Nightline and ABC news are doing a series on the Ten Commandments, one of which is the Third Commandment from Exodus 20:7, which reads: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless anyone who takes his name in vain.
"But that has nothing to do with what Moses says here," so I hear my biblical conscience tell me, and I'd like to offer a few reflections on what I believe is the foundation of this command and why we need, perhaps more than ever, to re-insert the Third Commandment as a character mark of followers of Jesus.
First, the command is anchored in the utter, incomparable, and awe-inspiring holiness of God and God's pure, impeccable love for Israel and us, God's people. We are not to divide God into Holy things and Love things -- God's holiness is a pure love and God's love is a pure holiness. God stands behind the Name and that God is holy love. Our generation is morally culpable for a pitiful dismissal of God's holiness and for a diminution of God's glorious transcendence. For this reason alone we need more attention to this command.
Second, the "Name" is "YHWH," the sacred Name given to Moses in Exodus 3:14. That Name, however, is not a restriction -- as if we can say "God" and "Lord" all we want. No, the Name itself spreads holiness over everything that touches God -- names, attributes, behaviors, and redemptive designs -- including creation and humans and the Church.
[Added comment: Many are emphasizing in the comments that taking the Name is not just using the word "God" or any other name for God, and I would agree. The Israelites took this term in a more restrictive sense to swearing falsely but they also expanded it ... and I touched on this in the above paragraph but it needs emphasis: Anything we claim God for, anything we "blame" God for, etc., falls within the overall emphasis on our need of reverence before God. The Third Commandment is an expansive idea.]
Third, Jesus honored that Name when he taught us to pray these words daily: "May your Name [this echoes Exod 20:7, the third command] be hallowed." He's affirming the utter sacredness of the Third Commandment.
Fourth, let's back up to the context: it was customary and widespread among Jews not even to use the Name (YHWH) when speaking of God but to substitute the word "Lord" every time one saw that term. Thus, one way of protecting oneself from uttering the Name of the Lord in vain was never even to pronounce it. This was the world of Jesus and the early Christians and you don't see them using this Name and you see them speaking of the "Name" in its place.
Fifth, it is too easy to slip this into the real of awe and sacredness and holiness and forget that Jesus cut the Ten Commandments, as did other Jews, into two kinds: Love God commands and Love Others commands. The Third Commandment, then, is a particular instance of what it means to love God.
I'll put it this way. I love my wife and my kids (and their spouses and now little Aksel) in ways unlike my love for others, like my colleagues and friends. I would never make fun of my loved ones in public in a way that besmirched their integrity and their name and their honor.
How much so with God? If we love God, we don't say "OMG" or anything that gets close.
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This is so true and for years I have felt that people have been using God's name in vain. Even myself have said OMG when witinessing a horrible or tragic event. I am going to try and reverse this type of thinking. Thank you for the teaching.
Gwen
By daring to say that Catholics, Lutheran, and liberal Presbyterians will not be saved you are putting yourself in the place of God, because you are judging who will be saved and only God has the power to do this; so you are taking the Lord's name in vain by putting yourself in His place. Judge not, lest ye be judged, so says the Holy Bible.
S.P.
How much so with God? If we love God, we don't say "OMG" or anything that gets close. Scot Mcknight
I commented earlier on this article and recieved kind responses, thank you. I am writing again to let you know why I reacted to this final statement you made. I am asking for a retraction or explanation as to how you know my heart and can so casually judge it.
I know that your intention is to honor our Father, Jesus & the Holy Spirit. I'm sure you have helped many in their quest to walk closer to God. This is how our Lord Himself responded to the 10 Commandments. Should we do any less than Him? JHN 8:4-11... They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with [his] finger wrote on the ground, [as though he heard them not]. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And they which heard [it], being convicted by [their own] conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, [even] unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.....The power of Life & Death are in the tongue. Jesus was the WORD OF LIFE. 1TIM 1:8...
But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
1Ti 1:9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, Mr. Mcknight you have put yourself in a position to do good please prayerfully consider your words...In Christ, Darlene
As one who struggles with faith and believing that the Bible is really THE WORD of GOD I find myself in some situations whereby I do take the Lord's name in vain. But I mean it is usually Jesus' Name which I hate doing and really struggle to not let it 'slip' in some reaction to some negative event.
I am conscious of it because even though I am deeply struggling with faith as Orthodox Christainity teaches it, I have had enough backround and learning that it is very uncomfortable for me to use Jesus' name in vain.
As far as using 'god' in an oath, I don't believe that 'god; is a name but a generic term that is used for a supreme being by nearly every religion on earth.
I slip and use 'god' in an oath but again feel uncomfortable with it because I guess some how deep inside I believe that 'god' takes on the meaning of the creator that you believe in and for me, though deeply questioning faith and the Bible at this point in my life, I am clinging to the hope that somehow it is true and that I can find a way back to really believe it.
Bottom line, I have fallen into a habit of using god and jesus in oaths and I don't like it, catch myself and do offer up a confession of sin, but all the while struggling with whether or not the oath and the confession is really reaching anyone on the other side.
But I would say, oaths and using a generic term or actual name is not good, and I am trying to replace my speech with more loving and affirming speech..not easy.
Not originally mine, but edited by me.
YHWH says to not take His name in vain. Let's take a moment and look at the Webster's dictionary definition of the word "vain":
vain 1. Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying. ``Thy vain excuse.'' ... 2. Destitute of forge or efficacy; effecting no purpose; fruitless; ineffectual; as, vain toil; a vain attempt....
Considering the meaning of the word “vain,” what greater way to bring Yahweh's name to “emptiness...worthlessness...having no real substance, value or importance” than to remove His name altogether from the scriptures?
This practice is so widespread and so complete that until modern times few people even knew the Heavenly Father had a personal name.
So if we want to keep the Ten Commandments, we should never join them in replacing YHWH's name with a false name or title of our own choosing. Doing so would be breaking the third commandment. This is not the only way to break the third commandment, but we can see that it is certainly one way of doing so.
In fact, in most translations the third commandment (as translated) is a transgression of itself!
Why? Because the third commandment forbids bringing His name to nothing, yet most translations do just that when translating that verse.
His name is very important. Yahweh says that it is His name forever and His memorial to all generations, including the one we are living in. Let’s not desecrate or remove His memorial. (Ex. 3:15)
If it wasn’t important, He would not have warned those who break the third commandment: “YHWH will not hold him guiltless.”
Therefore, in spite of what others may think, let's keep His commandments by restoring what YHWH placed there originally as we read and quote the scriptures. Continuing in error is never superior to walking in the truth.
Our speech should be as the oracles of YHWH (1 Peter 4:11). Therefore, let’s primarily call Him by His name, just as the scriptures do.
We are not supposed to add or take away from His word. But if we practice this tradition, we are both adding to and taking away from His word.
Therefore, the “replace His name with a title” tradition is clearly unscriptural. We should not be surprised when unscriptural traditions of men find their way into modern denominational religions. Our Savior said to the mainstream teachers of his day:
“Full well ye reject the commandment of YHWH, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mark 7:9)
Therefore, just as He did, let’s set aside vain traditions and fearlessly proclaim the genuine truth found in His word... just as He inspired it.
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