Honoring The Name
A study of the 2nd Commandment*
The Mustard Seed newsletter, Campus Ministry column
September 2018 - May 2019
Pastor Ron Friedrich
The Mustard Seed newsletter, Campus Ministry column
September 2018 - May 2019
Pastor Ron Friedrich
The Meaning of The Name
A Jewish friend of ours rarely refers to our Heavenly Father as "Lord," or "God," or even "G-d." Rather, our friend calls Him, "Ha Shem," which in Hebrew means, "The Name." This is a tradition practiced by many devout Jews.
What do they mean by calling God, "The Name"?
When you read the Old Testament of the Bible, you may notice that God is usually identified as "the LORD," in all capital letters, instead of "the Lord." The capitalization means more than simply showing respect for God. Rather, it shows respect for God's holy Name. Whenever you see the phrase "the LORD," that shows that the word in the Hebrew text is God's Name, YHWH (often pronounced "Yahweh" or "Jehovah"), the Name that means, "I AM" (Exodus 3:13-15).
It is out of respect for God's holy Name that the rabbis, when reading aloud the Torah and Tanakh (the Hebrew Old Testament), they will not say God's Name YHWH, but substitute it with another Hebrew word, Adonai, which means "Lord." *
This deep respect for God's holy Name comes, in part, from the Ten Commandments, specifically: "Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain." Or as it may be translated in modern English: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God."
A Jewish friend of ours rarely refers to our Heavenly Father as "Lord," or "God," or even "G-d." Rather, our friend calls Him, "Ha Shem," which in Hebrew means, "The Name." This is a tradition practiced by many devout Jews.
What do they mean by calling God, "The Name"?
When you read the Old Testament of the Bible, you may notice that God is usually identified as "the LORD," in all capital letters, instead of "the Lord." The capitalization means more than simply showing respect for God. Rather, it shows respect for God's holy Name. Whenever you see the phrase "the LORD," that shows that the word in the Hebrew text is God's Name, YHWH (often pronounced "Yahweh" or "Jehovah"), the Name that means, "I AM" (Exodus 3:13-15).
It is out of respect for God's holy Name that the rabbis, when reading aloud the Torah and Tanakh (the Hebrew Old Testament), they will not say God's Name YHWH, but substitute it with another Hebrew word, Adonai, which means "Lord." *
This deep respect for God's holy Name comes, in part, from the Ten Commandments, specifically: "Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain." Or as it may be translated in modern English: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God."
Misusing The Name
In the First Commandment, God says, "You must have no other gods before Me." Literally, the Hebrew text says, "You must have no other gods in My face!" What does this mean? Martin Luther's simple answer in the Small Catechism: "We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things." All the other Commandments flow out from the First Commandment; or to say it another way, all the other Commandments explain the First Commandment. So it is significant that the next Commandment is about God's holy Name.
When you first learned the Ten Commandments, you were probably taught that this Commandment about honoring God's Name, means that we should avoid profanity – using God's name to curse.
"My God!" is a common expression used by both Deaf and Hearing people to show surprise or concern. (Hearing people sometimes express anger by cursing, "Jesus Christ!") How sad it is that many Christians do this. My heart breaks when little children say, "O my God!" as they copy their parents, who should know better.
People who hate God mock His name. Hollywood makes movies which portray a lustful Jesus. The National Endowment for the Arts funds artists who display a crucifix of Christ in a jar of urine and make a nativity scene out of dried poop.
We who are believers can do better than to join them in dragging our Lord's Name through the mud. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all... Simply let your ‘Yes' be ‘Yes,' and your ‘No,' be ‘No; anything beyond this comes from the Evil One." (Matthew 5:33-37 NCV) We can honor our Lord's Name in our conversations when we say only what is good and encouraging for other people.
The full meaning of this Commandment and its application to our daily lives goes much deeper than just showing respect for God's name in our conversations. In coming issues of the Mustard Seed we will dig deeper into this Commandment about God's Name.
