The Name of the LORD!
You Shall Not Take the Name of the LORD in Vain.
Over the last couple of months, an outspoken civil rights activist in our country was arrested and sued in court for allegedly scandalizing the name of a reputable legal icon in a book authored by the popular activist. The bone of contention was the legal luminary's reputation, built over several decades of his professional career—his name!
Think of what gets done in the name of the President of our country. His wishes are commands for many. His signature gives credence to all official pronouncements. He issues executive Orders that are instantly executed. To do otherwise is to violate state laws, and be sanctioned.
The name of the president!
In my Yoruba culture, parents give their children names that depict the circumstances of their birth or project their desires for the baby in life. Every Yoruba name is a sentence.
Proverbs 18: 10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower. A righteous person runs to it and is safe…The LORD is like a strong tower, where the righteous can go and be safe.”
This scripture equates the LORD and His name to a place of safety and provision for the righteous. The LORD and His name are one and the same.
In the ancient Near East, a strong tower was a sturdily built and heavily fortified place of safe refuge. It was built to hold much food and supplies in anticipation of drought, famine, or war. It was a place of safety and provision. But who is the righteous person for whom the Lord is a strong tower?
The Righteous person is one who lives an upright, just, and morally right life. In biblical Christianity, righteousness means living in a right relationship with God through Christ—living out an essential attribute of God’s character. It is the polar opposite of living in sin. So, the righteous person is one whose sin has been forgiven—one who lives in obedience to the word and commands of the Lord.
One covenant rule in the Ten Commandments for the people of God says,
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7).
In other words, if you misuse the name of God, you will be held accountable - judged.
People tend to interpret the phrase “taking the name of the LORD in vain” to mean swearing falsely in God’s name under oath. Yes, but it goes beyond that. A proper explanation of the phrase simply implicates many Church and ministry leaders who are in the habit of speaking recklessly and engaging in acts they have chosen to pursue on their own, claiming that God told them.
It is rather presumptuous for anyone to assert emphatically outside of Scripture that God told him this or that. While this does not deny the Holy Spirit’s role in believers’ lives, the Holy Spirit will not contradict Scripture, mislead, or say one thing today and another tomorrow. It is now commonplace for the General Overseers of our mega-churches to predict the direction of important national events in the year or hint at who will win in an election, claiming that God told them. “God is not man, that He should lie; Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will not do it?” (Numbers 23: 19).
Author, John Piper, reflecting on what it means to take God’s name in vain, writes, “We misuse God’s name when we say God told me to go this way, if all we are doing is seeking to be relevant - be listened to, or get an approval of our leadership position…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.” To do this, he says, is to “empty the name of God of His weight and glory.” It is trivializing God’s name and putting Him into disrepute. “Men of God” in our country trivialize God’s name to promote their ego.
Jesus says to his disciples, “Whatever you ask in my name” I will do. “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14: 13).
Isn’t that interesting? Ask him for anything in his name - not in the name of another. That name is unique. There’s power and authority in that name. When someone prays or asks for something with the authority and trust placed in Jesus, their request will be granted - signifying that their actions align with Jesus’ teachings and purpose. It does not mean just saying “in Jesus’ name” at the end of a prayer, but rather acting in accordance with his character and will. Asking in Jesus’ name allows the Father to be glorified through the Son, as Jesus is the mediator between God and humanity.
While this may be interpreted as a promise to grant any request, it is important to understand that it should be aligned with God’s will and not used to manipulate or demand personal desires.
It should now be clear to you and me why “using the name of the Lord in vain” is forbidden in the Ten Commandments. It is a grievous sin. All who are guilty of this, apparently violating God’s command in ignorance, should repent now, and put an end to it.
Your name is the highest
Your name is the greatest
Your name stands above them all
All thrones and dominions
All power and positions
Your name stand above them all
And the angels cry, Holy
All creations cry, Holy
You are lifted high, Holy
Holy forever.
If you’ve been forgiven, if you’ve been redeemed
Sing the song forever to the Lamb
If you walk in freedom, if you bear His name
Sing the song forever to the Lamb
(Official lyrics of Holy Forever by Jason Ingram et. al.)
Think about that.
