 Engraving by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (March 26, 1794 - May 24, 1872) Illustration was published in "Die Bibel in Bildern" (1860). Scan by Ivan Burmistrov. Thou shalt not cuss. Ask almost anyone about the "Third Word" of the Decalogue and they will tell you that its meaning is simple: Do not use God's name as a cuss word. G-o-d is a three-letter word and J-E-S-U-S is a five-letter word, but use either of them as a four-letter word and you are on the wrong side of this commandment. But is it really that simple? If we have learned anything from our study of the first and second commandments, we should know by now that God has a positive, creative purpose in speaking this command to us. God wants us to have a full and abundant life, so the keeping of this commandment must work in us somehow to assure that God's Word "comes to life" like it did at the creation of the world. God wants a loving, committed, exclusive relationship with us, so this commandment must work in some way to advance that relationship. What is the first thing we do when we meet someone? Usually, we share names: "Hi, I'm Greg. You are?" In fact, it is rude not to introduce someone who is with us if others in the group do not know her name: "Hi everyone. This is my wife, Beth. Beth, I don't think you know Frank yet. He works in sales." When we know someone, we use his or her name. In fact, it is an embarrassing sign that we do not know someone well if we cannot remember their name. We show that we care when we make it a point to call a person what he or she wants to be called. When we know someone intimately, we may even use a hypocorism, some diminutive term of endearment, a pet name. Instead of William, we say Billy; instead of Robert, Bob. And for really close relations, we may dub them Dad, or Mom, or the like. God too has a name, one that God wants us to know and use. Our use of the name is an admission that we know God and God knows us. Because we had to be told God's name, we cannot make God mean anything we want. God must reveal who "I AM" is through loving actions toward Israel and by the resurrection of Christ. ...You cannot get this name through long walks in the woods, hugging trees, delving into your psyche, sitting quietly in your room, or getting in touch with your inner child. This God cannot be known other than by revelation. (Hauerwas and Willimon, pp. 42-43)Knowing God by name means having access to the halls of power. It is as if we were on a first-name basis with the President. But like friends and family of the President (but moreso!), we must be careful not to misuse or abuse the privilege of having this relationship. And in recognizing this, we have already learned enough about this "Third Word" to know that it means more than "thou shalt not cuss." A quick look at some modern translations of the commandment will provide a good starting point for a better understanding of what God desires for us in this Third Commandment: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God" (NIV, NIB) or "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God" (NRSV). What does it mean to "make wrongful use of" or to "misuse" the name of God? A rough translation of the Hebrew of the Third Commandment is this: "Do not take up [lift up] the name of the LORD your God for nothing [in vain]." We are familiar with this more literal and wooden way of stating the commandment from the King James Version of the Bible: "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain." Using the Name So what does it mean to "take" or "take up" the name of the LORD? Our first clue can be found in another command issued just a few chapters after the Exodus version of the Decalogue, in Exodus 23:1. There it says, literally, "You shall not take up a word of emptiness [nothing, vanity]." In other words, "Do not carry [spread] false rumors." So, how do we "carry" the name of God? One way we "carry" God's name is on our lips, when we call out to God in prayer, expecting that God will respond to our voice. We are invited to "carry" LORD's name because of the relationship that exists between us. The Bible usually refers to this as "calling [on]" the name of the LORD. (See Genesis 16:13, for example.) The commandment assumes that we speak God's name. It may be addressing the way we "speak" the name of God, literally how we "carry" it on our lips--or God may be talking about something even more fundamental to our relationship with him. The Family Name To "take up" a person (or a person's name) also means to include him or her as one of us and to recognize the person's presence with us. This is what it means to "take up," for example in Numbers 1:49 where God prohibits the inclusion of the tribe of Levi in a census: "nor take them up [include them, number them] with the Israelites." The Levites were separate from the rest of Israel; they were holy. Taking up the name of God in this way means to recognize God's presence, to account for the reality of God. "Taking up the name of God" means to "count God in" on whatever it is we are doing. In doing so, we become holy by our association with God. When Moses lists the blessings that will