In the First Commandment, God says, "You must have no other gods before Me." Literally, the Hebrew text says, "You must have no other gods in My face!" What does this mean? Martin Luther's simple answer in the Small Catechism: "We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things." All the other Commandments flow out from the First Commandment; or to say it another way, all the other Commandments explain the First Commandment. So it is significant that the next Commandment is about God's holy Name.
When you first learned the Ten Commandments, you were probably taught that this Commandment about honoring God's Name, means that we should avoid profanity – using God's name to curse.
"My God!" is a common expression used by both Deaf and Hearing people to show surprise or concern. (Hearing people sometimes express anger by cursing, "Jesus Christ!") How sad it is that many Christians do this. My heart breaks when little children say, "O my God!" as they copy their parents, who should know better.
People who hate God mock His name. Hollywood makes movies which portray a lustful Jesus. The National Endowment for the Arts funds artists who display a crucifix of Christ in a jar of urine and make a nativity scene out of dried poop.
We who are believers can do better than to join them in dragging our Lord's Name through the mud. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all... Simply let your ‘Yes' be ‘Yes,' and your ‘No,' be ‘No; anything beyond this comes from the Evil One." (Matthew 5:33-37 NCV) We can honor our Lord's Name in our conversations when we say only what is good and encouraging for other people.
The full meaning of this Commandment and its application to our daily lives goes much deeper than just showing respect for God's name in our conversations. In coming issues of the Mustard Seed we will dig deeper into this Commandment about God's Name.
Misrepresenting God's Name by our words (wrong teaching)
One day a young couple asked to meet with me with a request. "We want to get married. Can you do our wedding?" They were not certain when they could have the wedding, since the bride was already married, but she was planning to divorce her husband so she could marry her new boyfriend.
Of course I said, "No, I can't." Then I asked the young man, "Do you really love her?"
He answered, "Yes, I do."
"Do you love her enough to help her restore and rebuild her marriage with her husband?"
That is not the answer they wanted. So they left and I never saw them again.
Then a few weeks later members of our church came to me with a bit of disturbing news. This couple tried to defend their plan by telling their friends that I approved it! Our members couldn't believe it, so they came to me to ask if that were true.
"No!" I told them. "I never said that! What I told the couple is just the opposite of what they are saying about me."
This couple gave me first-hand experience of how God must feel when we misquote Him, or we teach things about God that are not true. How often can God say of our faith and spiritual opinions, "I never said that!"? This is a problem that often shows up in Bible history. (See Jeremiah 23:16-40) In our day this is a problem we see with some TV preachers and Hollywood movies on religious or Bible themes.
It is a serious matter to represent God and His Word accurately, so serious that God included it in the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain." Or as we can translate in modern English: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God."
Not only do we risk misrepresenting God in our doctrine and teaching, many immature Christians love to show how spiritual they are by telling us, "God told me..." and "God showed me..." Later they may discover that their own idea which they attributed to God was really a bad idea. I have even seen ministers of the church defend their acts of adultery by claiming, "God brought us together." No, He didn't! (See James 1:13-15.)
It is foolish and dangerous to ascribe to God our own ideas, desires, and opinions. We deceive ourselves into believing that God must think like we do. We tell ourselves, "Since I am right, it is reasonable to assume that God must agree with me." Wrong! The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like My ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9 NCV)
One day a young couple asked to meet with me with a request. "We want to get married. Can you do our wedding?" They were not certain when they could have the wedding, since the bride was already married, but she was planning to divorce her husband so she could marry her new boyfriend.
Of course I said, "No, I can't." Then I asked the young man, "Do you really love her?"
He answered, "Yes, I do."
"Do you love her enough to help her restore and rebuild her marriage with her husband?"
That is not the answer they wanted. So they left and I never saw them again.
Then a few weeks later members of our church came to me with a bit of disturbing news. This couple tried to defend their plan by telling their friends that I approved it! Our members couldn't believe it, so they came to me to ask if that were true.
"No!" I told them. "I never said that! What I told the couple is just the opposite of what they are saying about me."
