The Third Commandment

Most people are familiar with the "Ten Commandments" to some degree, but few can name them all. If you'd care to brush up on them, they can be found in Exodus Chapter 20. This is where God, through Moses, delivered His commandments to His people. God considered these ten rules so important that He wrote them in stone with His own hand. These basic tenets of godly morality were the bedrock of our national laws. That is why they have been traditionally displayed in so many of our country's courtrooms, classrooms and legislative meeting places. Irrespective of anyone's opinion or preference, that is a historical fact.

For people professing to follow the God of the Bible, these commandments should be of special interest and be held in very high esteem. Not because we might gain God's favor by keeping them, "for all have sinned (broken God's commands) and fall short of the glory of God", but because these commands are part and parcel of the very essence of God Himself. All of God's commands are reflections of His own nature and character. God is good... always. To put it another way, God's commands cannot be separated from Him because they are who He is. He is the God of goodness, morality and order. He IS goodness, morality and order. These things do not exist without Him.

Some professing Christians have been deceived into accepting that the Law (Commandments) of God has no bearing upon them or their Christian lives. This couldn't be further from the Truth. Nowhere in Scripture does God 'do away' with the Law. In the New Testament Jesus says, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law..." (Matt. 5:17). The point being, God's Law is still in effect.

It was because of God's adherence to His Law that Jesus was crucified. He was paying the penalty that God's Law required for those who would be saved. Jesus kept the Commands AND fulfilled the requirements of the Law for us who couldn't. Again, God's Law is still in effect.

In the list of God's Ten Commandments, number three is "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain". Many people have come to believe that this means not to use God's name as a cuss word. While that would certainly be an example of what this Command forbids, that isn't ALL that it means to take God's name in vain. The Hebrew word that is translated into English as "in vain" is used dozens of times in the Bible and has several different translations. The main idea behind the original Hebrew word ( šāv') is of lying, falsehood, emptiness. Basically, it refers to that which isn't attached to Truth. So, while it is true that using God's name as a curse is an example of breaking this commandment, so are so many other things that seem to have become common practice for many who profess to be Christians.

There are many professing Christians who think nothing of starting a sentence with the words "God told me..." when God hasn't "told" them anything. If the next thing out of their mouth after "God told me" isn't a direct quote from the Scriptures it is very, very likely that they are about to break #3.

Another example of using God's name in vain is found in those who claim to have received some special revelation or "vision" from God when it is nothing more than their own imagination. In Lamentations 2:14 God is rebuking Israel for heeding the words of the false prophets of their day. In this verse God says, "Your prophets have seen for you False and foolish visions; And they have not exposed your iniquity So as to restore you from captivity, but they have seen for you false and misleading oracles". Both uses of the word "false", referring to the visions that these prophets claimed to have seen, are translations of the Hebrew word šāv', the same word translated as "in vain" in the third Commandment. This is using God's name falsely or attributing falsehoods to God.

Notice that one of the offenses of these false prophets included not "exposing the iniquity" of the people they were speaking to. In other words, they were ear ticklers. They spoke words of sunshine and roses to the people. They promised things to the people on behalf of God who had made no such promises. Not only did they not call out sin but they didn't call sin "sin". They were lying but doing so in God's name.

Notice too that this reprimand from God was directed at the people who were listening to these false prophets, not just the false prophets. In Genesis chapter three we see the serpent lying to Eve, which was wrong, but we also see Eve giving heed to his words. Eve wasn't punished because the serpent lied to her, she was punished because she believed him. In order to heed the words of the serpent (Satan, the deceiver, the father of lies), Eve necessarily had to disbelieve God's words.

So, you see, God's law is still in effect today and the sad reality is that most of the people who have made a habit of violating the third Commandment are found behind a pulpit or on a stage, claiming to be speaking for God. And like ancient Israel, there are crowds of people eager to listen to the lies that these false prophets have to say.If you've taken the time to read this entire thing, dear reader, I pray that you will seek discernment from the God of Truth concerning who you are listening to. Be diligent in comparing their words to the Word of God. The serpent is crafty and a master of deception.