We see God revealed by many names throughout biblical history. His new name reflected the revelation that God was truly sovereign and could accomplish His will without help from the flesh. His character changed from being a “heel catcher” (deceiver, usurper) to one who recognized that “God rules.” No longer did he think it necessary to help God by usurping His authority. For example, Jacob’s name was changed to Israel when he learned the sovereignty of God. We often see how children were named according to some circumstance of their birth and how many were renamed in later life to reflect some event or characteristic. His name is a Hebrew metaphor for His character. In essence, it is a petition to bear witness to the character of Abba, so that others too will want to emulate their character and will desire to have the same relationship with Abba. The Lord’s Prayer is rooted in the premise that the petitioner wants his Abba to be hallowed in the earth, and that he wants this change to begin with him or her. In their lack of understanding, they say, “Why would a good God allow evil in this world?” Others look at carnal Christians and say, “If that is what their God is like, then I don’t want anything to do with Him.” Likewise, our Heavenly Father does not need any purification (as if He had sinned), but there are many who find fault with Him. “Hallowed” is from the Greek word hagiazo, which means “to render or acknowledge, to be venerable or hallow to purify.” Our Heavenly Father is already hallowed in His position as Creator and Father, but many do not recognize Him as their King, and even more people have no revelation of His laws that reveal His will for their lives. The intimate relationship of Father and son is unknown to most people, and even many Christians have difficulty understanding this idea of Sonship. Their relationship is limited to that of a creature and his Creator or as that of a servant and his Master. The second problem is that most of those who honor Him as their Creator do not really know Him as their Father.
5:16, “ Honor your father and your mother.” This is a direct violation of the Fifth Commandment in Deut.
The first is that some reject our Heavenly Father’s right to rule that which He has brought forth as a Father. The problem is that Abba, “our Father,” is not sanctified in the eyes of the people in the way that He ought to be. Luke 11:2 says, in part, “ Hallowed by Thy name.” What does this mean? Why should we pray (petition) this? Is He not already hallowed?