This couple gave me first-hand experience of how God must feel when we misquote Him, or we teach things about God that are not true. How often can God say of our faith and spiritual opinions, "I never said that!"? This is a problem that often shows up in Bible history. (See Jeremiah 23:16-40) In our day this is a problem we see with some TV preachers and Hollywood movies on religious or Bible themes.
It is a serious matter to represent God and His Word accurately, so serious that God included it in the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain." Or as we can translate in modern English: "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God."
Not only do we risk misrepresenting God in our doctrine and teaching, many immature Christians love to show how spiritual they are by telling us, "God told me..." and "God showed me..." Later they may discover that their own idea which they attributed to God was really a bad idea. I have even seen ministers of the church defend their acts of adultery by claiming, "God brought us together." No, He didn't! (See James 1:13-15.)
It is foolish and dangerous to ascribe to God our own ideas, desires, and opinions. We deceive ourselves into believing that God must think like we do. We tell ourselves, "Since I am right, it is reasonable to assume that God must agree with me." Wrong! The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like My ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9 NCV)
Misrepresenting God's Name by our lives
Another way we misrepresent God is by the choices we make and by the way we live our daily lives. What comes to your mind when you see a car driving too fast and your eye catches a Christian bumper sticker on the back of the car? We who are Christians represent Christ. Do our words, our actions, and our attitudes accurately reflect His character to the world? People judge Christ by what they see in us.
How can we avoid falling into the trap of misrepresenting Christ in our words and actions?
Another way we misrepresent God is by the choices we make and by the way we live our daily lives. What comes to your mind when you see a car driving too fast and your eye catches a Christian bumper sticker on the back of the car? We who are Christians represent Christ. Do our words, our actions, and our attitudes accurately reflect His character to the world? People judge Christ by what they see in us.
How can we avoid falling into the trap of misrepresenting Christ in our words and actions?
- Learn what He really says by studying the Bible every day and applying what you read to your life. The better you know Him by His own words, the better equipped you are to detect error.
- Understand the difference between God's Word and your own opinion. And avoid offering (or accepting) answers to spiritual questions about matters the Bible is silent.
- Remember who you are and Whose you are. Christ's gift of Himself – His miraculous birth, suffering, death, and resurrection – makes us His own and gives us His Name. Take Christ with you everywhere you go, in everything you do. Let Him live His life through you.
Being a Christian believer in name only
What does the Commandment "You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God" mean? The first and most obvious meaning is that we should not turn God's holy Name into a curse, or use His Name as a meaningless expression of surprise. ("O my God!").
The Commandment also teaches us not to misrepresent God by giving our own opinions as if they were God's truth -- don't attribute to God things He never said -- or misrepresent Him by the way we live, claiming to be followers of Christ while failing to act like His followers.
A deeper meaning of this Commandment is found in the literal translation of the original Hebrew text, which says, "You will not carry the name of YAHWEH your God for nothing." This describes people who pretend to be believers. These are people who have religion, but they don't have Christ. They may be active in church, they know when to stand and when to sit, they know when to sing and when to pray, they even put money in the offering plate. But they foolishly trust their church membership and good behavior to save them. God says,
What does the Commandment "You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God" mean? The first and most obvious meaning is that we should not turn God's holy Name into a curse, or use His Name as a meaningless expression of surprise. ("O my God!").
The Commandment also teaches us not to misrepresent God by giving our own opinions as if they were God's truth -- don't attribute to God things He never said -- or misrepresent Him by the way we live, claiming to be followers of Christ while failing to act like His followers.
A deeper meaning of this Commandment is found in the literal translation of the original Hebrew text, which says, "You will not carry the name of YAHWEH your God for nothing." This describes people who pretend to be believers. These are people who have religion, but they don't have Christ. They may be active in church, they know when to stand and when to sit, they know when to sing and when to pray, they even put money in the offering plate. But they foolishly trust their church membership and good behavior to save them. God says,
"These people say they love Me;
they show honor to Me using nice words,
but their hearts are far from Me.
