Exodus 20:7 “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.
Leviticus 24:11-16 and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. And they put him in custody, till the will of the LORD should be clear to them. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
James 5:12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
There are at least three ways this command is commonly disobeyed.
· Profanity: Using the name of God in blasphemy and cursing.
· Frivolity: Using the name of God in a superficial, stupid way.
· Hypocrisy: Claiming the name of God but acting in a way that disgraces Him
Jesus communicated the idea of this command in the disciples’ prayer when He taught us to have a regard for the holiness of God’s name (Hallowed be Your name, Matthew 6:9). (Guzik)
You shall not use the name of God, either in oaths or in common discourse, lightly, rashly, irreverently, or unnecessarily, or without weighty or sufficient cause. (Poole)
Thou shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain,…. Make use of the name Lord or God, or any other name and epithet of the divine Being, in a light and trifling way, without any show of reverence of him, and affection to him; whereas the name of God ought never to be mentioned but in a grave and serious manner, and with an awe of the greatness of his majesty upon the mind. For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name is vain; will not look upon him as an innocent person, and treat him as such; will not acquit and discharge him as just and righteous; but on the contrary will consider him as a guilty person, a profaner of his name, and a transgressor of his law, and will condemn and punish him, if not in this world, yet in the world to come. (Gill)
The word prohibits all employment of the name of God for vain and unworthy objects, and includes not only false swearing, which is condemned in Leviticus 19:12 as a profanation of the name of Jehovah, but trivial swearing in the ordinary intercourse of life, and every use of the name of God in the service of untruth and lying, for imprecation, witchcraft, or conjuring; whereas the true employment of the name of God is confined to “invocation, prayer, praise, and thanksgiving,” which proceeds from a pure, believing heart. (Brown)
It is important for each of us to have a proper reverence for God. There are so many ways to get this wrong in our lives. Proper reverence will seek and desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do. When our lives are consumed with worldly stuff and the busyness of life we will become neglectful and complacent in the Word of God and Things of God will become less and less important. What do we suppose will influence our lives, one hour on a Sunday listening to a sermon, or careful and desire-full daily reading of His Word with the intentional choice to be led in both thought, speech, and acts that honor and glorify Him? How much time a day do we not even give a thought to or about God? How many times is God’s name profaned by minimizing it with “omg” in response to something on social media? How many times is God’s name used in jokes about heaven and hell? How many times is His name used cursing? Far too many! The shallowness of commitment to the Word of God and the Things of God will leave a person void of reverence for God. In this shallow commitment, there is no concern for Honor and Glory to God. “this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain” (Mark 7:6-7)
The ease with which people are neglecting God’s Word and the Things of God is surely a sign of the times and the return of Jesus Christ.