Exodus 20:7, “You shall not take the name
of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who
takes his name in vain.”
The third commandment is one that suffers daily abuse as God’s name is
repeatedly blasphemed by people throughout the world. Few of us can ever make
it through the day without hearing God’s name being taken in vain.
But why did God give this commandment?
We will look at just four reasons:
This commandment is given so that we might understand who God is and
offer to Him the respect and reverence due to Him. God’s name is more than just
a name, it is descriptive of who He is and is as unique as He is. No one else
can rightly take His name. Thus the manner in which we use God’s name reveals
how we think of and regard God. If we have a high view of God, then we will
hold His name in high regard, if we have a low view of God then we will not
respect or revere His name. The Israelite people had seen God display many of
His attributes in the plagues and thus far in the exodus journey. Therefore they
of all people should not just best understand who God is, but they should also
highly regard, respect and revere Him.
Because God’s name is descriptive of who He is, it means that His name
is holy. God is holy, He is the definition and epitome of holiness, everything
that God is, is holy, His name included. Thus to blaspheme, to take His name in
vain, is to defile and dishonour that which is holy. We need to remember the
prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ taught to His disciples, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” The world hallowed
means to regard something as sacred and special, to revere it, to as it were
treat it as though it were holy, to hold it in high regard. God is holy,
everything about God, everything that God is, is holy, therefore His name is
holy.
The command is given because God wants us to understand who He is, to
hold Him in high regard, to respect, revere and uphold His holiness, to have a
high view of Him, and so that we might also be truthful. God’s name was often
used when taking and making oaths and promises, or when testifying in a court.
We think of the words of the High Priest to Jesus in Matthew 26:63, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if
you are the Christ, the Son of God.” The High Priest is ordering Jesus in
the name of God to tell the truth, so that if Jesus is found to be lying, he would
then be guilty of blasphemy as well. God wants us to be people who are
characterised by their truthfulness, who do not need to take oaths and promises
in God’s name so as to convince people to trust our words. We should be people
who love and honour God and therefore people who can be trusted to be truthful,
because our God is holiness and truth.
This is a commandment of love and life. God wants us to honour,
respect and revere Him as we should, for God is not only worthy of it all, but
there is also blessing to be found in this for us. God also knows the pain that
comes when we lie to one another and He also knows the blessing that comes when
we prize and uphold the truth. God desires for us to live loving, respecting,
revering and honouring Him and His name, and then being truthful towards one
another in that which we promise to do. Thus the third commandment is designed
to cause us to love God, to love one another and to lead us into a life of
blessing, where God is honoured and revered and truthfulness is prized.
Holy Father, there is no other name
higher or greater than Your name, we bow in worship of who You are. We pray
that You would help us to grow in our understanding of who You are, so that we
might revere You and Your name all the more. We also pray that through our
witness, reverence and love for You and Your name and through our truthfulness,
that the world may come to see the truth of who You are and realise the
sinfulness of blasphemy. It is the sincere pray of our hearts that Your name
would be hallowed throughout the world. Amen.
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