This is the fourth sermon in a series of messages on the Ten Commandments. This message is about the third commandment, using the name of the Lord in vain.
Written Excerpts:
“Words Mean Things”
Exodus 20:7 “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (The use of the double negative means God will hold him guilty.)
Introduction:
Today we are continuing our series of messages on the Ten Commandments. We want to take a look at the third commandment and discover some important principles and lessons for our daily walk of faith.
As you can see from the title of the message, we are going to be discussing our speech in today’s message. I came across some pretty brilliant little tidbits regarding talking that I thought would be worth sharing. These were borrowed from Illustrations Unlimited, edited by James Hewett.
¶ If your mind should go blank, don’t forget to turn off the sound.
¶ If nobody ever said anything unless he knew what he was talking about, a ghastly hush would descend upon the earth. - Sir Alan Herbert
¶ Blessed is the man who, having nothing say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact. - George Eliot
¶ Saving face is often accomplished by keeping the lower part of it shut.
¶ There is nothing wrong with having nothing to say—unless you insist on saying it.
Well, there might be a good deal of wisdom in these little quotes. Of course the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament also has quite a bit to say about the use of the tongue. One thing that the Third Commandment teaches is that our speech is important and “words mean things.”
Let us turn our attention to this command that God has given so we can learn some important lessons from it.
III. Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain.
A. Negative Meaning: Do not use God’s name in a worthless or irreverent manner.
The word “vain” comes from a Hebrew root word meaning “to be empty” in the sense of “to be without substance, to be worthless.” In has also been defined as “false” or “deceptive.”
The word is usually translated in the OT as vain or vanity, but it is also translated as false, falsely or lying. In fact, the same word is used in Deut. 5:20 (where the TC’s are repeated) and it is used in the ninth commandment – “Do not bear false witness…”
Some writers believe that one of the specific practices being addressed with this command was the use of God’s name in an oath in order to give more credibility to the oath-taker, even though the person never intended to fulfill their vow or tell the truth. There are many more ways that people misuse the name of God, which we will discuss in a few minutes.
B. Positive Principle: Speech is sacred. (Words mean things!)
One writer (Walter Kaiser, Toward OT Ethics) proposes that the positive principle of this command is “the sanctity of verbal worship;” in conjunction with internal and external worship already mentioned in the first two commandments. With this view, apparently the author believes that the command is primarily talking about insincere prayer or irreverent worship toward God including prayers, songs, and speech.
However, after reading a number of different authors I have come to the conclusion that it might be better to explain the positive principle as the “sanctity of speech.” After all, if we truly understand the full meaning of worship, we know that it is more than just going to church, reading our Bibles and praying. Our whole life is to be lived as an act of worship to God.
Words really do mean things! So, it is vitally important for us to evaluate the kind of messages and values we convey by the speech that comes out of our mouths. People around us can learn a lot about our faith, our values and our ethical principles by listening to the way that we talk.
Yes, the command is specific in the sense that it is talking about the vain or irreverent verbal use of God’s name. But, the ultimate application of this principle includes all of our speech and our behavior, not just the times that we are verbally worshiping.
C. Exposition:
What are the lessons that this principle teaches us? I believe that there are at least 4 lessons.
1. God’s name may not be used to propagate a lie.
I already stated that some authors or scholars indicate that this command specifically dealt with the practice of swearing an oath in God’s name without any intention of being honest.
See Leviticus 19:11-12 “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.”
All of my life I have heard folks use the name of God in various conversational settings to confirm or authenticate what they were saying was the truth, but they knew all along that they were telling a lie.
Jesus said that we were speak in such a way that “your yes be yes and your no be no.” In other words, our reputation and character should be such that everyone who knows us automatically knows that they can trust whatever we say. We don’t need to swear an oath in order to reinforce the validity of our claims.
However, this command does not forbid the practice of using God’s name in a court setting.
In Deut. 6:13 Moses tells the people of Israel
Of course, the assumption is that the person taking an oath in God’s name in a court of law would be doing it in sincerity, honesty and integrity. To do so otherwise would not only make the person guilty of perjury, but would make them guilty of breaking the third commandment regarding the sacred use of God’s name.
2. Disobeying public or private vows taken in the name of God is a violation of this command.
There are a lot of different ceremonies (religious and civic) where people make public promises or vows in the name of God to fulfill certain duties. Those ceremonies include such things as weddings, child dedications, church membership ceremony, or taking an oath of office for some public political office.
