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How Are We Using God's Name?
October 6, 2018

Recently we have been looking at how the ten commandments apply in our life, most recently considering how we should not be making God in our image, and linked this to the second commandment to make no graven images, including incorrect assumptions we have about God. This week we are looking at the third commandment and will learn what it means to take the name of God in vain. To understand what this commandment means, it is important to understand what is meant by the Hebrew word transliterated as shav. This word can imply desolating, destructive evil, idolatry, and useless. There are many nuances to taking the name of God in vain, and it is important that we understand these as we learned on the Last Great Day how only those who overcome all things will be part of eternal life in the New Jerusalem. Those who take God's name in vain will not overcome all things and will be excluded from eternal life and will be incinerated and eternally will be dead.

Exodus 20:7
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

The name of God and His laws are not intended to lead to desolation, and in all of our actions as a Christian, we must take great care to not arrive in a desolate location, nor are we to be the instrument that allows another to arrive at a desolate location. If indeed we are God's people, He will not hide himself from us. As long as we seek God and his righteousness, God will never grow weary in his love for us and his devotion to us. It is God who empowers the weak. Those who wait on God will have Godlike, supernatural, renewable, power. The people of God will take flight as boldly as an eagle and run when others only can walk. It is when we feel isolated from God that we must ask of ourself what we need to change to again be close to God. And when those we love or are near to seem distant from God, we must ask God what we can do to lead them to God's love. It is when we are isolated from God or cause others to be isolated from God that we have taken the name of God in vain.

Isaiah 40:25-31
To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

It is during the time of my writing this study that a United States Senate committee has been completing the confirmation process for a Supreme Court nominee, involving allegations of a she-said, he-said sexual encounter. The purpose of this writing is not to take sides in the matter; I will use it to illustrate a point. One of the political parties alleged members of the other political party brought forth these allegations solely to destroy the character of the nominee in an evil way. The other political party said of the first that it ignored the allegations of sexual misconduct by the nominee in an effort to bring harm to the woman who brought these allegations. Major religions around the world, in both the west and east, find the faithful coming to grips with pedophilia scandals with many victims and the families of these victims having their faith destroyed in the process. Others use their faith to oppress people with whom they disagree. Even when disagreement is about a lifestyle condemned by the Bible, the Word of God, it is not our place to oppress these people as God through Jesus Christ will judge these people knowing their heart. All of these are examples of destructive evil, and when we use the tactics of destructive evil, judging others in the name of God, that we take the name of God in vain.

Matthew 7:1-5
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

It is possible to worship God and be wrong, especially if all we have done is to make God after our image and likeness. We can also have other ideals that take precedence over God, making these ideals a god, leading to idolatry. If we choose to ignore what God expects us to do, if we ignore the ten commandments and the teachings of Jesus we then become truly ignorant. Instead, we are to flee all forms of idolatry, plain and simple. All forms of idolatry involve taking the name of God in vain.

1 Corinthians 10:1-14
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Another way we can take God's name in vain is to use our faith in a useless manner. To be useful, to use our faith in a manner that does NOT take God's name in vain, our faith must also have works. The Greek word ergon means labor, toil, act, deed, and implies the expenditure of energy in the process. There is the work of God, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, a very important type of work to be done. There is obedience to God's law and the teachings of Jesus, of most importance. We cannot live a life of faith and ignore what we need to do. That would be phony and useless.

James 2:14-20
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Finally, it is important to draw the comparison that James used to illustrate his point. The royal family of France lost everything including their heads by not understanding what James highlighted. As we are able, we need to be helping those in need; it is a physical manifestation we can use that reflects in a physical sense the love that God has for each of us. There are many ways we can take the name of God in vain. We can take actions that isolate ourselves from God or isolate others from God. We can use God as a reason to destroy others thinking somehow we have done God a favor. We can have ideals and people more important to us than God. We can take the name of God and forget to obey him. How are we using God's name?

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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