Out Our Way: Hallowed be Thy Name - Exodus 3:13-14

Out our way, words have meaning. I am told that Saddle Butte was once called Bullhook based on a legend that the great gap in the butte was caused by a bull buffalo who just got tired of going around and tore a hole in the rock. Hence the creek that runs through what is now Havre was called Bullhook and the area of the town itself, before Jim Hill came along with the idea of building the Great Northern Ralway’s shops, was called Bullhook Bottoms. He insisted we change the name and so we became Havre, but that’s a different story.

At any rate, there is a story behind the names of places, people, and yes, of God Himself. It is interesting that God has many titles; the most common is “El” or “Elohim,” which translates simply as God. But to Moses and the people of God, instead of a title, He gave a Name. In later years, the fear of taking the Name of God in vain was so strong, that whenever it was found in the Holy Scriptures, instead of using the Name, the Rabbis would substitute the title “Adonai,” or “Lord.” Historically, Bible translations of the Old Testament have continued that tradition, and so in most of our Bibles, where the actual Name of God was originally written in the Hebrew texts, we have substituted the word “LORD.” Notice: LORD in all capital letters is where the actual Name is written in the original text. Where “Lord” (not all capital letters) is written, that is the actual word used and does not necessarily refer to God. Lord=Master, and can refer to a human ruler as well as a heavenly one.

The reason for the commandment not to misuse the Name of God goes back to an ancient belief that one could control the gods and demons by calling them by name. Recall the demons calling Jesus by name in the hopes of overpowering Him, and then Jesus reversing their attempt by demanding they give Him their names instead. Thus “Legion” was expelled. Further examples of the power of the Name are found in the New Testament as the Apostles and disciples were authorized by Christ to cast out demons and heal the sick in his name. There is power in the name and Christ’s prayer tells us to hallow it, that is, to revere it and to keep it holy.

So what is the Name of God? In Exodus, God trusts Moses and His Chosen people with the use of His Name and not one of His titles. The Name of God recorded in Hebrew is usually pronounced as “YahWeh” and may be considered more of a verb than a noun. It comes from the verb “to be” and thus is interpreted as “I Am” or “I Will Be What I Choose to Be.”  

Consider what a message is entailed in the Name. It reminds us that God does not need us to maintain His dignity or power. No one needs to worry about proving God exists, for God is regardless. Before there was our universe God was. Before the first human rose out of the dust, God was already there. Though the entire human race deny Him, He remains “I Am.” Truth is not subject to a vote or popular opinion. As John Adams, our second president, famously observed, “Facts are stubborn things.” 

You may recall that marvelous story of the Russian Priest who survived the purges by the Communists from Lenin through Stalin and to the present age, despite government, media, and academics all denying God. “Marx is dead, Lenin is dead, Stalin is dead, Krushchev is dead, and all the others. But the Church is still here.” Go online and on YouTube and you can find videos of Putin making the sign of the cross in Church and telling reporters how he was baptized in what the Soviets called “a museum,” but which the Christians still called the Holy Sanctuary of the Church.

No one can force faith — even if it is the faith of atheism — for history, sociology and even anthropology all bear witness to what some call “The God Gene.” It is built into human DNA as clearly as any other human trait, and there has never been a culture that has not had some sense of the Divine. It is an instinct common to the whole human race. I recall the missionaries in the Amazon who, when sharing the love of God through deed as well as word, found many eager new Christians. “We always knew there was Someone beyond the forest,” they told the missionaries, “but now we know Who He is.”

When I was in seminary there was a funny story about some wise guy seminarians who found the janitor of the building reading the Book of Revelation, perhaps the most difficult text in all the Scriptures. “Joe, have you any idea what that book is saying?” “Yup,” said Joe, “In the end, God wins!” Even with my Master’s and Doctorate in Theology, I am hard-pressed to offer a better commentary. “I AM.” That is not just the name of God, but the reality of God. Thanks, Joe. This old preacher still appreciates the lesson.

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Brother John Bruington and Doc can still be reached at bruingtonjohn@gmail.com. Yup, the old coot is still around and still learning and sharing.