Day 56: Keeping God's name holy - Deuteronomy 3 vs 21 – 29

21-25 “At that time I gave Joshua this charge: ‘You have seen for yourself everything the Lord your God has done to these two kings. He will do the same to all the kingdoms on the west side of the Jordan. Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the Lord your God will fight for you. At that time I pleaded with the Lord and said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do? Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains.’

26-27 But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me. ‘That’s enough!’ he declared. ‘Speak of it no more. But go up to Pisgah Peak, and look over the land in every direction. Take a good look, but you may not cross the Jordan River. 28 Instead, commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead the people across the Jordan. He will give them all the land you now see before you as their possession.’ 29 So we stayed in the valley near Beth-peor.” Deuteronomy 3:21-29 New Living Translation.

This was a sad event in the life of Moses. Imagine almighty God speaking to you as He did to Moses that day! (vs 26-27). What had happened here?

The background is that a little while earlier the people found themselves in a region with no water and they’d argued and grumbled against Moses and his brother Aaron. So God had said to the two of them: “Take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.” So Moses took the staff from the place where it was kept and he and Aaron summoned the people to the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. The entire community and their livestock drank their fill. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn't trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” (Numbers 20:8-12)

In his frustration Moses got angry and behaved in a way that did not show God's grace in providing water for their thirst. He forgot that one of God's 'Ten Commandments' said: “You mustn't misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.” (Exodus 20:7)

This may seem a small matter in our eyes – but that's because we don't fully grasp what holiness means to God, and that His name is associated with His holy character. The first thing Jesus taught His disciples to pray was “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.” (Matthew 6:9) It's why Paul was so sad at the bad behaviour of many of his fellow Jews and said to them: “You're so proud of 'knowing the law' - but you dishonour God by breaking it. No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you!” (Romans 3:23-24) Paul was so concerned about showing people that God is holy that he said even Christians who were salves “should show full respect for their masters so that they don’t bring shame on the name of God and his teaching.” (1 Timothy 6:1)

A good thing to remember here is that Moses still went to heaven! Centuries later he appeared with Elijah and spoke with Jesus on a mountain top. But in forgetting to keep God's name holy he missed out on something he would've loved to have been part of. That's why we should make what Paul prayed for fellow Christians a prayer for our life too. He said: “I keep praying for you, asking God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honoured because of the way you live - and you will be honoured along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12) May our lives keep God’s name holy every day.