them by Thy truth, Thy word is truth (John 17:17). He keeps talking about the word here. He even connected His words with joy back in 15:11, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Perhaps maybe an illusion to the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter that He said several times in chapters 14-16 would come after He left.

Jesus is about to go to the cross. He endured the cross for the joy set before Him. This has to be the joy of being in heaven back with the Father added to the redeeming effects of all He just accomplished down here. The cross wasn’t joyful; the results were.

“The full measure of my joy” has to be something pretty spectacular! I wish there was a tad more detail given here! Maybe it’s all this stuff, all that we have as being in Christ and Christ being in us. It’s got to be cool whatever it is!