The Lord's Prayer (Pt. 2)

 

[Jesus said] “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13 ESV).

 

Hallowed is not a common word in our current vocabulary of 21st Century English. It was much more common in Elizabethan times when the Lord’s Prayer was translated into English. The word means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered. In modern use, it can refer to long held traditions or significant locations (ie.: Gettysburg, cemeteries, and universities). ‘Hallowed’ can be traced back to the Old English word hālig meaning “holy”. Of course, the holiday of Halloween comes from “All Hallows Eve’” or the day before All Saints’ Day. In the Bible, the Hebrew word translated as ‘hallowed’ is qadhash, meaning to set apart or consecrate or the Greek work is hagiazo with essentially the same meaning of making holy, consecrating, or sanctifying. 

 

The phrase “Hallowed be your Name” (v. 9) might be a bit confusing at first glance. It does not indicate that we attempting to sanctify or consecrate the name of God. It is a part of the entire opening salutation of the prayer. We are addressing “Our Father, in heaven” and acknowledging that the very Name of God the Father is holy. The word embraces the idea of marked separateness. Crandell suggests that “To ‘hallow the name’ includes not only the inward attitude and outward action of profound reverence and active praise, but also that personal godliness, loving obedience and aggressive Christlikeness, which reveal the presence of God in the life, which is His true earthly glory.” Matthew Henry's Commentary notes, “In these words, we give glory to God…as an adoration; as that, the Lord be magnified, or glorified, for God's holiness is the greatness and glory of all his perfections.”  So, we are not trying to make God holier, instead we are acknowledging that God is indeed the source of all holiness. 

 

We must remember there is a greater emphasis placed on a person’s name in Jesus’ day than ours. We take for granted that character, integrity, and often position is attached to our names. However, when people hear our name, they immediately think of who we are. The same is true in making this declaration toward God. We are saying, “I know you are Holy. I know who you are.”