DECEMBER 16, 2015
Holy Is Your
Name
You
shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. — Exodus 20:7
Read:
Exodus
20:1-7
One afternoon I was having a discussion with a
friend I considered my spiritual mentor about misusing God’s name. “You shall
not misuse the name of the Lord your God,” says the third commandment (Ex.
20:7). We may think this only refers to attaching God’s name to a swear word or
using His name flippantly or irreverently. But my mentor rarely missed an
opportunity to teach me about real faith. He challenged me to think about other
ways we profane God’s name.
When I reject the advice of others and say,
“God told me to go this way,” I misuse His name if all I am doing is seeking
approval for my own desires.
When I use scripture out of context to try to
support an idea I want to be true, I am using God’s name in vain.
When I teach, write, or speak from scripture
carelessly, I misuse His name.
Author John Piper offers this reflection on
what it means to take God’s name in vain: “The idea is . . . ‘don’t empty the
name.’ . . . Don’t empty God of His weight and glory.” We misuse His name,
Piper says, when we “speak of God in a way that empties Him of His
significance.”
My friend challenged me to honor God’s name
and to pay closer attention to using His Word carefully and accurately.
Anything less dishonors Him.
Heavenly
Father, help me to glorify Your name and to honor You always in what I say and
do.
God’s name: handle with care.
INSIGHT:
The Ten Commandments are divided into two sections—vertical
and horizontal. The first section (Ex. 20:1-11) deals with the response of the
people to God (vertical). These laws have to do with God’s exclusive right to
worship, an admonition against idols, honoring God’s name, and setting aside the
Sabbath for worship. The remaining commands (vv. 12-17) deal with how we relate
to one another (horizontal). This includes honoring parents, life, and
marriage; respecting the property of others; being truth-speakers; and not
coveting what isn’t ours. This two-fold set of instructions mirrors the Great
Commandment (Matt. 22:37-40), which calls us to love God with all our being and
to love our neighbor as ourselves. Both vertical and horizontal elements are
again in view in this commandment.
Source: Our Daily Bread 201