And they shall put My Name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. Leviticus 6:27
Idolatry was rampant throughout the world during Old Testament days, with the variety of idols and false deities amazing in its diversity. Such false gods included natural elements including rivers, mountains, and wind, and human-crafted idols of every shape and size imaginable. Idolatry included many despicable behaviours such as human sacrifices, immorality of all kinds, and religion-enforced slavery. Amid all of the evils of the world’s idolatry there was one little island of difference, where the only religion ever sanctioned by God was practiced, where righteousness and honourable behaviour were the norm. Although Israelites often fell into the idolatry of their neighbours, there were always those who recognized and worshiped the one true God. Just as there are those who recognize and worship the same God today.
As our text declares, Israel bore the Name of the Lord, and it marked them as different from the rest of mankind. It also marked them as recipients of God’s blessings – ‘I will bless them’, our text declares. And Israel was indeed blessed, as long as the nation honoured the Name that they bore. Those blessings included victory over overwhelming enemies, bountiful crops, and righteous and fair judgments by their leaders. If God would so bless those who bore His Name in the Old Testament economy, there is no reason to believe He would not do the same for those who bear His Name today.
Organized religion can make no claim on God’s blessings today, not even those who would call themselves Christian, because it is not His Name they recognize, but the names of their own denominations. Rather than practice His Word, they practice doctrines of their own crafting, often directly rejecting the clear words of the Scriptures.
So who can claim God’s blessings today? Those who recognize His Name. Those who place no other name before His. Those who recognize no other gathering centre than Himself. So, what are the blessings that we can claim as a result of recognizing His Name? Matthew 18:20 reminds us that we can claim His presence. Our obedience to His Word ensures that we can claim His truth. Our submission to His lordship ensures that we can claim His leadership. And our recognition of His purposes ensures that we can claim His promises.
As we consider all that is our under the banner of the Name of our Lord, let us rejoice in and claim those blessings that are surely ours. – Jim MacIntosh