belong to Israel when they keep the commandments, among those blessings is a recognition by others that Israel has a special place with God and a special kind of relationship with God--that God is at home with them and they consider themselves at home with God: "All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you." (Deuteronomy 28:10, NRSV) "Taking up" the name of the LORD means taking on the LORD's characteristics and receiving the LORD's help. (For example, as a shepherd, Micah 5:3.) The name of the LORD is like the glory of the LORD; it represents God's presence in our midst. (Psalm 102:16, Isaiah 59:19) It is not just "people" like Israel who take on this identity-by-association with the name of the LORD. The ark of the covenant, the ark of God, is known as the "ark to which the name of the LORD is attached." (2 Samuel 6:2) Where the name of the LORD is--where God's presence and glory are--it is like a strong city (Mt. Zion, Isaiah 18:7, Psalm 102:22) or a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10) where we can take refuge and find protection. To "carry the name" of God also means, sometimes, because of our sin, to walk in his holy presence under the heavy burden of our just desserts. (Isaiah 30:27) An Honorable Name Another way of thinking about "lifting up" (taking up, carrying) the name of God is to understand what it means to show him respect and honor. (Leviticus 19:19, "to lift up the face of the poor" means to "show respect" or "be partial to" the poor.) God is due a special respect that no one else is due. In this way, the Third Commandment reminds us of the many scriptures that talk about praising the greatness of our God. (For example, Deuteronomy 32:3, "I will call on the name of the LORD; Raise up the greatness of our God!" See also Psalm 102:22; 113:1-3; 135:1; 148:5, 13; Isaiah 24:15; Joel 2:26; etc.) This sort of "lifting up" of the name of the LORD is the opposite of "cursing." (Job 1:21, "The Lord gives and the LORD takes away; blessed be the name of the LORD." See Psalm 113:2.) It should not come as a great surprise to us that this way of "lifting up" the name of the LORD--praising the LORD--is best expressed in singing. (Psalm 7:18, "I will sing a hymn to the name of the LORD Most High.") Abusing the Name Just as the name of the LORD can be "taken" or "used" in many life-giving ways, it can also be abused. We can appeal legitimately to our special relationship with God, but we can also misuse it. The Hebrew term for this abusive use of the name and relationship with God is "to take the name of the LORD your God in vain" or "for nothing." When we "call" on God, using our voice to "take up the name" of the LORD, "for nothing," we are like the noisy gong and clanging symbol of 1 Corinthians 13:1. If we do not have love, respect and honor for the name of God, we are taking God's name and calling on God's power for "nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:2) When we call on God reflexively and without thought, praying rote prayers that mean nothing to us--we are breaking the Third Commandment. When we try to manipulate God into doing what we want by using God's name, rather than seeking to find out what God wants, we break the commandment. When we accept God's name in baptism or gather for worship and come to the Lord's Supper, but do not acknowledge God's presence in any real way as we walk and talk during the week--we are breaking the "Third Word" of the Decalogue. When we are known as Christians, but do not walk as a Christian--we are breaking the commandment that prohibits taking the LORD's name in vain. Jesus says that not everyone who calls on his name--"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,'"--will enter the kingdom of heaven, only those who do the will of the Father. (Matthew 7:21) We carry God's holy name with us always, so any moment that we spend "unaware" of God's presence is time spent carrying God's name "for nothing" (in vain). Cursing God or cursing another person is certainly a direct violation of the command, and so is cussing. (Leviticus 24:16) But so is blaming God when things go wrong. (Job 1:22) Knowing and relating with God is, as we have said before, like being in an intimate relationship with fire and hurricane-force wind. This "Third Word," like the First and Second Commandments before it, is sort of like the bright yellow and red signs that read "Danger--High Voltage!" (Davidman, p. 43)   Christian Use of the Name Those who think that the Ten Commandments are intended only for ancient Israel or for modern Jews have not understood the Great Commission: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Matthew 28:19, KJV) Anyone who has seen someone baptized will recognize that baptism is a naming sacrament. (It used to be called "Christening" because it involved the bestowing of a person's Christian name.) Baptism is the sacramental means by which the name of the LORD becomes permanently affixed to the life of a person who has been adopted as a child of God into the family of believers. Baptism is for Christians the way in which the Holy Spirit seals us with an indelible identity-by-association, inscribing the