Do Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain (3rd Commandment) Part 2

Introduction

Exodus 20:7 ESV

“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.

English Standard Version Chapter 22

31 “So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the LORD. 32 And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel.

This week we’re continuing our series through the 10 commandments, and today will be part two of our look at the 3rd commandment, which is recorded for us there in Exodus 20, verse 7, that “you shall not take the name of the Lord our God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

Now, as we’ve seen thus far, the scope of these commandments is far greater than most of us usually assume at first. While we often read these commandments and apply them quite narrowly, in reality, the implications of these commandments extends much deeper and spreads much wider than we usually realize. For example, keeping the 3rd commandment is a much taller task than merely avoiding a few technical phrases like “Oh my God,” “OMG,” “Oh my gosh,” or using God’s name alongside a curse word.

While many of us might assume that avoiding such phrases is all that the 3rd commandment requires, in fact, it requires far more than just this. Not less than this, but certainly much more than this. That these commandments are not intended merely to reform our external behavior, resulting in mere external conformity to them, but are meant to cut us to the heart.

To see this we must first recognize that God’s name reflects his character and who he is. That his name is intended to sum up all that he has revealed to us about himself. That he is holy, righteous, merciful, faithful, omnipotent, maker of heaven and earth, and so on. His name is associated with who he is and what he is like, and that he has a name that is above every other name. And that God is concerned, above all else, with his own name, that he takes the reputation of his name very seriously.

Therefore, we’re commanded to treat his name with reverence, and warned against bearing his name in vain, or emptying it of its value, or treating his name as though it were worthless, lest we bring reproach or disrepute upon it, because the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

In our last time, I pointed out that what’s fundamentally forbidden here is swearing by God’s name falsely. That we read later, in Leviticus 19:12, that,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

In other words, if you invoke God’s name when making an oath or a vow, you’re expected to keep it, lest you take the Lord’s name in vain. You see, the point of invoking God’s name when making an oath is to give assurance to the other party that you’ll keep your word since it would risk calling down God’s retribution upon your head if you didn’t. This is why we invoke God’s name when making wedding vows or swearing by God’s name when giving testimony in a court of law. We’re giving the other parties involved, whether it’s our spouse or others in the courtroom, assurance that we’ll keep our vows or tell the truth.

To put it another way, if you invoke God’s name when making an oath, but fail to keep it, you give everyone the impression that God’s name doesn’t bear any weight, or that calling upon God as your witness shouldn’t give others any assurance that you’ll keep your word. When you don’t keep your word, you’re communicating to others that God doesn’t necessarily keep his either, that you don’t fear his retribution for swearing by his name falsely. That his name is cheap and worthless. And, as we’re intended to see here in the 3rd commandment, God takes this very seriously.

And the implications of this are vast, as we saw in our last time. That we’re forbidden from using God’s name to deceive or to lie, or to use his name as leverage against others. That we’re forbidden from blaspheming his name, to lie about him, whether intentionally or unintentionally. That false teachers, whether knowingly or unknowingly, when they teach falsely about God bear his name in vain. That empty professions of faith that only give lip-service to God bear his name in vain, making a mockery of God’s name when we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, but deny him by how we live. Calling him Lord, but not doing what he says. That we should therefore be careful who we baptize, or who bears the name of Christ, lest we bring reproach upon his name. That we must take seriously church discipline, because to permit unrepentant sin to persist within thee local church is not only damaging, but brings reproach upon the name of Christ. Or that we should avoid attributing our thoughts, words, and actions to the Holy Spirit, lest we put words in God’s mouth. That we must be on guard against hypocritical worship and false piety which bear God’s name in vain, honoring him with our lips while our hearts are far from him. And all of these examples highlight how vast the implications of 3rd commandment are, that keeping the 3rd commandment goes much deeper and far beyond avoiding a handful of technical phrases. And it’s at this point where I want to pickup today.

Treating God’s name as holy

First, I want to explore a few other areas that are connected to the third commandment that I think will be helpful for us see, and then we’ll wrap up with some concluding remarks on how we’re intended to keep the third commandment, or how we’re intended to approach God with reverence, and what that looks like in practice.

Now, earlier we read this in Leviticus 22:31-32,

Leviticus 22:31–32 (ESV)

“So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord. And you shall not profane my holy name, that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel. …

Connected with the third commandment is the expectation that God will be treated as holy. Or as Leviticus 22 put it, “that [God] may be sanctified among the people of Israel,” or translated another way, “that [God] will be treated as holy among the people of Israel.” The idea here is simply that because God is holy, he should therefore be treated as holy. Which is why we must not take the Lord’s name in vain, or treat his name in such a way that would empty it of its value. His name must not be profaned, or treated with disrespect or irreverence. Which is why any word or deed that misrepresents him, or lies about him, is forbidden by the third commandment.

