For all the peoples walk
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.
Micah 4:5, ESV
The prophet Micah spoke the Spirit-inspired words, “all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god” thousands of years ago, but they hold true today. Modern men and women may not align themselves with Baal or Molech or Asherah, but the people of the world walk in the name of what they worship. We label ourselves, proclaim our allegiance, invest our finances and time, and align our interests with what we worship. We adopt the language of our gods, wear apparel with their images, and frequent websites to learn about them.
In the name of…
Some walk in the name of money, worshiping at the altar of the workplace and the market, confident that their financial solidity will satisfy and protect them.
Some walk in the name of sports, wearing the apparel of the team they have aligned themselves with and spending dollars and hours to take part in the festivals and games.
Some walk in the name of romance, flying from one relationship to the next, spending the hours between dreaming of how they will one day find the person who will fulfill their deepest desires.
Some walk in the name of entertainment, becoming movie connoisseurs, reading reviews, and debating the finer points of film-making, filling their evenings with television and theater-going.
Some walk in the name of politics and social change, protesting and posting the viewpoint of their choice.
The list could go on for pages. “All the peoples walk, each in the name of its god” is as true in our day as it was in Micah’s.
The Lord Our God
The question is, Christian, are you walking in the name of the gods of the nations or are you walking in the name Yahweh, the Lord our God? Whose name do people see on you when they interact with you? Whose name is on your lips when you speak? Is it clear that you walk in a different name than the people who love this world?
Christ caused his people to be born again by water and Spirit. We are new creations. We are a new nation and a new people. Walking in the name of the gods of the world is no longer an option.
We use money, yes, but we don’t look to it for answers. We watch and play sports, yes, but we don’t give teams our allegiance. We desire romance and companionship from the opposite sex, yes, but our dreams are about the glories of Christ and the proclamation of his kingdom. We see movies, yes, but entertainment does not dominate our time because we have been created to work and redeem the time.
My prayer for you this day, my friends, is that you would “walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.” Forsake the things of this world and count them as loss for the sake of Christ. He is the path upon which we walk, and the name in which we live.
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