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THE THIRD COMMANDMENT – A BRIEF EXPLANATION
TEXT
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. (Exodus 20:7)
EXPLANATION
In the Bible, to name someone is to have authority over that person. Think of Adam naming the animals and God changing the name of Jacob to Israel. Note also that in the Bible, the name of a person is not just a label, but it stands for his/her identity. To attack your name is to attack you!
The 3rd Commandment focuses our attention on the Name of God. No one ever gives any name to God. Instead, God is He who reveals His name to us. His name tells us the essence of His Divine Being – who is He. To misuse His name therefore reveals an attitude of deep irreverence to God!
Literally, the 3rd Commandment can be translated as “you shall not lift up the name of the LORD your God for nothingness.” Please note that this is not a ban on using/mentioning God’s Name, but a prohibition against using it in vain/for nothingness/in a trivial manner. Clearly, the concern here is about our attitude towards God and all things related to Him.
The words “lift up” has a narrow technical meaning of “taking oaths in legal situations”. Hence historically, the church has always referred to the swearing of false oaths with respect to this commandment. To underline that you are speaking the truth, you swear an oath, using God’s Name. There is a place for that. The problem comes only if you are speaking falsehood!
Of course, the 3rd Commandment is not restricted to just the issue of oaths. It must also include false prophecies, using God’s Name to gain personal advantage, swear words, blasphemies, praying and singing words we don’t mean, etc, as well as the general attitude of treating God as “weightless” and spiritual things in a light and trivial manner.
When God says that He will not hold such offenders guiltless, He is actually saying (in the strongest language possible) that He will most definitely find the offenders “guilty”! Once again, we must see that God is jealous (zealous) for His own glory. Hence, He cannot and He will not tolerate anyone treating Him with irreverence.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you passionately love Him, then do the positive aspect of this 3rd Commandment --- Hallow His Name!
QUESTIONS TO PONDER . . .
1. How do you see God’s name misused in the world today? How do Christians misuse it?
2. Instead of “taking God’s Name in vain”, we should “Hallow His Name”. What are some ways we can do that?
3. The 7th Commandment says, “Do not commit adultery.” A person who breaks the 7th Commandment is also guilty of violating the 3rd Commandment. Do you agree? Why?
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What is required in the third commandment?
The third commandment requires, that the name of God, His titles, attributes, ordinances, the Word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, vows, lots, his works, and whatsoever else there is whereby He makes Himself known, be holily and reverently used in thought, meditation, word, and writing; by an holy profession, and answerable conversation, to the glory of God, and the good of ourselves, and others.
Westminster Larger Catechism Question 112
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