Week 1
Day 6
Listen: 
The Lord’s Prayer
Hallowed be Thy name
AC 6674:8. That the “name of Jehovah” denotes everything by which He is worshiped, thus in the supreme sense everything that proceeds from the Lord, is evident from the benediction:
Jehovah bless thee and keep thee; Jehovah make His faces to shine upon thee, and have mercy on thee; Jehovah lift up His faces upon thee, and give thee peace. So shall they put My name upon the sons of Israel (Num. 6:23-27).
AC 6887. This is My name forever. That this signifies that the Divine Human is the quality of the Divine Itself.... As the Divine Itself cannot be worshiped, because it cannot be approached either by faith or by love, being above every idea... therefore [the name] is the Divine Human, because it is the quality of the Divine Itself, which can be approached and worshiped.
AE 102:5. ...From this it is clear what is meant in the Lord’s prayer by the words, Hallowed be Thy name (Matt. 6:9), namely, that the Divine Human of the Lord is to be accounted holy, and to be worshiped.
DP 230. ...Scarcely anyone in the Christian world knows what is meant by “the name of God,” and for the reason that no one knows that there are no names in the spiritual world like those in the natural world, but each one there has a name that is in accordance with the quality of his love and wisdom. For as soon as anyone enters a society or into association with others, he immediately receives a name that is in accord with his character there. This naming is effected by spiritual language, which is such that it is capable of naming everything, for each letter in its alphabet signifies a single thing, and the several letters joined into a single word and making a person’s name involve the entire state of the thing. This is one of the wonders of the spiritual world.
DP 230:2. ...And as the Word is the Divine going forth, which is the name of God, and as all the Divine things that are called the spiritual things of the church are from the Word, they, too, are “the name of God.”
TCR 112:6. ...the Father in His Human... is the name of the Father; for the Lord said, ‘Father, glorify Thy name,’ that is, Thy Human; and when this is done the kingdom of God comes. And the reason why this Prayer was commanded for the present time is evident, namely, that through His Human an approach may be had to God the Father.... This is the true explanation of the words of that Prayer.
TCR 308. It must be kept in mind that a Divine heavenly sphere of love continually goes forth from the Lord toward all who embrace the doctrine of His church, who are obedient to Him, as children are to their father and mother in the world, who devote themselves to Him, and who wish to be fed, that is, instructed by Him. From this heavenly sphere a natural sphere arises, which is one of love towards infants and children. This is a most universal sphere, affecting not only men, but also birds and beasts and even serpents; nor animate things only, but also things inanimate....
From the influx of that heavenly sphere into the natural world come the marvelous developments of vegetation from seed to fruit, and again to new seed. It is from this also that many kinds of plants turn, as it were, their faces to the sun during the day, and turn them away when the sun sets. It is from this also that there are flowers that open at the rising of the sun and close at his setting. It is from this also that the song-birds sing sweetly at the early dawn, and likewise after they have been fed by their mother earth. Thus do all these honor their father and mother. They all bear testimony that in the natural world the Lord provides through the sun and the earth all necessities both for animate and inanimate things.
Questions and Comments
- AC 2724 tells how the ancient Jews and others took pride in the special name of God that they used, rather than loving the faith and love to the Lord that His names actually stand for. Could we do something similar by the fact that we speak of “Jehovah” in Kempton?
- The reason we use the name Jehovah is because the Heavenly Doctrine always translates the Hebrew name of the Lord as “Jehovah.” We are trying to follow the example of the Heavenly Doctrine. But we often keep “the Lord ” in recitations because it is familiar and beloved. The small capitals are a sign that in Hebrew it actually says Jehovah, rather than Adonai (the Hebrew word for “Lord”).
- DP 230:2 says that the Word, too, is meant by “the name of God,” which we must keep holy. Do you often hear people not keeping the names of God or the Word holy? Are there situations where you might fall into some bad habits in this regard?
- Is it (quietly) exciting that the Lord commanded this Prayer for the present time, because now that He is risen, and especially now that He has made His second coming, we can approach our God, Creator, Redeemer and Savior, in the Lord?
- How do you picture the Divine heavenly sphere of love going forth from the Lord toward all who embrace the teaching of His church? How do you picture responding to and receiving His sphere of love?
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