God deserves our reverence only if he truly is the one and only God, truly is who he says he is. Satan tries his hardest to deceive the ignorant or rebellious into believing that we can define God anyway we desire and express our spirituality in any form that suits us and still gain eternal life, heaven, nirvana, or whatever. Satisfied but blind to the saving truth, they happily trundle along the wide way to hell.
But the claims of Jehovah God are exclusive and he commands us to follow no other gods but him (Exodus 20:3-6). We are also not to take his name lightly (Ex. 20:7). This means that all religions cannot coexist. Salvation can be found through no one else but Jesus(Acts 4:12). The Bible says that everyone will one day have no choice but to bow and acknowledge that Jesus, God made flesh, is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).
“Hallowed” encompasses so many things: Justice, mercy, holiness, love, wisdom, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, eternal uncreated one, almighty! The Jewish people to whom the Lord revealed himself in a special way, knew that names were very important to identity. “In Jewish thought, a name is not merely an arbitrary designation, a random combination of sounds. The name conveys the nature and essence of the thing named. It represents the history and reputation of the being named.”1
God’s name depicts the very essence of his nature. He is the eternal, uncreated God who has a history with no beginning and no end. His reputation upholds his “good name.” Practicing Jews greatly revere the name of God, fearing casual production of a tangible form of his name for fear someone might deface or destroy it.
The first name ever used for God in scripture is Elohim. “That name is a masculine plural of a word that looks feminine in the singular (Eloha) and stand for princes, judges, other gods, and other powerful beings.”2
God has many other names and each depicts some facet of his character. There is El Shaddai, the “All-sufficient One”. Some say its root means, “to heap benefits.” YHVH Tzva’ot means “Lord of Hosts,” and “hosts” refers to “a military grouping or organized array.3 Jehovah-M’Kaddesh means, “God who sanctifies.” Jehovah-jireh means, “God who provides.” Jehovah-rophe translates into, “God who heals” and God is also Jehovah-shalom, the “God of peace.”4
There are things in life for which we show deep respect because what they represent is of great value and deserves our reverence. Patriotic Americans so honor the stars and stripes that they won’t let their flag touch the ground. We revere God’s name because of who he is, because of his inherent worth, his incredible love and the beauty and worth that inspire our awe, reverence, love and obedience.
Proverbs 22:1 says that a good name is to be more desired than riches. We can be assured that God’s name is both trustworthy and rich with meaning and we will never be disappointed.
1”The Name of G-d” Judaism 101 Available at http://www.jewfaq.org/name.htm
2 Ibid
3 Ibid
4 “30 Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God” The Navigators Available at https://www.navigators.org/Tools/Discipleship%20Resources/Tools/30%20Days%20of%20Praying%20the%20Names%20and%20Attributes%20of%20God?APCode=E294&gclid=CjwKEAjwj92_BRDQ-NuC98SZkWYSJACWmjhl9BITbfRU7T02h6pcTf10xotT8mUdi2VHIL5996AUMhoCFEfw_wcB
Living in the Son 