What’s in a Name?
The Ten Commandments • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The third commandment finds its source in the first commandment, the unique and exclusive God who alone is to be worshipped. And whereas the second commandment has to do with visible representations of God (or gods), the third commandment is concerned with the use of His name as an extension of His person.
Names Carry Meaning:
Not so long ago there were formal ways of introducing people and it carried meaning and understanding of who that person ways, when being introduced to people, it would be something like this… Benjamin Keele, of the family Keele, hailing from Natchitoches Parish of Louisiana.
But even just names by themselves have meaning to us.
Elon Musk - Tesla, SpaceX, Billionaire
Donald Trump - President
Mother Teresa - Kind, Loving
Billy Graham - Evangelist
Jezebel - Evil, vile woman
Hitler - Killer, Evil, Nazi
The Israelites took their names very seriously and often a name was given to a child or an object as a statement back to God. For example:
Jacob = Supplanter
Esau = Hairy or rough
Abram = exalted father
Abraham = father of a multitude
Mary and Joseph were told to call their baby Jesus = God Saves or Yahweh is Salvation
The point is we associate traits, personalities, looks, actions, and many other things based on our experience with a name.
The third commandment is a warning, and it is greatly concerned with God’s reputation and honor.
Let’s read what it says…
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
As I am sure you have astutely observed there are two names given for God in this verse.
LORD and God
Let’s look at the second one and work our way backwards.
God - is the word Elohim
Elohim:
Elohim when talking about the one true God is used about 2330 times in the Bible
Elohim is specifically referencing the power and strength of God.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
We also get a clue of the Trinity of God from the word Elohim.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Elohim is strength, power, and is the Trinity wrapped up in one name.
Let’s look at the name LORD.
The name was given to Moses in Exodus 3:13-15, This is God’s personal name.
Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord (YHWH), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.
Yahweh יהוה or YHWH
The Four Letters YHWH are known as the Tetragrammaton.
It was written this way in Hebrew for fear of accidentally taking the name of God in vain. In fact around the 300 B.C. they no longer used the word YHWH but instead referred to God as Adoni. So in Greek the word for Lord is often translated as Adoni, meaning Lord or Master depending upon the context.
Yahweh (Jehovah):
is used 6828 in the Old Testament
In your Bible when LORD is all caps means Yahweh and Lord small letters means Adoni which means lord or master.
YHWH or I AM = “to be”
to be is a continuous existence
there is no start or finish
time is not a factor
When God says my name is I AM, He is saying always was, is, and will be.
We can only think past, present, and future.
God exist in the past, present, and future all at the same time.
Time does not contain Him. He created time Gen. 1:3-5
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
Let’s read our verse one more time with these definitions of God in mind.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
You shall not take Yahweh, the God who is existence, and Elohim, the God of strength and power, the Trinity in (vain) or in worthlessness.
The word vain means worthless - so we are not to treat God’s name as worthless, but we are to treat it as worthy, and precious, and valuable.
Let’s look at 4 ways we use the Lord’s name. (Some clearly bad and some that could go either way)
Most of us think of this command as talking about swearing while using the name of God.
What do you hear? Jesus (blank) or God (blank) why? Satan hates God so much he encourages people whether they believe in God or not to profane His Holy Name.
You don’t hear swear words like Muhammad!, Buddha! No, we only hear swearing in the name of our savior and of our God.
We recognize the importance of God’s name and hold His name to such a high standard, that we use the Bible, to swear in for office in government and we use it as a standard of truth in courts.
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
If we are going to swear an oath in God’s name we had better follow through with it, or we are dishonoring God. God does what He says He will do, and when we fail to follow through we are taking His name in vain.
But this verse contains so much more than just foul language and swearing oaths.
It is talking about that, but it is so much more than that.
When we pray we are using the Lord’s name.
Every reference we make to the Lord, whether verbal or mental, should be made with the highest reverence.
Pagans pray in manipulation of their gods, our God, the God of the bible cannot be manipulated.
“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
We should not be praying using Jesus name if somehow we are thinking that is a magic formula. Yes, we are to pray in Jesus name, but not as a form of manipulation, we are to be praying in reverence and submission to His will not ours.
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Most of the Ten Commandments can be read with a negative and positive tone. This one included.
So, if we are not to take God’s name in vain or to treat worthlessly, what we to do?
You shall take Yahweh’s name as precious, valuable, worthwhile
You and I wear a name as believers. It’s called Christian. When you became a believer you became a Christian and began to wear Christ’s name.
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
I came across a quote that I heard before and want to share it with you. Each one of us should be living lives that reflect Christ.
If you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Part of fulfilling the third commandment is not just what we speak, but in how we live our lives.
What can you and I do to live lives worthy of Christ name?
Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
When we spend time in God’s Word it changes us.
When we spend time in prayer it changes us.
When we spend time in church and fellowshipping with other believers, it changes us.
We could continue with more ways in which we could not use His name in vain and how we can use His name worthy, and precious as He deservers. But I know some of you are ready for lunch.
What we learn from the first Three commandments is wonderful and beautiful.
God is the only God, there is no other, and yet He wants to be known by you. He desires that intimate and personal relationship with you.
“Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off?
God is the only one worthy of worship. He is jealous for that worship. He desires personal worship from you. Unlike any other god, who is unable to do anything, He has done everything for you and I and loves us completely.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God (Elohim) the creator, all powerful full of unlimited strength, Lord (Yahweh) the personal God, who wants to be intimately known, and wants His name to be used in reverence, whether that be in our words or in our actions.
O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.
Let’s pray.
