This is the last installment of Hallowed Be Thy Name. Where did God get all these names, anyways? Some come from what He said … some from what He did … and some through the prophets. I saw one list that had over 100 names of God … mostly from the Old Testament… but we are only going to look at 3 more.
Jehovah-Tsidkenu – The LORD is our Righteousness
This is from Jeremiah 23:6 (ESV) “And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’ Israel was, and still is, trying to be righteous by obeying the law of Moses… that’s over 600 laws. No one – except Jesus – can keep the whole law. Scripture tells us that“our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Who can stand before a perfectly pure, good God dressed like that! But Jesus came to take our filthiness upon Himself on the cross … to make us clean … so we can stand before Father God as clean and pure as Jesus Himself.
God knew that no one can ever become righteous by obeying the laws. If it were possible, He would have just given us another bunch of laws to obey. That certainly would have been easier than everything Jesus went through! Nope. It isn’t possible. The law shows us how much we miss the mark, but it cannot ever make us righteous. No one (except Jesus) has ever been able to keep the law. We all have broken it in big and little ways.
Thank you, Jesus! You are our Righteousness.
Jehovah-Rapha – The Lord that Heals
God doesn’t make us sick. He wants to heal, just like He wants to forgive.
Psalm 103:3 “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.”
Exodus 15:26 “He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
So, does this mean that if you get sick, you must have sinned somehow? Isaiah 53 foretold what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Let’s look at just verses 5-6.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds (stripes) we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Jesus took the punishment for our sins. All of them. That is why He died on the cross. But why was He whipped? Wasn’t crucifixion enough? He was scourged for our healing! Paying the penalty for our sins so we could have God as our Father was only part of why He died. He also wanted us whole… healed … spiritually, emotionally, and physically!
Holy is His Name – His Name is Holy
I almost missed this Name. Hallowed (Holy) is His Name.
But what exactly is Holy?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines holy as:
exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness.
On blueletterbible.com, Don Stewart (a Christian apologist and author) writes:
The Bible teaches that God is a holy God. The idea behind the concept of holiness is “separation.” It comes from a word meaning “to separate or cut off.” God is separate, or cut off, from everything that is sinful and evil-He cannot tolerate sin.
God is totally above His creation and His creatures. I think that is one reason it is hard to wrap our heads around this idea. He is so different from us. We are told that the angels around the throne of God continually cry out “Holy! Holy! Holy!” When something is repeated in Hebrew, it speaks of importance. Repeating something three times really emphasized the point.
Revelation 4:8 (NIV)
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
He is Holy… set apart … worthy of veneration and worship. He is Good. He is pure, not contaminated with … totally separate from … anything that is not good.
I John 1:5 (NIV)
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
Again, later John tells us that God is Love. His holiness… His purity means that His love is never contaminated with anything less than perfect love. He never has ulterior motives. He never, doesn’t love us… or to avoid the double negative, He always loves us.…. Even when we mess up! He never toys with us. He never does anything to harm us. His motive, his purpose is always love.
I John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
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Discussion Questions:
- Do you have trouble using God’s Name in an un-holy manner?
- Which one of these names is the most comforting to you?
- Which name of God is new to you?
- Which character trait of God do you have the most trouble believing?
- In your current situation, how does God want to reveal Himself to you? For example, as Healer … as Enough?
Prayer:
Father God, You SO want us to know You… who You are… what You are like. You are so much more than “the big guy in the sky”… or my “higher power.” You know us intimately, and You want us to know You intimately. But You, Lord, are so big… so great!
Holy Spirit, as I think about / chew on / meditate on Your names, please knit my heart to Yours. Help me to REALLY know You… as God, Savior, Friend, Lover, Lord (Boss), Helper, Counselor… and so much more.
When I’m alone, You are with me. And You’ve got my back!
When I need guidance, You are my shepherd, guiding, protecting, and speaking to me.
When I can’t see down the road, You will light the way, guide my steps, going before me…and You are already there.
You are my provider, and when I am in need, You are enough! Your supply is unlimited… You own the “cattle on a thousand hills”, and if You can take care of the lilies of the fields and the sparrows, You can take care of me,
When I feel like I don’t belong, I do, because You, Father, have known me and loved me since before the foundation of the world, and You have put me where and when You want me. I can choose You because you first chose me. I am not an accident. I belong… to You!
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