Now, this also includes not treating God’s name as common. What do I mean by that? Well, I think most of us are familiar with the distinction between things that are holy and things that are common. The word holy is typically used in two different ways, either to describe righteousness, or to describe something as set apart or separate, that which is other or different. We often refer to that which is holy as sacred. For example, when Moses approached the burning bush in Exodus 3:5 the Lord told Moses, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

In other words, there was something different about the ground Moses was walking on as he approached the burning bush, he was now approaching holy ground. Not that the dirt was fundamentally any different than the dirt a mile away, but that as a result of God’s immediate, manifest presence at the bush Moses was approaching a holy place, because God is holy. Therefore, Moses was instructed to take off his sandals, signifying that he was approaching the very presence of God, moving from the common to the holy.

Treating his name as common

Similarly, when we speak of God we’re never to treat his name as common, but as holy. We’re never to treat his name as though it were trivial, insignificant, or a light matter. We’re to take God’s name seriously. This is one of the reasons we don’t just throw his name around without any thought or concern. His name should never be used in a casual or trivial manner, saying, “Oh my God,” “Jesus Christ,” or “Good Lord” when we’re surprised, excited, or frustrated. We should never use God’s name superficially saying things like “Thank God” out of habit rather than genuine gratitude.

Now, again, this doesn’t meant that we can just avoid a list of technical phrases and be assured that we’re keeping the third commandment, because many of these phrases can and should be used under the right circumstances and from a right heart. It’s absolutely appropriate to say things like “Thank God” out of genuine gratitude, or “Oh, God!” when addressing him in earnest prayer. You see, whether many of these phrases violate the third commandment or not depends upon the heart. This is why keeping the third commandment doesn’t merely boil down to avoiding a list of phrases. The third commandment extends much deeper, and it reaches the heart.

We should also recognize that because God is holy we don’t approach him with a casual attitude. In other words, Jesus isn’t your homeboy. While we are encouraged to draw near to him, to cast all of our cares upon him, and to approach him with boldness and confidence, that we might receive mercy and help in our time of need, this is not the same as approaching God with presumption. We’re not to approach God casually, or with presumption, irreverently barging into his presence as it were. We’re to approach him with reverence, like Moses, taking off our sandals as we approach holy ground.

So, the third commandment is concerned with how we approach God, or the heart of our worship. The first command is concerned with who we worship, that we worship God alone, the second is concerned with how, or the way we worship God, and the third commandment is concerned with how we approach him in worship, that we approach him with reverence.

Treating his name like a talisman

Scripture also teaches us that we’re never to treat God’s name as a talisman, or like an object that’s believed to bring us good luck or provide us protection, like some kind of lucky rabbit’s foot. We’re not to treat his name as if it were some kind of magic name. And we see an example of this illustrated in 1 Samuel 4 when the Israelites went out to battle against the Philistines. So, go ahead and open your Bibles to 1 Samuel 4, and read with me beginning in verse 1,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”

10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

At first, you might ask, why doesn’t the Lord deliver them from the hands of the Philistines? And why doesn’t the Lord honor the Israelites efforts to bring the ark of the covenant with them into battle? While the text doesn’t tell us explicitly, notice there in verse 3 when the elders of Israel express their own confusion, and they say,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

“Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”

What appears to be missing from their discussion is any attempt to inquire of the Lord, and instead they immediately take matters into their own hands. They conclude that what’s missing is the ark of the covenant, that if they just bring it with them into battle that it’ll save them from the Philistines. They appear to be treating the ark of the Lord as if it were a magic box, that if they just bring it with them that it’ll guarantee their victory.

We see this even more clearly later in the Book of Acts, in Acts 19:13-16, when certain traveling Jewish exorcists invoke the name of the Lord while attempting to cast out demons, listen to what Luke writes,

English Standard Version Chapter 19

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

We’re told earlier that these Jewish exorcists had heard or seen that God was doing extraordinary miracles at the hands of the Apostle Paul, even casting out of demons, and so they figured it might be worth invoking the name of Jesus in their own efforts to cast out demons, however, when they do the demons leap on them, overpower them, and drive them away naked and wounded.

