Defending God's Name (Ezekiel 36:16-38; LD 47)
Misunderstanding "Hallowed" in the Lord’s Prayer
The phrase “Hallowed be thy name” from the Lord’s Prayer can be misunderstood, especially by those who may have grown up with various pronunciations or misconceptions surrounding the word “hallowed”. For some, like those growing up in regional dialects, say, New Jersey, it might have sounded like “hollow,” leading to the question: “Why would we worship a God who is hollow?” You see this would mea that God is empty, he is nothing, and this would mean he is powerless. Of course, the true meaning of hallow is the opposite of hollow: to hallow is to make holy, to honor and revere the name of God, and not to rob it of substance.
Why Pray for God’s Name to Be Made Holy?
At first glance, it might seem unnecessary, or even odd, to pray that God’s name would be made holy since God is already holy and does not need to be “upgraded” by our human effort. The Catechism reminds us that the request is actually about our perspective: asking that God's holiness would shine forth in us and through us, so that his power, wisdom, kindness, justice, mercy, and truth are recognized and praised among humanity. Holy attributes in humans are always developing; in God, they are perfect and complete. We are asking to be aligned with his purpose. It is that we have a clear view of God, and we conform to his truth.
Wrestling With God’s Reputation
We could hastily examine Ezekiel 36 and wrongly judge God by thinking that his concern for his own name is petty or self-absorbed, especially when his people profane it and he disciplines them. We might think that he is a being looking to randomly smite people so they know his name. Instead, the story reveals God’s patience and his ultimate commitment to both justice and mercy. The text illustrates Israel’s repeated failures and God’s response. God is not a mean or flippant tyrant, but a just parent intent on correction for the good of the child. Throughout biblical history, as Moses’ intercession indicates, God’s reputation reflects his trustworthiness, power, and goodness to the watching world.
The Beauty of Vindication and Cleansing
When God promises to vindicate his name, he does not limit Himself to just punishment, but he shows His redeeming mercy. Ezekiel 36 connects this vindication with God’s promise to gather, cleanse, and renew his people. He will fulfill this promise even after they have been scattered and their hearts have grown cold. This cleansing involves more than external actions: God pledges to give a new heart and a new spirit in the place of the stone one. You see, God does not simply demand loyalty but enables it by his own transformative power. The imagery draws on priestly rituals of purification but points forward to a deeper renewal, so that God’s people truly desire to do his will.
God’s Holiness: Threat or Comfort?
So, hallowing God’s name shows a central theme: the holiness of God is not meant to be intimidating or distance his people, but his holiness is ultimately consoling for his people. God’s steadfast love, justice, and truthfulness are not threats but reassurances that he is able to save, willing to forgive, and committed to his promises. As the ultimate Redeemer, he is not corrupted by contact with the unclean and the unholy like priests of old, but he makes the unclean holy. The hope held out in Ezekiel, and reflected in the Lord’s Prayer, is that God, in vindicating his own name, also redeems and sustains his people, transforming critics and grumblers into worshipers who marvel: “Who is this God?” This recognition leads not to fearful distance, but to reverent awe and lasting comfort in the Redeemer’s embrace.