NO misuse of God's name

I want to begin by looking at our next verse, Exodus 20:7, in three different translations:

"You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (AMPC).

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn the character of God]; for the Lord will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power]" (AMP).

“You must not ·use the name of the Lord your God thoughtlessly [take/lift up the name of the Lord your God in vain]; the Lord will ·punish [not hold/treat as innocent; not acquit] anyone who ·misuses [takes in vain] his name" (EXB).

When people think of this commandment, they usually think of not using God's name as a cuss word. There is the famous saying that has been made into a bumper sticker and on articles of clothing: "God's last name does not start with 'D.'" And that is certainly true. We should not use God's name in place of or along with other language. But the prohibition with this commandment doesn't stop there. That's why I chose to look at this verse in multiple translations. When we combine everything these translations reveal, we see that this commandment warns against using or repeating God's name in profanity, but also light frivolity, irreverence, false affirmations that impugn God's character, or in any form of thoughtlessness. When a person does this, it shows that they do not have the proper respect for the Lord. That is been a similar theme as we have looked at the first two commandments as well. To violate any of these three is to show that you do not hold proper reverence for your creator, the creator of the universe. It reveals the condition of the heart of the person that violates this commandment.

Some people would claim that they are not doing this out of hatred for God. They may say, "It's not that big of a deal." "Everybody does it." "Lighten up." People who think things like this may not use God's name in vain out of active, conscious hatred for God, but again, I take you back to what Jesus said about the greatest commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind (intellect)" (Matthew 22:37 AMPC). If you aren't loving him that way, do you really love or fear him at all? If you don't make him the ultimate priority of your life, you do not need to actively or consciously hate him because you are already dishonoring him as it is. Maybe you don't hate your concept of him that you have made up in your own mind in violation of the first two commandments, but this is hatred of the one true God of the universe found in the Bible.

Moses asked God in Exodus 33:18-19, "Please, I beseech you, show me your glory!" God replied, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim My name, The Lord, before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy and loving-kindness on whom I will show mercy and loving-kindness." God's name is synonymous with his goodness. If you violate his name, you are violating his goodness. Do you see how the two cannot be separated? That is why God tells us not to treat his name flippantly. When you do, you are treating him flippantly.

So what do you do if you hear God's name blasphemed in any of the ways that have been described here? The wrong response is to express disgust toward the person as if they have offended you. Perhaps they have offended you. But the real offense the guilty party should feel concerned about is not toward you, but the Lord himself. On Judgment Day, the blasphemer will not stand before you to be judged. They will stand before the almighty God of the universe and be judged by his unchanging, unwavering standard of perfection. Use the person's violation of God's name as an opportunity to share the Gospel with them. Our objective is not to elevate ourselves above them in self-righteousness, but to warn the blasphemer of the seriousness of what he or she has just done. The Lord will not hold guiltless or leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain, disregarding its reverence and its power (Exodus 20:7). The Amplified Bible footnote on this verse says, "Using the name of God in a casual, frivolous way establishes a mindset that diminishes and dishonors the omnipotent God. Using the name of God to abuse, manipulate, or deceive invites judgment."

Author, commentator, and radio host Dennis Prager points out that committing evil in God's name is also a way of blaspheming the Lord. The Hebrew word "nāśā'," which is translated as "take" can also mean "to carry." The NIV translates Exodus 20:7 this way: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Prager says this is much closer to the intent of the original Hebrew language. Thus, to carry or misuse God's name would be to commit evil in his name, which is why God takes it so seriously, he says he will not hold the person guiltless who does it. Prager argues that when a godless person commits evil, it does nothing to bring disrepute to God's name or reputation. But when a person who claims to be godly commits evil, especially in God's name, they are not only committing evil, they are doing terrible damage to the name of God. He uses the example of Islamists who torture, bomb, cut throats, and commit mass murder all in the name of God. This does terrible damage to God's name. He says it is not coincidental that what is called "the new atheism," characterized by the immense eruption of atheist activism, followed the 9/11 attacks on America by Islamist terrorists. The most frequent argument against God concerns evil committed in his name, whether it is done in the name of Allah today or whether it was done in the past in the name of Christ. That is why Prager considers religious evil to be one of the greatest sins that can be engaged in, because of what it does to God's reputation. This is also a reminder to me to be more careful about what I say and do in the future since I so publicly speak of Jesus. I pray that I would do a better job representing him in the future, especially in certain situations and circumstances where I have failed to do that in the past.