Their worship to Me is only rules that people invented." (Isaiah 29:11)
The Apostle Paul appealed to all who play at religion but have not fully trusted Christ:
God is calling to you through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God. We are workers together with God, so we beg you: Do not let the grace that you received from God be for nothing. God says,
"At the right time I heard your prayers.
On the day of salvation I helped you."
I tell you that the "right time" is now, and the "day of salvation" is now! (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 NCV)
Failing to call on His Name when temptations hit
What does the Commandment "You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God" mean? In our previous discussion about this commandment, we learned that a literal translation of the Hebrew text can look like this: You will not carry the name of YAHWEH your God for nothing. We saw that applies to people who pretend to be believers; they have religion but they don't have Christ.
This commandment also speaks to those of us who truly know and love Jesus Christ, but we experience defeat in our daily walk with Him. We repeatedly find ourselves surrendering to temptation. Or our feelings of disappointment and bitterness seem to hold us captive. Or our critical spirit drives people away. Saint Paul said it this way:
What does the Commandment "You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God" mean? In our previous discussion about this commandment, we learned that a literal translation of the Hebrew text can look like this: You will not carry the name of YAHWEH your God for nothing. We saw that applies to people who pretend to be believers; they have religion but they don't have Christ.
This commandment also speaks to those of us who truly know and love Jesus Christ, but we experience defeat in our daily walk with Him. We repeatedly find ourselves surrendering to temptation. Or our feelings of disappointment and bitterness seem to hold us captive. Or our critical spirit drives people away. Saint Paul said it this way:
"I don't do the good things I want to do. I keep on doing the evil things I don't want to do... What a terrible failure I am! Who will save me from this sin that brings death to my body?" (Romans 7:19,24 NRIV)
Then Paul answers his own question:
"I give thanks to God who saves me. He saves me through Jesus Christ our Lord." (v.25)
We find our victory in Christ, not in ourselves. The name "Jesus" means "The Lord Saves." He saves us not only from the eternal punishment that our sins deserve, He also saves us from sin's power to control our lives.
Many of us are like a sick patient telling our doctor, "The medicine you gave me isn't doing any good. I am not getting any better."
The doctor asks us, "Are you taking the medicine like I told you?"
"Well..." we answer, "No, not really."
Christ and His Word are our remedy for our sickness of sin. When temptation hits me when I am weak, I will call on the Name of Jesus. And when people disappoint me or hurt me, instead of focusing on them and becoming bitter, I will focus on Jesus. He is my Savior. I will not carry His Name for nothing!
Many of us are like a sick patient telling our doctor, "The medicine you gave me isn't doing any good. I am not getting any better."
The doctor asks us, "Are you taking the medicine like I told you?"
"Well..." we answer, "No, not really."
Christ and His Word are our remedy for our sickness of sin. When temptation hits me when I am weak, I will call on the Name of Jesus. And when people disappoint me or hurt me, instead of focusing on them and becoming bitter, I will focus on Jesus. He is my Savior. I will not carry His Name for nothing!
Forgetting to trust Him in times of trial
What does the Commandment "You shall not misuse the Name of the LORD your God" mean? A literal translation of the Hebrew text can look like this: You shall not carry the name of YAHWEH your God for nothing. One way we often "carry God's name for nothing" is failing to trust Him in challenging situations, so that we fall into fear and doubt.
The Bible is full of examples. During Jesus' trial, Peter denied that he knew Jesus, because Peter was afraid. (Matthew 26:69-75)
In the Old Testament we see the assistant to the prophet Elisha in a great panic because their house was surrounded by the Syrian Army. "What shall we do?!!"
"Don't be afraid," Elisha answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
What did Elisha mean by that? How did they get out of that situation? Read the answer for yourself in 2 Kings 6:8-23.
Twelve chapters later we read about read about Israel's King Hezekiah who woke up one day to find the city of Jerusalem surrounded by the army of Assyria. The Assyrian general mocked God and reminded the Jews that none of the "gods" of other nations could protect the lands he had conquered. The God of Israel, he said, can't save the people of Jerusalem.
