THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN

It was to Moses that God revealed Himself by His name Jehovah, Exod. 6. 2-4. In the context, He assured His servant that He would fulfil His promises to the patriarchs; He would keep His covenant. Jehovah is the God who is reliable; He is the covenant keeping God. That precious name is ‘holy and reverend’, Ps. 111. 9; it is the ‘hallowed’ name of our Father, Matt. 6. 9.

This commandment forbids the use of that trustworthy name for any untrustworthy purpose. It forbids invoking His name to give credence to any false pronouncement. On occasions, Paul called upon God as his witness, but in every instance he was expressing sentiments that were completely honest; he never used the Lord’s name to deceive.

Others were not so careful. In deceiving his father, Jacob said of the ‘venison’, ‘the Lord thy God brought it to me’, Gen. 27. 20. The mention of a fictitious ‘yearly sacrifice’ was part of David’s strategy to deceive Saul, 1 Sam. 20. 6. An old prophet misled the man of God out of Judah by saying, ‘an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord’, 1 Kgs. 13.18. Pursuing Naaman, the covet­ous Gehazi said, ‘as the Lord liveth, I will run after him and take somewhat of him’, 2 Kgs. 5. 20. All were guilty of implicating God in their devious plans.

Taking the Lord’s name in vain must extend to the careless use of God’s name in blasphemy. In Leviticus chapter 19 verse 12, swearing falsely by His name is linked with profaning His name. In every culture, there is a level of conversation that is frowned upon; there is language that is unacceptable. But standards slip, and the constant misuse of God’s name is now tolerated. Be warned; ‘the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain’. In the heat of an argument, a careless young fellow ‘blasphemed the Name’, Lev. 24. 10-16 RV. It cost him his life. If divine displeasure were expressed so severely today, there would be few survivors! Try to be cautious, and guard against expressions of astonishment or emphasis that use even modified or abbreviated forms of God’s name. Often, they are used without any thought of their origins!