Now, the point here is that we don’t get to use God’s name like some sort of good luck charm or talisman. We don’t get to wield his name to get what we want. God is not subject to our whims, and we don’t get to tell him what to do. While we’re encouraged to bring our supplications and petitions to him, we do so submitting everything to his will. This is why when Jesus taught his disciples to pray he said, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:9-10)

We don’t get to demand that God heal us of our infirmities, we don’t get to demand that God change our circumstances, in no way shape or form do we get to make demands of him. However, if you watch any of the countless, self-proclaimed faith healers, or so-called deliverance ministers today you might think otherwise. Or within the NAR, a movement often referred to as the new apostolic reformation, many claim that there are modern apostles today that posses an authority similar to the Apostles who were commissioned by Jesus himself, and that they have the ability to speak things into existence by making decrees. And while some of these people may be well meaning, this is foolishness to think that we can make demands of God, for God is not like a talisman that you keep in your pocket. Instead Psalm 115:3 says that, “Our God is in the heavens; [and] he does all that he pleases.”

Cults treating his name as magical

Similarly, Christian cults treat God’s name as if it were magical. One of the hallmarks of a Christian cult is that they will often insist upon calling God or Jesus by certain names. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that it’s important to call God by his Hebrew name, and that it must be pronounced Jehovah, rather than Yahweh. They believe this is the only way to show reverence to God’s name. Likewise, the Hebrews Roots movement insists that Christians should keep the mosaic law just as the Jews did, and therefore also insist that God should be referred to by his Hebrew name Yahweh and Jesus should be referred to by his Hebrew name Yeshua.

However, by doing so these cults and movements treat God’s name as if it were magical, that if you don’t pronounce it correctly, or say it in a particular language that you’re treating his name irreverently, but instead this results in treating God’s name superstitiously. In fact, it’s easy to see this when we consider the Septuagint, or the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew OT that was used by the Apostles and the early church. What we discover is that those who translated the Hebrew OT into Greek saw no problem translating Yahweh into the Greek word kyrios (Lord), and translating Elohim into the Greek word theos (God). Furthermore, these are the same Greek words that the NT letters would use when referring to Jesus or God.

So, we must not treat God’s name as if it were a talisman, a charm, or a name that we can bend to our own will, or to control him with, or to think we gain his favor by pronouncing it in certain way. We must be careful to avoid treating his name as common. His name should never be used in a casual or trivial manner, but treated with appropriate seriousness, treating him as holy. Never approaching him presumptuously, or casually, but with appropriate fear and reverence.

Approaching God with reverence

Now, as we wrap up I want to conclude with how we’re intended to keep the third commandment, or how we’re intended to approach God with fear and reverence, and what that looks like in practice.

First, it’s essential for us to understand that the reverence required by the third commandment is not intended to destroy our intimacy with God, but instead the reverence required by the third commandment is intended to establish and promote our intimacy with God. Now, I say this because I think we get it in our heads that if we’re required to tread reverently before God that this must mean that our relationship with him will inevitably be cold and impersonal, and that he must be indifferent toward us.

Unfortunately, this kind of thinking has caused many Christians to conclude that in order for our relationship with God to be warm and personal, that we must do away with any reverence or fear. They think that in order for their relationship to be warm and personal that the terms of their relationship must become casual rather than reverent. However, this inevitably results in violating the third commandment, and treating God as if he were one of us, and failing to treat him as holy. Sadly, what we believe has enhanced our relationship with him, has caused us to sin against him. This is one of two ditches that we can fall into.

The other ditch is to manufacture all of the external trappings that give the outward impression that we’re approaching God with fear and reverence. We might be really good at avoiding all of the technical phrases that would violate the third commandment, and we may give everyone the impression that we only approach God with fear and reverence by how serious our weekly church liturgy is, but inside our worship is hollow.

What we fail to see in both of these approaches is that the third commandment is fundamentally concerned with our hearts. You see, the third commandment promotes intimacy in our worship and in our relationship with God because it requires genuine engagement from the heart. Hypocrisy and false piety will not do, nor will changing the terms of our relationship, both paths result in taking the Lord’s name in vain.

You see, while God is holy, and is to be feared and reverenced, he is not stoic, and he is not indifferent toward us. Just as a child’s fear and respect for their father isn’t intended to diminish their love and intimacy with him, so our fear and reverence for God isn’t intended to diminish our love and intimacy with him.

Conclusion

And, you see, when we understand that the third commandment is fundamentally concerned with the heart, that it’s concerned with how we approach God, or the heart of our worship. When we get our hearts right, when we approach him all of these other elements tend to fall into place. We naturally desire to approach him with reverence, we intuitively begin to avoid treating his name as common, we become jealous for his name and his reputation, we desire to see his name lifted up, we find blaspheme inconceivable, and we feel deep remorse for when we do, we become careful not to put words in God’s mouth, and we abhor false teaching, we begin to take our faith seriously, recognizing that we bear the name of Christ.

Prayer