For His Name's Sake

 Monday, April 14, 2025
5:00 a.m.

Yesterday I mentioned that the discourse between Moses and the LORD that takes place in Exodus 33:12-34:9 has been lingering in my mind. 

A few days ago, I came across an old post from Katie Davis Majors that referenced 1 Samual 12:20 & 22

"Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all that is evil, yet do not turn away from the Lord with all your heart… for the sake of His great name the Lord will not reject His people, because the Lord was pleased to make you His own."

So much is said here, but what caught my attention was the phrase, "for the sake of His great name."

It's in Exodus 34 that the LORD tells us His name and expounds on it a bit further than what He had told Moses back in Exodus 3:14-15, "God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”

But in Exodus 34 we read, "The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed his name, “the Lord.” The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:

The Lord — the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation."

It's for the sake of all of this that He doesn't reject us (1 Sam 12:22)
It's for the sake of all of this that He defers His anger (Isaiah 48:9)
It's for the sake of all of this that He blots out our transgressions and remembers our sins no more. (Isaiah 43:25)
It's for the sake of all of this that He restores our soul and leads us in paths of righteousness. (Psalm 23:3)

This is WHO God is. This is His character. His divine nature. He is distinct and unlike any other being. He is Holy. 

Holy is His name.

And He chose us because it pleased Him to do so.

What does it mean to be chosen? It means to be Holy because He is Holy. Why would we desire to be anything else?

During Jesus' 'Sermon on the Mount' He says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

The Greek word for "perfect" is "teleios," which implies completeness or maturity rather than flawlessness. This phrase is a call to spiritual maturity and moral integrity. In the context of the Sermon, it follows teachings on love, forgiveness, and righteousness, indicating that perfection involves embodying these virtues fully. The use of "therefore" connects this command to the preceding verses, which emphasize loving one's enemies and praying for those who persecute you, suggesting that perfection is linked to love and mercy.

Do you see the parallel. God, on the top of Mount Sinai declares the epitome of His nature, which is rooted in love and mercy and then gives Moses a list of commandments, that when adhered to, shape and mold us into that same nature. They outline how we best love God and neighbor.

Then we see Jesus later on the top of a Mountain teaching and instructing and revealing the deeper meanings behind the commandments so that we can be perfect (mature/complete) and emulate our Father. After all we were created in His image. When we call ourselves Christians we bear his name.
And we don't want to be guilty of profaning it.









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