So, taking the Lord’s name in vain is using his name, but emptying it of all its greatness. This can show up in many different ways than one. One way for it to happen is when Israelites make promises and oaths to one another. The Israelites made promises everyday. But when they made promises in the Lord’s name, this was different. They made promises in the Lord’s name to show they were determined to keep the promises they had made. Check this out.
Leviticus 19.12
You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.
Deuteronomy 6.13
You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
Deuteronomy 10.20
You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.
When the Israelites made a promise in the Lord’s name, this was different than all the other promises they made. They made a promise to someone, but they went further. In so many words, they were saying they were prepared to receive divine consequence and judgment should they fail to keep the promise they had made. But even though a promise had been made in the Lord’s name, there was no seriousness about keeping their promise, and they have now erased the value of invoking the Lord’s name. They looked at the promise no differently than they looked at any of the other promises they had made. Clearly, they were not sincere about keeping the promise. There was no fear for the Lord. Making a promise this way empties the Lord’s name of its greatness, and therefore, this too is taking the Lord’s name in vain. Making a promise in the Lord’s name was not supposed to be done this way.
Another way to take the Lord’s name in vain happens when one says the word, “God”, “Lord”, “Jesus”, “Jesus Christ” or “Holy”, but one never intended to make reference to the Almighty. This is different from using the Lord’s name in a promise and not taking it seriously. This is using it in a promise, but in a mindless way. It is saying the Lord’s name without thinking or awareness. I guess the majority of Americans fall into this category when they say the Lord’s name a gazillion times in a given day. How many times have we heard someone say to another, “I swear to God” or “Oh my God”, but they didn’t think about what they had just said? It didn’t even occur to them what had just happened. The word, “God” was a nothing word to them. There is no need for us to be upset when nonbelievers do this. They do not know who is our God, and they do not fear him. For you and me, however, we have been called by God and we are new creatures by the power of Christ, and when we catch ourselves saying the Lord’s name without thinking, it should upset us.
Today in the 21st century, using the Lord’s name as a swear word or a cuss word is prevalent in our culture, in Hollywood, over the internet. If I am right, the Third Commandment was not talking about using the Lord’s name as a swear word. Taking the Lord’s name in vain and swearing are two different things. The person who does not use the Lord’s name as a swear word can still be guilty of taking the Lord’s name in vain. I do think, however, that as Christ followers, you and I should still not use the Lord’s name as a swear word or cuss word, but not because of what the Third Commandment says, but because our mouths were not made for saying obscene things and unwholesome talk. Our mouths were given to us for building each other up.
It may not have seemed to the Israelites right away the Third Commandment was an important commandment, but we know it is important to God because he placed it in the third position. God wanted the Israelites to take it very seriously. It is possible by the time God spoke the Third Commandment, the Israelites were already taking the Lord’s name in vain regularly. When God wrote Exodus, taking the Lord’s name in vain was likely about failing to give the reverence, respect, honor, glory, and majesty to the Lord whenever the Israelites used his name. If the Israelites continued down this road, this sets them down a path towards destruction, and they would not recover. Here we are living in the 21st century, taking the Lord’s name in vain should not change from its original meaning in the days of Exodus. When we say the Lord’s name, we must be careful to attach greatness to his name, always. When we say the name of the Lord, we are talking about the Supreme One. This is the name that is above every name. This is the name that stands all by itself.
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.