Reverence for God's Name

We are in a series where we are looking at the Ten Commandments. We find ourselves in Exodus 20 looking at the third commandment. I would invite you to find Exodus 20 in your Bible and join me as we look at this third commandment.

In 1977, the movie, “Oh God!”, was released. In this movie, God was portrayed as coming to earth and talking with a store manager named Jerry. In a conversation between the two, Jerry says without thinking to himself, “Oh God!” The character playing God would reply, “Yes, Jerry? What is it?” Jerry says, “Huh? Oh, it’s nothing, Lord. It’s just an expression… a figure of speech… nothing more.” That’s when the God character says, “That’s why I am here, Jerry. I want people to know that I’m not just a figure of speech. I’m more than a phrase people blurt out when they’re frustrated. I want you to tell people to take me seriously… that I am the LORD.”

Though this was a fictional comedy from years back, I believe that there may be some truth to it even today. Many people hear and say the name of God and think nothing of it. It is just another phrase in their vocabulary.

Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.

Exodus 20:7 (CSB)

As we make our way through the Ten Commandments, one can see a pattern that is forming:

• First Commandment = the object of our worship (who should we worship)
• Second Commandment = how we worship
• Third Commandment = the manner of our worship (reverence)

What’s in a Name?

The dictionary says that a name is “a word or combination of words by which a person, place, or thing, a body or class, or any object of thought is designated, called, or known.” ^[1] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/name In our culture today, that is very true. Many times, a name is nothing more than what someone or something is called.

In the times of the Bible, a name was something much deeper than just an ID of an individual. Names were often given to reveal one’s character – who one really is. 

We can see a form of this even played out in today’s world. What comes to mind when you hear the name: Bill Gates/Steve Jobs, Elvis Presley, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan…

Sometimes, a person can do something that smears his or her reputation and it is forever changed: Benedict Arnold, OJ Simpson, Pete Rose.

One can see that a name is much more than just a word that you put on a sticker to wear on your shirt. Names have deep ties to the person they are associated with. This points to the importance of the Third Commandment. When a person misuses God’s name, he or she is messing with the character of God.

Ways God’s Name is Misused

Profanity

Profanity is what commonly comes to most people’s minds when they think about the Third Commandment. When we use God’s name in a manner of trying to curse someone, that is most definitely misusing the Lord’s name. 

Jesus taught in the model prayer that God’s name is to be held in high respect.

Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.

Matthew 6:9 (CSB)

When a person uses profanity and includes the Lord’s name in it, that person is not honoring the name of the Lord. God never intended for His name to be used as a tool to call curses on someone or to down anyone. His name is the only name under heaven given to people where they can find true life (Acts 4:12).

Flippancy

To use the name of the Lord flippantly means that one uses it in a way that downplays or fails to recognize the significance of who we are talking about. This is not necessarily cursing, but just using it commonly. 

The God of the Bible is anything but common. He is extraordinary. He is matchless. His name is the name above all other names. 

This is what the illustration I shared at the beginning was talking about. To flippantly speak about God shows that one does not have a clear understanding of Whom they are talking about. 

Jesus warns about the flippant speech of any kind in Matthew 12:36.

I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.

Matthew 12:36 (CSB)

Think about that for a second. Every careless or flippant word that we speak, we will have to give an account for. While many may have the same outlook at Jerry from the movie earlier (“it’s just a phrase”), God does not share that same view. God understands the power of words. We should be careful in what words that we use and how we use them as well.

In the Jewish culture (both in biblical times and today), they will not speak the covenant name of God (Yahweh). They believe that for anything that is not as holy as God to speak the name of God would cause them to break this commandment. 

While I would not see using the name of God as wrong in itself, I do agree with the point that God’s name (the words that we use to identify and describe Him) should be carefully chosen and used. I believe that He has earned that respect by being God. 

Hypocrisy

A third way in which we can misuse the name of the LORD is through hypocrisy. When we have made the decision to place our faith solely in Jesus Christ and become Christians, God places His name upon us. We even see that the term “Christian” means “little Christ”. When we live our lives in a manner that goes against what God desires and has even at times commanded, then we smear His name.

One writer said it this way: “The general sense of the Hebrew is that we are not to “lift up” the name of Yahweh to falsehood.” ^[2] Bruce K. Waltke, An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 419.

When we, as Christians, live in a way that contradicts what God desires, we bring reproach upon the name that has been placed upon us. We do this because we misrepresent that one that has given us new life and His name. 

When we live a lifestyle that goes against the character of God, we push other people further from the relationship with God that they so desperately need. When people who do not follow Jesus see us who claim to be changed by Him living an unchanged life, they come to the conclusion that there is nothing to Jesus… it’s a lie… He’s not really who He claims to be. 

We should be living our lives in a manner that exalts Jesus. We are the billboards that He has placed on this earth that He is the one true God and can do what He says that He can do. 

 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 (CSB)

God has placed His name upon each person that has placed his or her faith in Jesus. This is not because they deserve it. It is because He desires each of His children to bring Him honor and glory. 

Have you ever considered that the way you live your life each day is an offering that you can give to God? I’m not just talking about the big stuff, but even the mundane things of our lives can display His glory if we do them the way that He desires. 

Misattribution

A final way that I would like to share that we misuse the name of the LORD at times is something that is called misattribution. This is commonly known as when we ‘play the God card” to defend something that we want to do. 

Jen Wilkin shares in her book on the Ten Commandments about how Christians in the past had used God and even the Bible to defend persecution of Muslims and African chattel slavery. ^[3]Felicia R. Lee, “From Noah’s Curse to Slavery’s Rationale,” The New York Times, November 01, 2003, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/arts/from-noah-s-curse-to-slavery-s-rationale.html.” … Continue reading

This may come about in our lives when we are given wise advice about a situation or decision, but it is not what we want to hear. We throw out the phrase, “but I feel that God has told me to do this”, to shoot down that good advice. We have made up our minds to do what we want and figure that no one can argue with “God told me”.  

The misattribution of God’s name is a smokescreen. It comes across as humble and spiritual, but the truth is that it is a mask for pride and hypocrisy many times. 

If we are going to say that God has said something, we had better make sure that He has said it. God will never say anything to anyone that will contradict what He has already said in His Word (the Bible). We cannot use God to our advantage to get what we want. He is pretty clear in the Third Commandment that He will not leave anyone unpunished that misuses His name. 

Conclusion

The fact is this… too many times we do not hold the name of God in high respect. Names are so much more than just words. They represent the character of what they are describing or identifying. If we as Christians are using God’s name in a way that does not bring Him respect, then we are misusing His name. 

We need to pay close attention to the words that we speak and the actions that we do because they will make a much bigger impact than we might think. 

God has placed His name upon those who have placed their faith in Him. That is an honor. That is a true privilege. What do people think and believe about God because of what they see in us? 

References[+]

References

↑1	https://www.dictionary.com/browse/name
↑2	Bruce K. Waltke, An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), 419.
↑3	Felicia R. Lee, “From Noah’s Curse to Slavery’s Rationale,” The New York Times, November 01, 2003, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/arts/from-noah-s-curse-to-slavery-s-rationale.html.” Excerpt From: Jen Wilkin. “Ten Words to Live By.”