“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who ask you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…” 1 Peter 3:15
The man Moses was declared to be at one time, “…very humble (or meek), more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) This was certainly because of the revelation that God gave to him, and the response to that revelation. To have seen the glory of God, and been in such manifest proximity to Him, was to come to know profoundly how far short, and lowly Moses was as an imperfect sinner. To behold the shielded pure light of God, and to receive from Him the life-giving words and promises of the covenant of God towards man, was to be brought at the same time to an attitude of reverence for God that was essential if he would be useful, and fruitful in the eyes of God. Scripture tells us that, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13) If ever there was a man who revered God it was Moses, and yet, this man, the receiver of a great revelation of God’s glory, at one point in time, chose not to distinguish God as Holy, high and exalted above all of creation. Moses, because of his actions before Israel, dishonored God before them, presenting to them a wrong picture of God, a false representation of Him, all the while professing His name. So grave was this act by one having such great authority that God would not permit him to enter the promised land, only to see it from heights Mt. Nebo, and Pisgah. The reason for this was, according to the Lord’s words: “…because you did not HALLOW Me in the midst of the children of Israel.” (Deut. 32:51)
When the Lord Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray aright and well, He used what we call “the Lord’s Prayer,” as revealed in Matthew’s gospel. He began that prayer by saying, “Our Father in heaven, HALLOWED be Your name.” (6:9) The first thing in prayer, worship, service, and life, is having a right perspective and attitude towards the thrice-holy God, who IS our Father, but also One who is infinitely worthy to be distinguished as being separate from all that is of this creation, not only because He is Sovereign and the Almighty God, but because His nature is absolutely pure, righteous, good, separate from sin, perfect love, mercy and grace. Here is the unique and wonderful God, who only does wondrous and good things because He IS good and wonderful by nature. He is also perfectly righteous, the perfect Judge of all the nations, not permitting men to be the eternal judge of anyone else, for He alone knows those who are His, and also the deep needs and condition of the heart. This God, whose incomprehensible and everlasting love was demonstrated most ardently, completely, and overwhelmingly by the giving of His Son on Calvary’s cross to die for the sins of men, calls all men to see the Son of God dying there, having been lifted up from the earth, revealing the wretchedness of sin and its deadly insufferable effects, to behold His perfect Son, His righteous and sole solution for sin and death. The sacrifice of His Son to save sinful men, in their helplessness and lostness, in the wickedness of their blind rebellion and rejection of all that is holy, is the great revelation of His glory to us. Moses saw the back of God, while God held His hand over his eyes. We, on this side of Calvary see the Son of God who would suffer the physical agony of the cross, but who would suffer much more by taking upon Himself as the sacrificial Lamb of God, the sins of the entire world, and their judgment. By Christ’s resurrection the call comes forth to Hallow the holy God.
Dear Father, Hallowed be Thy name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.