I recently read an old Jewish saying pertaining to the third commandment: “When God gave the third commandment, the whole world trembled.” The reasoning behind this saying pertains to the wording in Exodus 20:7 “for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” This leads the Jews to believe that this commandment is the unpardonable sin.

So what exactly does it mean?

This commandment has been interpreted in a number of ways. One interpretation I have heard is that this commandment is limited to the use of the name of God in a frivolous manner. Another interpretation is that the name of God should not be used in magical or occult practices. A third interpretation is that this commandment prohibited one from breaking any contract that was sworn in the name of God. Thus, if someone promises by the name of God to do something and then fails to do it, that would qualify as having taken the name of the God in vain. A final interpretation is that it prohibits swearing all together.

Instead I would like to offer a more detailed explanation for the third commandment, one that requires us to have a brief understanding of the ancient Hebrew culture.

Most Hebrew names carried a recognizable meaning that was evident to all. A child’s name could be a reflection of a parent’s faith (e.g.  John “God is gracious”; Samuel, “God has heard”; Gabriel “devoted to God”), or the prevailing character of the child (Jacob, “heel-grabber”). A person’s name became synonymous with his or her reputation, which would resonate with the mere pronouncement of it. It was an extreme privilege when the LORD was gracious enough to provide Israel with His name. Knowing God’s name gave the Israelites personal access to God. Consider the things that have been done in the name of the Lord:

A mere shepherd boy battled with God’s might and power and was victorious over a  giant soldier (1 Sam 17:45).

A priest who invoked the Lord’s name in prayer brought life and vitality to an individual (Num 6:27).

In a time of cataclysmic judgment, anyone who called upon the name of the Lord would be delivered and find salvation (Joel 2:32).

Taking refuge in the Lord’s name provided a shelter so impenetrable that one would sing with shouts of joy (Ps 5:11).

Fearing the name after lapsing into idolatry could bring a restoration of spirit so complete it would be as if one had found a fountain of youth (Mal 4:2).

Worshiping at the place where God had placed his name would be to experience an intimate meeting with God, and with it blessing and life (Exod 20:24).

Possessing the name of the Lord was important to the Israelites. However, if possession of the name was a supreme privilege for Israel, it was also fraught with danger for God.  All kinds of atrocities have been committed in the “name of God” including the Inquisitions, crusades, the holocaust, child molestations, serial murders etc… These incidents have unfortunately affected a multitude of people both physically and spiritually.

How is this applicable to us?

This commandment requires us to become aware of the connection (or the lack thereof) between our spoken words and our innermost thoughts, between our public face and our private truth. We cannot hide our motives from God.  Yet people attempt to do this in a number of ways: a wordy prayer done for the approval of others, a superficial act of charity done for show, an attempt to impress others with a public display of words or emotions self- designed to show how God-like they are etc… Some people simply don’t care about God, and have no problem using His name to curse or swear. Others might use God’s name to dress up in formality an oath or promise they may have no intention of keeping.

Since we have become Christians, we are new creations. We have taken off our old selves and become part of God’s family. We bear His name, and as such we shape His reputation. We help the world interpret the name of the Lord. In its most basic form the third commandment looks at those of us who attach ourselves with the name of the Lord and asks what our motives are, who/what we are living for, and who/ what is at the center of our worship.

Tags: Christian Living

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 9:37 PM and is filed under Bible Study / Devotion, Christian Living, Doctrine of God, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.