Articles
Ten Commandments (3)
The Ten Commandments 3
The third of the Ten Commandments forbids the taking of the name of the Lord in vain: “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” (Exod. 20:7). “In vain” comes from a Hebrew word that means “to utter a name in vain, unnecessarily to abuse a name in an evil way” (HALOT, 1425).
The German commentators C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch commented on this verse saying, “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 Lev. 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. The natural heart is very liable to transgress this command, and therefore it is solemnly enforced by the threat, ‘for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless’ (leave him unpunished), etc.” (Exodus, 118).
The fact that the prohibition about taking the Lord’s name in vain was written in ca. 1450 BC shows that men have shown disrespect for the name of the Lord for millennia. In my own lifetime, I have witnessed a trend toward less respect for the Lord and His name. One used to hear apologies for foul speech (“Please pardon my French!”) and one was taught not to use filthy words in front of ladies. Those days are past. Some of the worst offenders now are ladies. Fourth-grade children sometimes speak such foul language that it burns one’s ears. TV shows and Movies require a filter (such as VidAngel) for families to watch a program. How God must react to having His name used to curse a man created in His own image, to guarantee the truthfulness of lies (“I swear to God . . .”), and to express one’s surprise and astonishment (“Oh my God!”). We have forgotten the very basics of reverence for God!
Mike Willis
