Articles
"Holy and Reverend Is His Name"
In the midst of a poem of praise for God’s goodness and might, the psalmist says, “Holy and reverend is His name” (Psalm 111:9). Let’s think about what it means to serve a holy and reverend God.
God’s Holiness
“Holy” means consecrated, sacred, set apart. In the vision in which he was called to prophesy, Isaiah saw angelic beings saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts” (6:3). That same imagery appears in John’s vision of God’s throne, where heavenly beings proclaim day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (Revelation 4:8). Used of God, “holy” emphasizes that He is infinitely far above us in every way. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways … For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
“Reverend” translates a Hebrew word from a root meaning “to fear.” It denotes something fearful or dreadful, causing astonishment or awe, inspiring reverence. Many newer versions use the word “awesome.” In my teenage years we threw “awesome” around pretty casually to describe everything we liked. But God really is awesome. Israel experienced that awe first hand, shaking in terror at the sights and sounds of God’s presence at Sinai (Exodus 20:18-19). Do we feel anything approaching that same reverence toward God?
In the very next verse the psalmist says, “The fear [same root as “reverend”] of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (verse 10). That same truth is the theme statement of the book of Proverbs (1:7; 9:10) and is echoed by great men of faith like the patriarch Job (28:28) and the prophet Micah (6:9). Moses even explained to the fearful Israelites at Sinai that their fear should keep them from sin (Exodus 20:20). The wise and righteous life is one that is built on proper reverence for God’s holiness.
The apostle Paul gives yet another reason for the fear of God: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men…” (2 Corinthians 5:10-11).
Our Lowliness
Thinking about a holy, awesome God should bring into focus our own lowliness. God has always commanded humility of His people. Numerous times in the book of Chronicles, God’s estimate of a king is stated in terms of whether or not he humbled himself before God. The prophet Zephaniah admonished, “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility” (2:3). And the apostle Peter tells us, “…clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Peter 5:5-6).
Let me make an application from our text. Modern folks often apply the title “reverend” to preachers. But the only time the Bible uses
the word (and that only in some translations) is here in Psalm 111, describing our fearsome, mighty God. That makes the word sound silly (blasphemous, in fact) when affixed to the name of some man. Jesus condemned the attitude that delights in fancy titles, pointing us instead to humility (Matthew 23:6-12). By the way, some of us use “brother” in pretty much the same way — as a title reserved for preachers instead of a description of what we are to one another in Christ (see verse 8). We can avoid such blunders if we are humbled by the knowledge that we serve a holy and reverend God.
Imitating God’s Holiness
Most of us don’t spend much time in the book of Leviticus; we view it as a rather uninteresting collection of laws for Israel. But the basic theme of Leviticus is holiness. Israel was a nation of people set apart to God, and every instruction of the law had a view toward their remembering and maintaining this holy calling. “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy; for I am holy” (11:44). “Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be mine” (20:26).
It’s no accident that Peter quotes from Leviticus to apply the same principle to us who have been set apart to God through His Son. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:14-16). If holiness was essential under a law that was only “a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1), it is even more so under the perfect law of Christ. In fact, the New Testament word “saint” literally means “holy one.”
God’s holiness demands holiness from His people. Over forty times in Leviticus, God gives a command and says, “I am the Lord.” His identity was reason enough for them to obey! Is it reason enough to us?
