Are You Hallowed or Hollowed?

Hallow

It isn’t a word commonly used today. When the model prayer of Jesus is repeated, we say, “Hallowed be Thy name” (Matt. 6:9). More often the word is identified with the last day of October, in which we in the United States refer to Halloween, which means “all Hallow’s Eve.”

The Bible word is actually a form of the word for “sanctify,”” “set apart” or “holy.” Thirteen times in the Old testament the word “hallowed” is used to speak of God’s name, God’’s Sabbath, or God’s people (Lev 22;32, Ex 20:11, Ezek 20:41).

God’s name is holy. Hallowed. Reverend. The Psalmist proclaimed, “Let them praise your great and awesome name — he is holy. (Ps 99:3).

In John’s vision recorded in Revelation the four living creature were praising God proclaiming…

“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”
(Rev. 4:8)

God’s name is not to be used in vain (Ex. 20:7). It is not to be used as an exclamation mark or shouted in shock or surprise as in OMG!

God also has a set apart day. It’s the first day of the week. We call it Sunday. In our day it’s easy to forget that Sunday belongs to God and not the NFL. It is a sanctified day. A day of worship. A day of remembrance. A day of spiritual fellowship. Hallowed.

The apostle John was “in the spirit on the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1;4). It’s a day to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. A day of communion. A day of spiritual fellowship. A day of worship. A hallowed day. (1Cor. 11:17-34; Matt. 26:26-29; Ax. 20:7)

And God’s people are to be sanctified, set apart and dedicated to Him. Christians are called saints. Holy. And yes hallowed.

In the New Testament the word translated “hallowed” is used 28 times and rendered “sanctify,” “sanctified” and “holy.” Paul admonished Timothy to be a vessel sanctified and useful for God by pursuing “righteousness, faith, love, [and] peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” and by avoiding “foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife” (2 Tim. 2:21-23).

The Corinthian Christians, some of whom were previously fornicators, idolaters, homosexuals and thieves were “sanctified,” “washed,” and “cleansed.” They had now become vessels of holiness instead of containers of corruption. Their lives were set apart.

The apostle Peter proclaimed and echoed the Old Testament plea of Jehovah who called His people “to be holy in all your conduct,” then added “be holy, for I am holy’ (1 Pet. 1:15-16).

Halloween is not hallowed in a religious sense by Christians. It is a secular day set apart for children to wear costumes, carry goodie bags from door to door and beg for candy. But thinking of these little goblins scarfing down their sweet treats can remind us to ask ourselves, “What is filling the vessel of my life?”

Am I drinking at a bitter fountain that leads to foolish disputes, discord, and division? Or am I imbuing at the sweet stream that yields the peaceable fruit righteousness, faith, and love?” Am I filling my soul with the husks of carnality, or the substance of spirituality? Am I feeding upon the bread of life? Or am I like Esau trading my birthright for a mess of pottage that fails to satisfy the soul?

In a culture that often has greater interest in Halloween than in holiness, may we hallow our Lord, set apart His day, and keep our own vessel holy, sanctified and pure.

So, to the original question asked, “Are you hallowed or hollowed?

Hollowed means empty. Futile. Fruitless. Pointless. Worthless. Void. Vacant. Without significance. A spiritually hollow person is living an empty, fruitless, futile life.

What about you? Are you hallowed? Or hollowed?

—Ken Weliever, The Preacherman