I would like to focus on this blog to one of the most lambasted commandment given to Moises: The 3rd commandment specifically on Exodus 20:7...First, here are some of the translations:
"Thou shall not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain." - English text from Hebrew TORAH as published in 1977.
"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." - New International Version (NIV)
"You shall not use the name of Jehovah your God irreverently, nor use it to swear to a falsehood. You will not escape punishment if you do." - The Living Bible
"You shall not utter the name of Yahweh your God to misuse it, Yahweh will not leave unpunished the man who utters his name to misuse it." - The Jerusalem Bible
OMG!!! If we are to live during the time of Moises or even up to the time of the Messianic era we shall observed death penalty almost daily on that grounds.If we will notice...One of the accusation and became the basis that eventually lead to Jesus Christ death was Blasphemy. Perhaps even you would stand guiltless on this command. Let us carefully study this so we will avoid unknown violations.
Okay you never curse or use terminology such as God damn, God demmit, or God darn...and you think perhaps you have an excuse for misspelling or changing the pronunciations.
People think cursing or using bad language is the only point of God here. Of course using bad language is not tolerated by God even if your intent is to stress the truth...like you say "F*** this government for stealing money from its people..."
Now is it just the misuse of God's name or what is really the situation when it is "in vain" that we are told never to exercise as faithful Christians
Vain is something that is useless or futile; as an example "The lady search in vain for her bag." or "They chase the robber in vain" and therefore, this word conjure something that is a failure or waste of energy.
Is these the same as all Catholic do praying vain repetition "hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee..." for how many times? Ten times on each bead? Which was clearly abominable to God which was stressed in:
Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words
Many Christians also fall on this mistakes as it seems automatic for them in blabbing "Praise the Lord!" in every tiny detail of their life and nearly theatrical even on occasion that is inappropriate. Well, of course we sometimes can't contain genuine praise to come out especially on answered prayers.
God want real worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24)
I have a specific blog regarding vain prayers But that is NOT what Commandment No.3 is all about.
God want real worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24)
I have a specific blog regarding vain prayers But that is NOT what Commandment No.3 is all about.
Why is that? Let us go further and have an analogy on "name"...why the name of the Lord thy God, when He wouldn't tell it anyway to Moises, and simply presents His name as I AM. Jesus introduce God as "Our Father"...so if we look at this passage God is not telling us here a literal name...GOD (whatever you preferred to call). Yahweh, Jehovah, or LORD is not the point of this command. "Do not take the name of the Lord..."
The stress here should be on "take". To take means to carry, to bring, to have, to get...A very good illustration here is Marriage; when a woman marries she takes the surname of her husband. When that woman get pregnant, that child will soon bare the surname of the father and so on and so forth, generation after generation...they shall "take his name".
When I surrender my life to Jesus, and therefore become children of God I then therefore take the Name of God with me. Thus, if I say I am a Child of God and living contrary (falsely) to my claim therefore I will not go unpunished according to the 3rd commandment.
This is a warning about how one lives, not about how one talks.
Therefore, blasphemy is not about Jesus Christ's statement that angered the Religious leaders of his time: "I and the Father are one". It would have been a blasphemy if Jesus did not live up to what he claims. If Jesus misuse His Fathers name.
John 10:38 " but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Again on John 14:11 "Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe me because of what I've been doing."
Now if you claim to believe in God...please "do not take the name of God in vain."
When I surrender my life to Jesus, and therefore become children of God I then therefore take the Name of God with me. Thus, if I say I am a Child of God and living contrary (falsely) to my claim therefore I will not go unpunished according to the 3rd commandment.
This is a warning about how one lives, not about how one talks.
Therefore, blasphemy is not about Jesus Christ's statement that angered the Religious leaders of his time: "I and the Father are one". It would have been a blasphemy if Jesus did not live up to what he claims. If Jesus misuse His Fathers name.
John 10:38 " but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Again on John 14:11 "Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe me because of what I've been doing."
Now if you claim to believe in God...please "do not take the name of God in vain."
Excellent and very thought provoking post! I struggle with swearing and with taking God's name in vain. This makes me want to do better.
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