Exodus Chapter 20:7
“Do Not Take The Lord God’s Name In Vain.”
Commandment #3:
“Do Not Take The Lord God’s Name In Vain.”
We often associate this commandment with not using God’s name as a cuss word. To do so is to bring his name down to level of insignificance. But it’s more than just that. The Hebrew word for “vain” is “SHAV” and has different meanings: useless, evil, emptiness, without results. So if we take the Lord God’s name in vain, in essence we are speaking of God as if he is not the majestic God that he is. We bring his name down to a level of insignificance. This can be done both with our words or our actions. If we’re going to proclaim the Lord with our lives, then people will see the Lord majestically displayed in and through us.
If people see that Christ is important to us then that helps them realize how important he is for them. But if we live a life of hypocrisy then we give the message to others that God is not really majestic and is not worthy of our total allegiance. It gives the impression that it’s okay to hold other things in life as more significant than the Lord God.
So what can we do differently with our words and with our actions that would help people realize that God is significant and majestic, and worthy of our total allegiance?
