Commandment 3 -
Taking God's Name in Vane
“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.” [Exodus 20:7]
When the nation of Israel settled into their promised land and a civic society developed, the priests, the House of Levi, took on the responsibility for protecting the Jewish population from sinning. This resulted in the legalistic society that we see today, they wrote tier upon tier of laws, each protecting one law after another. These laws were called 'Fence Laws' and their aim was to put a law in place that would prevent people transgressing the core law. One of these Jewish laws banns using God's name all-together, this law results in Jewish people missing out letters in names, such as 'G-d', or using the title, 'Lord'.
The commandment not to take or use the Lord's name in vain (Hebrew 'Shav', meaning 'falsely' or 'uselessness') expressly forbids all oaths and common swearing in the name of God or where He is sited as a witness to the truth. It obviously forbids any and all use of His name in casual or irreverent speech or expletives and superlatives. It also covers those irreverent prayers that many use without any deep meaning or in the Spirit, such as the over used pseudo-prayer, “God help him,” where no actual prayer is intended. How many times do we hear this Commandment being broken every day, in our modern society?
It is useful to understand the importance of Biblical names, in those times a name was more than a convenient label, it is also an expression of the person's nature. A name carries with it the reputation, character and often their role in society. The first example is Adam and Eve, it must have been Jehovah Himself who names the couple, Adam is a name still in popular use, and means, 'a human being' or 'man' [Genesis 2:20]. Eve, (Hebrew 'hawwâ') also named by God (also called 'Chavvah'), and means 'life giver' [Genesis 3:20]. Here we see the first two people created by Jehovah-God, one bears the name of the whole human race, Adam, and the other bears the description of her function, the one who gives life, a mother. It is also probable that Adam names the animals bases on his observations [Genesis 2:20]. Another illustration is Jacob who replaces and cheats Esau, his brother twice; on the second occasion Esau makes a comment that Jacob was rightly named [Genesis 27:36] According to Strong's dictionary the name Jacob actually means, 'heal-catcher (i.e. supplanter)' Hebrew 'yă'aqôb', so the name 'Jacob' was an accurate description of his character.
It pays dividends in insight and understanding to take notice of biblical names. In biblical thought, a name is not merely a label of identification but also an expression of the bearer's essential nature. It includes its bearer's reputation, character, and distinctiveness from others. For example, in all probability Adam named the beasts based on his observations of the distinctiveness of their natures. Similarly, to know the name of God is to know God as He has revealed Himself, that is, to know some of His nature. In another Old Testament example Abigail appeals to King David for the life of Nabal, she says, “ As his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him!" [1 Samuel 25:25]. Hebrew 'Nâbâl' literally means 'dolt' or 'fool', he was not a very nice person, the Biblical name again shows that a name tends to describe someone or places pressure on someone to conform to their name's nature. The Hebrew way of naming people and things is bound to their existence, nothing actually exists unless it has a name, just as God's creation was not complete until Adam had names all the creatures that God had created. To take away a person's name is to end the person's existence, equally, to change a someone's name is to acknowledge a change in his character, and standing before God. Revelation 3:12 adds to this picture: we note in this passage the Philadelphians are receiving three new names. They actually uncover the very existence, nature, and responsibility of these heirs of God's Kingdom.
God has many names, the most common is 'Lord', which is uses in the Bible 6790 times, only 616 of those in the New Testament. Such as Psalm 8 that starts “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Romans 2:21-24 is about hypocrisy, teaching one thing and doing the opposite, but it ends with a statement that being a hypocrite results in non-believers blaspheming against God. Double standards are affecting out faith more than many realise, so many times I have heard Christians being accused as hypocrites. We say we believe in one thing on Sunday and do the self-same thing during the remainder of the week. Can a anyone disobey all of the commandments without breaking the third ? How does one break the third commandment by not obeying the rest of God’s Law? If we witness or preach the word yet do not mean it or actually do not do the law, then we profane God's name [Leviticus 22:31-32], so it is not just about using God's name as a profanity, it's much more. Would you find it offensive if others treated your name disrespectfully, or slandered you, we all like to have a good name or reputation, and our name reflects who we are when people speak of us. King David was a man after God’s own heart [Acts 13:22]. What was his attitude toward God’s name? Read Psalm 145.
God's name is so much more than just a name, it is by His name, Jesus Christ, that we are saved [John 20:31] anyone who calls on His name [Acts 2:21], for there is no other name under heaven by which we are saved [Acts 4:12]. Even the Holy Spirit, the Comforter is sent to us in His name [John 14:26], and of course we say prayers and ask in His name [John 16:23]. God has many names, some of these are revealed in the Bible, 'El' means “Almighty or God the Omnipotent”, 'Elohim' is actually the plural of 'El'. The most common name 'Jehovah' is the Hebrew for 'God' meaning 'Eternal One'; 'Jesus' means, appropriately, “Jehovah the Saviour.”; whilst 'Christ' means “the Anointed”, the great High Priest. What does each name tell us about His relationship with you?
Today secular society is reacting against God, His people are taken to a court of law for obeying Him, not for the first time is God's name despised [Isaiah 52:5], and in the early church, the name 'Christianos' was an insult people spat the name and they blaspheme against Jesus [James 2:7]. It is not just secular society who blaspheme against God, I have lost count of how many so-called believers I have heard saying “Oh my G*d”, Jesus told His disciples about honouring Him with their lips but following the precepts of man, abandoning the Commandments of God for the tradition of men [Mark 7:6-8]. Jesus warns that not all who profess His name shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, only those who obey His commandments [Matthew 7:21]. Fortunately if we confess and repent, he will forgive us those transgressions.
I could not even guess at the number of times I have heard the third commandment being broken, I confess than in the past I have broken it myself, even as a Christian. How few there must be who have not broken the command at one time or another, even as Christians, even heathens thought that the names of their gods should be treated with reverence. If we continue to use His name in vane, the Lord will not hold him or she guiltless, whatever we may thing or believe, we may plead for ourselves that we meant no offence. He will count him or she guilty and will punish us for it, be aware that such exclamations as “Oh my G*d”, “Good G*d” “For G*d's sake,” etc. are all transgressions of the law. How many of our brothers and sisters who admit to being Christians are seen a guilty, don't be one of them, confess, repent and think about what you are saying.