“For His names' sake.” - Psalms 23:3
The last part of Psalms 23:3 defines our relationship with God. There is nothing more precious to the believer than the Lord’s name. When writing it, Paul wrote:
Philippians 2:9-11
"God ... bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow ... and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
What is it about His name that is so special? Isn’t it just a name? Why would it be so awful if we neglected it?
God Himself tells us that there is something special about His name. When Moses was given the Ten Commandments - the most important laws to God’s people - He said, "You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain." The Jews revered God's name so much that they refused to even speak it lest they trivialized it!
What makes a name so special is who it refers to. A name represents something and when that something is God, His name becomes a part of who He is. He is holy and pure, righteous and true, merciful and just. So, His name is, too.
Our desire is to know and understand Him. But, we don’t see Him with our eyes, we can’t touch Him with our hands, we don’t taste Him, smell Him or hear His voice. But, we can speak His name.
When we utter His name, it is our doorway into the presence of God. The book of Psalms is the hymnbook of God’s people. It trains us to see God for who He really is. In that book, the name of God is mentioned over 100 times.
God’s name is magnified, praised, lifted up, loved, sung to, known, glorified, thanked, trusted in, exalted, remembered, feared, blessed, and called upon.
It sets us securely on high, waves our banners, tramples our foes, saves us and becomes our dwelling place.
It is holy, everlasting, great and awesome. It is sought after and causes men to shout for joy.
Do you get who He is? It’s all in the name. That’s where we find Him. God reveals Himself to us through His name. If we think of His name as small, we will think of God as small. If we think of His name as unworthy, God Himself becomes unworthy to us. If we revere His name and think of it as holy, we will understand God as being holy.
His name is the part of God that we can physically experience. We come to God by going down that path of righteousness - for His name’s sake.
Psalms 124:8
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.