Overwhelmingly Awesome God
- Jerry Witham
- Sep 18, 2008
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Overwhelmingly Awesome God
If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses (Deuteronomy 28.58-59).
The context of this is where the twelve tribes of Israel are told to divide in half to sing of blessings and curses on two mountains as they enter the land of Canaan. It is a most interesting worship scene that is being planned. Then tucked in this section, before the Israelites make their way to the land of Canaan Moses directs their attention to God’s name.
What is in a name? For Moses the name of God was honored and awesome. Together honored and awesome literally means overwhelmingly awesome. There is no name like the name of our God. In fact, scribes of old would refrain from even writing out the name of God. The name of God that was revealed to the Israelites was literally the name Yahweh (YHWH). That is what the name LORD is translated to in Hebrew. It is also this name that was revealed to Moses as God revealed Himself to him at the burning bush. As God sends Moses on a mission that will include the salvation of the Jews from their slavery under the Egyptians He tells him to tell the Israelites who is commissioning him. The name that God gives Moses is, I AM WHO I AM (Exodus 3.14). This is the name that Moses called overwhelmingly awesome.
How shall one respond to such a name? I love what was said about Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia’s: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. Who's Aslan? Why, don't you know? He's the King—the King of the whole wood, and the Son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. He's wild, you know. If there's anyone who can appear before him without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly. He isn't safe... But he is good. He'll often drop in, only you musn't press him to stay. He's not like a tame lion. Yes, Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion. I believe this is a great picture into how we respond to the name of God. Moses exhorts the Israelites to fear the name of God. He wants them to stand in awe, to revere and honor the LORD, who is overwhelmingly awesome. To fear Him is to trust Him. This trust is such that results in faithful obedience. Faithful obedience is what genuine faith produces. So, Moses is exhorting the Israelites to trust in this overwhelmingly awesome God and that they would rely on Him as they seek to obey His law. May we fear our overwhelmingly awesome God!
