The third commandment is: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exod 20:7)
The importance God attaches to the honour of His name is shown by His devoting one commandment exclusively to this purpose. It is important, not only that we do not dishonour His name before men or angels, but also that we have in our minds a conception of the glory and honour attached to God’s name.
The main way to acquire such a conception is also the main way to honour God, and that is through praise. Jesus taught that prayer should always begin with praise. When teaching His disciples to pray He commenced with the words: Hallowed be thy name. (Matt 6:9) The Father desires such praise. Jesus said: the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John 4:23) The Psalmist exhorts us, saying: Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:8)
Worship is an act of honesty and love where we speak the truth about God to God in prayer or in song. Worship goes beyond thanksgiving. Thanksgiving relates to what God has done for us. Worship reflects who God is, as learned from His wonderful works in general, from the creation to the atonement, and from His wonderful works towards His people such as their deliverance from Egypt.
In accordance with my wish to minister the Spirit rather than the letter of the law, I will not be speaking of how not to dishonour God’s name, but rather how to honour it. I will thus speak of the very neglected command to worship that name. But the letter of the law is also important because if: out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing, the question is telling that asks: Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? (James 3:10,11)
To devote sufficient time to worship without undue repetition, it may be helpful to structure your worship. Two ways I have found helpful are: to praise God on the basis of His appearance as discussed in the articles, Vision of God, and Vision of Son; and to praise God on the basis of attributes associated with His name as is discussed in several articles on God’s Titles. You may praise God on the basis of a different attribute or title every different day of the week or fortnight. A third way to worship God is to praise Him on the basis of the psalms, using a different psalm each day.
To avoid the confusion of thinking that God has many names, when in fact He has only one, Jahovah, I will begin by tabulating a comparison of God’s designations with those of Queen Elizabeth.
|
Characteristic |
Queen |
God |
Word in Original Language |
|
Name |
Elizabeth |
JaHoVaH |
JaHoVaH |
|
What |
Woman |
God |
Elohim or El |
|
Relationship to Us |
Queen |
Lord |
Adonai |
|
Attributes |
Good |
Jealous |
El Kanna’ |
|
Attributes (ctd) |
Intelligent |
Commands angels |
Jahovah Sabaoth |
After Abraham’s descendents had been afflicted four hundred years in Egypt, the meaning of God’s name Jahovah was revealed unto Moses from the burning bush when Moses asked God: when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say unto me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jahovah God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (Exod 3:13-15)
So the name Jahovah means I AM, from which we learn God’s eternal existence. He says not ‘I have been for a while’, or ‘I will be for a while’, but rather: I AM THAT I AM. From eternity to eternity God is God. He is worshipped in heaven as the: Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come, when they give: glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever. (Rev 4:8,9) The Hebrew also means, I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.
God was not formed nor created; He has always existed and He is the source of all reality. All that exists in structure was created by Him and we: understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. (Heb 11:3) The atoms and electrons, the stars and planets were all created by God. Even the laws of physics, which these obey, were designed by God. Whether matter was created from nothing or from some vague form of energy which existed before the big bang when God created the universe, I do not know.
Not only in creating, but also in sustaining, God’s active intervention is required. We read of the Lord Jesus: upholding all things by the word of his power. (Heb 1:3)
The Lord Jesus shares the name, I AM, with His Father. When the Jews sought to arrest Jesus, He: went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am . . . As soon then as he had said unto them, I am, they went backward, and fell to the ground. (John 18:4-6) For a few brief moments the officers became conscious that they were face to face with the eternal God. (The translators have added the word, he, to Jesus’ answer, I am, but this was not in the original Greek as the word ‘he’ is italicised.)
Although Abraham was aware of the name Jahovah (Gen 22:14) he could not have understood its significance as God said to Moses: I am Jahovah: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jahovah was I not known to them. (Exod 6:2,3)
Some bible translators and copyists have thought God’s name too holy to read or write, in case they made a mistake. For this reason the original Hebrew word Jahovah appears as Lord, or as God in most English versions. The Hebrew manuscripts reveal the consonants of God’s name as JHVH although the vowels are not determined. Some think that it was pronounced Yahwey. But I do not believe that the easy to say, Yahwey has the majesty of the word, Jehovah.
