The Third and Fourth Commandment: Love God pt. 2

Third Commandment

“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.”

A name is more than a title, or letters on a birth certificate. Biblically, a person’s name encompasses that person’s essence, character, and reputation.

—Scripture provides examples of people “making a name” for themselves by establishing a reputation before others

----In , David “made a name for himself when he returned from defeating Aram in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand.”

----In , two of David’s men are said to have made a name for themselves: Abishai killed 300 people with his spear, and was made commander of 30 people because he made a name for himself; and Benaiah, who made a name for himself by killing two prominent men in Moab, killing a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and killing a strong Egyptian man by taking his spear from his hands and killing him with it.

----In , some of David’s servants come to tell him that his son, Solomon, has received a greater name than his own, which they clarify by saying that his throne is greater.

----A resume is essentially a document that explains the name that you have established for yourself thus far.

So God’s name is connected to his being, character, reputation, and works.

—The Hb word for “name” (“Sem”) is all over the book of Psalms (almost 100 times), and is always used in reference to praising God’s name, giving glory to God’s name, lifting up God’s name, trusting in God’s name, giving thanks to God’s name, the greatness of God’s name

----So God’s name is to be valued above every other name; because his name is to be regarded more highly than every other name, to break this command is to treat his name as though it is less valuable than what it actually is.

To “misuse his name” is to regard his name as valueless, or worthless.

This commandment is the only one of the ten that has a warning attached to it: “the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

A similar phrase is used later on in . God comes down to Moses on Mt. Sinai and declares his name to him, saying “Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations.” So God’s not leaving guilt unpunished is an inherent quality of his name, and this is what is said of those who misuse his name. This speaks to how highly God regards his name.

The most direct application of this command is to refrain from lying under oath, as well as invoking God’s name for ungodly purposes.

-To lie under oath, or to swear an oath in the name of God with no intention of keeping it, shows how highly (or how little) you regard God’s name.

To use God’s name flippantly, or to use it as profanity, shows a heart that regards the name of God as meaningless.

So God holds all people accountable to this command; it applies to his covenant people, as they are the ones who claim Yahweh as their God. However, God made all people in his own image. All people are created to represent the character and righteousness of God in the world. To the degree that they fail to do so, they are breaking the third commandment.

This would include the prosperity preachers and televangelists who invoke the name of God to exploit the poor and make an extravagant living.

This command has implications on how we regard God’s name in our thoughts, attitudes, and conduct.

How do you treat God’s name? Do you value the name of God? Do you value God’s reputation?

—If unbelievers in your life know that you are a Christian, do you care about how you are presenting God to them?

: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?”

How do you present yourself on social media?

The essence of keeping the third commandment is to regard the name, character, and reputation of God so much that your life is a testimony that no one matters to you more than God.

Fourth Commandment

- “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: You are to labor six days and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. For the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them is six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.”

The meaning of the word “Sabbath”

“Sabbat,”—To cease; to stop; to come to an end

-The idea communicating that work continues for six days, and comes to an end on the seventh day.

The Sabbath is to be “kept holy;” set apart from every other day

The means of keeping the Sabbath holy

-Everyone is to stop working

The extent of the command

It extends to everyone: v. 10 “you, your son or daughter, male or female, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates.”

It is a divine equalizer; it leaves no opportunity for anyone to force people of lower rank (or even animals) to work while others rest.

The Ground of the command

It began at creation; v. 11 “For the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day.”

The creation account serves as a pattern for our work week

This command evokes a whole host of questions

Why do we worship on Sunday instead of Saturday?

What about the passages like “Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day”?

Is this command a ceremonial command that only applies to Israel, or is it an abiding, universal, moral command?

If it’s a universal moral command, what are we allowed to do, and what are we prohibited from doing?