They promise to fulfill their obligations to their spouse, their child, their church or the general public with the help of God and as they shall answer to God. For some of those people, they know when they recite the vow that they do not intend to practice or honor it. Others, start out with good intentions, but for various reasons neglect their promise. These are examples of taking the name of God in a worthless or vain manner. It is a serious thing, dear friends, to make a promise in God’s name to fulfill certain obligations.
3. Any irreverent or casual use of God’s name is a violation of this command. (Including substitutes for His name.)
Scholars have pointed out that names carried significant meanings in biblical times. There are many examples cited in Scripture when men’s names were changed when they had a significant encounter with God. Their names before and after the encounter often carried great spiritual significance. So it was with God. One writer pointed out that in contrast to the pagans and heathens around the Israelites, God did not choose to reveal His glory or character with images or idols, but He revealed Himself by His name.
Whenever we invoke the name of God or use the name of God in our speech we are referencing the very nature, character and reputation of God. Therefore, to lightly, flippantly and irreverently throw His name around in casual conversation seems to be a clear violation of this command. There are a lot of “good Christian folk” who are guilty of saying “God,” “Lord,” or “Jesus” in jest or as expletives in their everyday conversation. I believe that this deeply grieves the heart of God.
4. We can take the name of God in vain by the way we live and behave.
The word “take” can be understood as “take up” or “carry.” It portrays the image of a person who “carries” the name of the Lord by virtue of the fact that they claim to be a follower of God or a follower of Jesus Christ.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger (The Ten Commandments), states it like this, “…actions, behaviors and positions that we take in God’s name must not defame His name. History is pock-marked with episodes of torture, murder, rape and plundering all in God’s name. This, of course, is a deeper profanity.”
Lev. 19:2 “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”
(Dr. Laura) “Since it is our duty to emulate God… a clear way to sanctify God’s name is to behave in holy ways, even and especially under threat and coercion.... [With some] kinds of behaviors [we] profane the name of God because it is through our actions that His will, intent, and character is made evident on the earth for all peoples.”
Matt. 6:9 “…Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
When we pray, "Let your name be hallowed (holy, sacred)," we are not asking God to make His name or His character more holy than it already is. We are asking that His name may become more holy and sacred among the people with whom we dwell. That is primarily accomplished by our testimony and our lives that we live before them.
For example, 1 Tim. 6:1 “Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.”
When we are hypocritical in our speech, our attitudes and our behaviors, then it is very likely that we are causing God’s name to be degraded in the minds of those who watch us and hear us and work with us.
I believe that this is the essence of truth found in the Third Commandment. If we claim to be Christian, then we better act like a Christian and talk like a Christian and demonstrate the attitudes of a Christian. Alexander the Great had a soldier brought before him who faced court-martial for misconduct. The man stood before the great commander with trembling knees. “What is your name?” he was asked.“Alexander, sir,” the man replied.There was a pause. Again the Emperor asked, “Soldier, I asked you before, ‘What is your name?’”“My name is Alexander!”With a face red with fury, the commander shouted again, “What is your name?”“Alexander,” came the meek reply.Alexander the Great stood up and faced the man. “You either change your name or change your conduct.” (Randall Denny, Tables of Stone for Modern Living)
Conclusion:
Back in the 1960’s my Dad finished up his schooling and his apprenticeship for barbering and he was ready to open his own shop in Meadville
There were two reasons he did that. One, so parents would feel comfortable bringing their children into his shop. Two, so he could glorify God by taking a stand against vulgar and profane conversation.
What kind of impression would people around me have of God by listening to the way that I talk? What impressions will I give to people around me about Jesus Christ by the way that I talk?
Dear friends, I want you to remember that I have stated from the very beginning of this series that the purpose of the law of the Lord is to make us aware of any areas where we have been missing the mark or falling below God’s standard of holy behavior. Let us not get discouraged or angry or defensive if we have been convicted by the Lord on any issue. Let us seek the Lord’s forgiveness and pray for His grace to enable us to change our conduct in order to bring glory to His holy name.
Also, I want you to know that it is never my intention to proclaim judgment or condemnation and then leave you “hanging” to figure out what you can do about your need. I am always available to provide spiritual counsel and assistance to anyone who is troubled and wants God’s help in your life.
Let’s stand together for a closing prayer.The next sermon in this series is: The Manufacturer's Design (link available in blog archive on right)
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