But I think that the word, Jahovah is even better. In the psalms, God's name is abbreviated, saying: Praise him by his name JAH. Jah sounds more majestic than Yeh, as in the song, She loves you yea, yea, yea. So in this chapter I will often use the proper translation, Jahovah, instead of the rendering, Lord or God, as it appears in the King James Version. To me the name, Jahovah signifies mighty strength, and is the word that should be spoken. In song and praise, this may be abbreviated to Jah, as in Hallelujah, which means, Praise Jah.
But the J should be pronounced, as in Joshua. I believe that it is significant that the Hebrew name for Jesus, Jeshua, sounds similar to Jahovah, as the name of a son often takes some of the father's name.
Over time pronounciations change, generally in favour of easier pronounciation. The Romans prounced V as W. And it appears likely, in my opinion, that such changes from the original, could have resulted in the unfortunate rendering of the word, Yahwey, and the imperfect rendering, Jehovah.
When the Roman Catholic Church was full of darkness in centuries past, it may have been good that the name of God was not spoken. But today, as more truth is dawning, the name of God should be restored to the Scriptures.
The Hebrew word Elohim is translated as God 2,570 times in the Old Testament. It expresses the idea of creative power, greatness, glory, sovereignty and omnipotence. El, a shortened form of Elohim means mighty, strong, prominent. It is this word Elohim which is translated God in Gen1:1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The word is plural and thus refers to the Father and the Son. They did not use the royal plural in those days.
The word Elohim is also used to refer to false gods which, as we know, do not exist. Some say Elohim refers to what is worshipped, but what is worshipped is a god, and for us what is worshipped is the true God.
Our relationship to God, as a servant to his Lord and Master, is expressed by calling God ‘Adonai’ translated Lord in the Old Testament. In the New Testament the Greek word Kurios is translated Lord.
Abraham understood true humility before Adonai when he said of his prayer: Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. (Gen 18:27) Not that we should refrain from prayer (we should pray more), but only that we should understand the awesome privilege of speaking to the Almighty, and not neglect to praise His name before making requests.
As Lord, He intervenes in the affairs of men. Daniel prays: O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day . . . to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel . . . through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. (Dan 9:7) God had scattered the Jews and taken them in captivity to Babylon, from whence Daniel was praying.
Jesus is also referred to as Adonai in His capacity as Judge of His enemies: The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. (Psalm 110:5)
But to His faithful servants it shall be even as in the parable when: His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matt 25:21)
We should respect Jesus’ authority. He said to His disciples: Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. (John 13:13) But He is a caring Lord, who even washed His disciples feet. And: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Heb 13:8) When He returns: he shall gird himself, and make them (His watching servants) to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. (Luke 12:37)
Some psalms are for praise. Other psalms are laments or cries for help, and others are to give wisdom. Many psalms are multifaceted.
Opening the bible to a psalm involving praise, and praying that praise is conducive to personal worship. In particular, the psalms praise Jahovah for personal deliverance and His works over creation. Other psalms show the mercy and goodness of God, His judgement and His glory.
Kneeling honours God. This is why: at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:10,11) And that is why kneeling is the normal posture for worship. The Psalmist says: O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. (Psalm 95:6) Those who never kneel in worship, disobey this Scripture.
But not all prayers are prayers of worship, and sometimes it is acceptable to stand and pray. Otherwise Jesus would not have said: when ye stand praying. (Mark 11:25) Standing and kneeling are the two postures the Lord shows are normal for prayer. Sitting is not generally recognised although on one occasion, when David was overwhelmed, he: sat before Jahovah, and prayed saying: Who am I, O Lord Jahovah? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? (2 Sam 7:18-29)
Sitting is normal for hearing God’s word. Moses said: they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. (Deut 33:3) And Mary was commended who: sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. (Luke 10:39)
But for praying, more reverence is normally required. Only God sits. Of the Father it is written: our God which sitteth upon the throne. (Rev 7:10) And of Jesus it is written that: Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (Col 3:1) And reverence requires that we stand or kneel before God.