King Hezekiah took the general's nasty letter to the temple of God and he laid the letter out in front of the alar. Hezekiah prayed, "O Lord, see and hear how Sennacherib insults the living God!" Hezekiah wisely appealed to God for the honor of His Name.
How did God save the city of Jerusalem? Read 2 Kings 19:35.
One night while Jesus' Disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a bad storm came up. The Disciples were certain the boat would sink and they would drown. They were scared! Where was Jesus? He was sleeping peacefully in the back of the boat! With Jesus in their boat, they were never in any danger. (Mark 4:35-41)
This does NOT mean that if you trust Christ nothing bad ever happens to you. God does not promise to protect us from our own stupidity. And it often happens that when hurricanes and earthquakes hit, and airplanes fly into buildings, Christians also suffer or die. But Christ goes through it with you, because He has already been through it by the way of the cross (see Romans 8:18-39).
What is the worst that can happen? Physical death? Death is not the end. It is only the beginning of better things that we cannot see now.
What does the Commandment "You shall not misuse the Name of the LORD your God" mean? A literal translation of the Hebrew text can look like this: You shall not carry the name of YAHWEH your God for nothing. One way we often "carry God's name for nothing" is failing to trust Him in challenging situations, so that we fall into fear and doubt.
The Bible is full of examples. During Jesus' trial, Peter denied that he knew Jesus, because Peter was afraid. (Matthew 26:69-75)
In the Old Testament we see the assistant to the prophet Elisha in a great panic because their house was surrounded by the Syrian Army. "What shall we do?!!"
"Don't be afraid," Elisha answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
What did Elisha mean by that? How did they get out of that situation? Read the answer for yourself in 2 Kings 6:8-23.
Twelve chapters later we read about read about Israel's King Hezekiah who woke up one day to find the city of Jerusalem surrounded by the army of Assyria. The Assyrian general mocked God and reminded the Jews that none of the "gods" of other nations could protect the lands he had conquered. The God of Israel, he said, can't save the people of Jerusalem.
King Hezekiah took the general's nasty letter to the temple of God and he laid the letter out in front of the alar. Hezekiah prayed, "O Lord, see and hear how Sennacherib insults the living God!" Hezekiah wisely appealed to God for the honor of His Name.
How did God save the city of Jerusalem? Read 2 Kings 19:35.
One night while Jesus' Disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a bad storm came up. The Disciples were certain the boat would sink and they would drown. They were scared! Where was Jesus? He was sleeping peacefully in the back of the boat! With Jesus in their boat, they were never in any danger. (Mark 4:35-41)
This does NOT mean that if you trust Christ nothing bad ever happens to you. God does not promise to protect us from our own stupidity. And it often happens that when hurricanes and earthquakes hit, and airplanes fly into buildings, Christians also suffer or die. But Christ goes through it with you, because He has already been through it by the way of the cross (see Romans 8:18-39).
What is the worst that can happen? Physical death? Death is not the end. It is only the beginning of better things that we cannot see now.
*Footnotes
Lutherans and Catholics refer to this as the 2nd Commandment; most other Christian churches call it the
3rd Commandment. How we number the Commandments is of little importance; what is important is that we understand and obey what the Commandments say.
The Hebrew text of Psalm 110:1 has both words, YHWH and Adonai, represented in English by "LORD," and "Lord."
For further study on this topic please read: Exodus 20:1-7; Matthew 15:18-19; Ephesians 4:29 - 5:20; James 3:1-12.
Lutherans and Catholics refer to this as the 2nd Commandment; most other Christian churches call it the
3rd Commandment. How we number the Commandments is of little importance; what is important is that we understand and obey what the Commandments say.
The Hebrew text of Psalm 110:1 has both words, YHWH and Adonai, represented in English by "LORD," and "Lord."
For further study on this topic please read: Exodus 20:1-7; Matthew 15:18-19; Ephesians 4:29 - 5:20; James 3:1-12.