The Knife Edge of the Name of the Lord

Near the top of Mt. Everest, 28,000 feet high in the "death zone", there is a narrow ridge only a few feet wide that drops 10,000 feet down to one side and 8,000 feet to the other. This is a place where exhaustion is literally consuming, brain cells are killed at a rapid rate and neurological damage is certain within a very short period. And also in this place, there is little room for errors, and a misstep has huge consequences.














GK Chesterton said that theology is like walking a knife edge ridge with sheer drop offs on either side. The error of legalism falls to the right, and lawlessness to the left. If we neglect the love of God we err, if we neglect His justice we err. Both missteps can have a huge impact in our lives.

Exodus 34:5-7 walks this narrow course and makes clear that the name of the Lord encompasses both justice and love. This passage has been like the John 3:16 to Jewish people through the ages:

Vs 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with [Moses] and proclaimed his name, the Lord.

Vs 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

Vs 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

Recently I made a personal discovery about the name of the Lord. The "Name of the Lord" rings throughout scripture like a deep bell, sounding and echoing and resounding throughout the entire book. Yet I didn't notice that until just a few days ago. Some things are too big to see.

In light of this, the passage in Exodus is a real gem for me, where God steps out before Moses and proclaims His own name: Jehovah, Lord. The name that is at the same time love, mercy and forgiveness along with justice, righteousness and judgement.

If we deny an attribute of God, say his mercy and love, then we fall into the abyss of legalism. God becomes a cruel school master to fear lest we have sloppy hand writing and get a rap on the knuckles with the almighty ruler. Or if we deny his righteousness and justice, then sin has no consequence, we tread on his creation and creatures with ever increasing cruelty, without regard to judgement from a righteous judge.

Either error is a form of blasphemy because we are denying the full, complete name of the Lord.

Application
The response of Moses in Exodus 34:8 to God proclaiming His name is awesome and should also be our response when we consider the Name of the Lord:

Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.

What was that like for Moses when the Lord proclaimed His name? Was the voice deafening, the sound of thunder and a rushing wind? Was it a still, small voice? Did Moses feel the voice booming inside him? When he went to bed for the next weeks and months, did the proclamation of the Lord haunt Moses, make him yearn deeply for heaven? Could Moses still hear that voice and freshly recall the Name of the Lord on his death bed as he overlooked the promised land from the east side of the Jordan river? Did Moses grit his teeth or want to haul off and knock somebody's head off when he heard that Name blasphemed?

When Moses himself sinned, was the shame and sorrow in his heart amplified because he knew the Name of the Lord included punishment for the guilty? After Moses was cleansed for his sins in the tabernacle rituals, was the joy and thankfulness in his heart magnified because he knew that mercy and loving forgiveness are part of the name of the Lord?

The details are speculative, but the result and application for our lives are clear: the Lord inspires worship, even by his name alone.