Whether hearing God’s word or speaking to God, we are in His presence, and the word God spoke to Moses at the burning bush is relevant, when He said: Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standeth is holy ground. (Exod 3:5)
Standing can be thought of as the standard posture for prayer. The Lord said to Jeremiah: Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people. (Jer 15:1) Hannah said to Eli the priest, regarding her prayer for a son: I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. (1 Sam 1:26) And Jehoshophat stood in the congregation . . . in the house of the Lord . . . and said, O Lord God of our fathers . . . (2 Chr 20:5,6)
It should be normal in prayer to reach out to God by lifting one’s arms in front and upwards: all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord. (Psalm 134:1,2) The Psalmist says: Let my prayer be set before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:2) The New Testament also exhorts: I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands. (1 Tim 2:8) We need not uplift our hands for the entire duration of our prayers, or our arms would become too tired. Rather we lift up our arms from time to time.
Kneeling perhaps shows a deeper level of devotion than standing. I have mentioned the merit of kneeling for worship. But Paul was moved to kneeling when interceding. He told the Ephesian church: For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . that he would grant you . . . to be strengthened with might by his Spirit. (Eph 3:14-16) I think it good if much of our praying is upon our knees.
Daniel: kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God. (Dan 6:10) Solomon, at the dedication of the temple: kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven, and said, O Lord God of Israel . . . (2 Chron 6:13,14) We are not told what posture Jesus assumed for normal prayer, but only those when in deep distress before the cross and for these he: kneeled down and prayed. (Luke 22:41) Kneeling is also suitable for public prayer. When Paul left the church at Tyre for the last time, the whole church: kneeled down on the shore, and prayed. (Acts 21:5)
Sometimes, in an act of devotion, deeper than normal kneeling, a kneeling worshipper would momentarily place his forehead to the ground, just as Jehoshaphat: bowed his head with his face to the ground. (2 Chron 20:18)
An even more extreme posture in prayer was exhibited by Jesus, when before the cross, He: fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. (Matt 26:39) And when Moses was interceding for the children of Israel he said: I fell down before the Lord forty days and forty nights, as I fell down as at the first; because the Lord had said he would destroy you. (Deut 9:25)
When the bible speaks about worship in heaven it is often recorded, as of the four and twenty elders, which sat before God that they: fell before the throne upon their faces and worshipped God. Also of angelic worship it is written: all the angels stood round about the throne . . . and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God. (Rev 7:11) Perhaps while on earth, we are not normally sufficiently conscious of the glory of God to fall upon our faces, but I think we should at least kneel for the duration of the worship portion of our prayers.
It is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. (Psalm 147:1) Ordinarily one stands to sing praise: Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of God . . . sing praises unto his name. (Psalm 135:2,3)
It is normal for musical instruments to accompany songs of praise: Praise Jahovah with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. (Psalm 33:2,3)
Jesus and His disciples: sung an hymn. (Matt 26:30) And we are commanded to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Col 3:16) Both the public and private use of song is exhorted. James says: Is any merry? let him sing psalms. (James 5:13)
Singing should not be restricted to the psalms. Solomon’s: songs were a thousand and five (1 Kings 4:32) although many may not have been praise. But the singing of the psalms themselves should not be neglected. Fifty-five of the psalms were addressed ‘To the Chief Musician’. Others are addressed with Asaph’s name or the sons of Korah. These were singers in the time of David. (1 Chron 6:31,37,39) And those not so addressed, were also probably written to be sung. If we do not sing the psalms, we are neglecting a praise resource that God has given us.
The Psalms are mostly addressed to God, calling Him ‘Thou’ rather than ‘He’, and as such are prayers involving much praise. This is not through endless repetition of vague concepts, but through detailed enunciation of his power and wonderful works. The Psalmist says: Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee . . . Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. (Psalm 66:3-6)
While a Christian may begin to worship God by simply saying, ‘God is wonderful, and loving, and powerful’, as the Christian grows spiritually, he should furnish examples of God’s wonder, love, and power, as do the Psalms. This is how we: Sing forth the honour of his name, and this is how we: make his praise glorious. (Psalm 66:2) This applies to both song and prayer.
The Psalms involve much personal testimony in the context of praise. The Psalmist says: O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. (Psalm 66:8,9) The Psalmist then elaborates, saying: For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net: thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place. (Psalm 66:9-12)
The psalms were written as poetry rather than prose. The poetry takes several forms. But basically one statement often reinforces a preceding statement rather than begins a new thought. For example: the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. (Psalm 66:4) It is perhaps normal in worship to go over previous ground in a different way, not to the extent of undue repetition, but only to that of unburdening our heart freely in prayer or song.