name of the LORD permanently in our hearts. The name of the LORD functions for Christians much as it did for ancient Israel. It is the source of our "family name" (our patronymic, Ephesians 3:15). The name carries a promise of the presence of the LORD. (Matthew 18:20) It is a place to which we run for refuge and protection. (John 17:11) The Lord's name provides the strength and authority by which we live and do the same sorts of things our Lord did while he walked among us. (Acts 4:27) It is the name in which we gather for worship, which we honor, and to which we sing praises. (Philippians 2:9, Revelation 15:4, Ephesians 1:19) "Bearing the name" of the LORD means for us, as it did for ancient Israel, that we are commandment keepers because we have been marked as belonging to the Lord. (2 Timothy 2:19, "But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.'") This "Third Word" of the Decalogue is meant for us too. The gift of this name that marks us as God's own must not be taken for granted--it must not be carried "for nothing" (in vain). Our lives have been redeemed "on purpose" to love, honor and glorify God. Any moment spent in other pursuits is wasted. "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17) How to Keep the Third Commandment Again, one of the best ways to keep the commandment is to pray. In prayer we address God by name, invoking God's presence, aware of God's glory and power. Prayers of thanksgiving recognize our history with God and prayers of praise anchor us to a right relationship with the LORD. The Lord's Prayer should be our guide, with it's up-front reminder to honor, treasure and bless God's name. ("Hallowed be thy name!") Another resource for keeping this commandment is the reciting of the Creed. The universal creeds of the church (The Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed) are in part expositions of God's name. They name God directly. They tell us who our God is and who we are in relation to God. Our hymns of praise also direct our attention toward the honor and deep respect with which we name God. ("Holy God, We Praise Thy Name," "Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty," and the like.) Finally, since we "carry" the name of God 24 x 7, we must examine the length and breadth of our lives to see that nothing in them brings dishonor to the holy name we have received. Discussion Questions Read Exodus 20:7 (Deuteronomy 5:11) and Exodus 3:1-15. 1) What name do you use for God? How often do you use it? 2) How would you be different if your name were different? Is Romeo right when he says, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"? 3) Joy Davidman lists all sorts of ways that we evade and avoid using the name of the LORD: we call God "First Cause, Life Force, Cosmic Oversoul, Universal Law," "Ultimate Principle," The Old Man Upstairs, "You-Know-Who," and the like (pp. 44, 47). C. S. Lewis says that the use of such "names" for God doesn't make our "concept of God larger," it only makes God "vaguer" to us (pp. 47-48). When people use such names, do you think they are trying to avoid a more intimate relationship with God? 4) God revealed his name to Moses as the LORD (YHWH, "I AM," Exodus 3). Does it help to know the name of God? If so, how? 5) Is it really possible for us to "misuse" God's name in any ultimate sense? Joy Davidman says: "Profanity does not insult God--a man cannot insult God; but it does cripple man." (p. 44) Do you agree? If so, how does profanity cripple us? 6) Do you act differently because you bear God's name? 7) Describe a time when you took the LORD's name in vain. 8) John Calvin once suggested that complaining about the weather would be a violation of the commandment against taking the LORD's name in vain, because the complainer has lost sight of the presence and glory of the Creator of the rain and is taking God for granted. (Sermons on the Ten Commandments, p. 94. Hauerwas and Willimon, pp. 48-49) Do you agree? Why or why not? 9) When Jesus said not to swear at all (Matthew 5:33-37), do you think he was talking about keeping the Third Commandment? 10) Try again this week to increase the amount of time you are spending in the presence of God. Spend time in prayer and meditating on the name of God. Use the Apostles' Creed and The Lord's Prayer as a guide for your prayer, making yourself more aware of the presence of the One God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--who has revealed himself to us in Scripture. Write down all of the names for God that you know or can find in the Bible, learning to name the relationship you have with God in many ways. Is it possible to remain aware of God's presence all day long? Does it help to call out God's name several times during the day? Does it help to have someone else praying with you? Do you ever say your own name to God in prayer? Try starting your prayers this week with "Hi God, this is (your name). I am so glad you've given me your name." NOTE: To comment, log in to your Google account or e-mail the pastor at glovergl@gmail.com. Copyright © 2010 by Gregory L. Glover |
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The Third Word: Treasure the Name! |