The Third Commandment

The Third Commandment “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold any one guiltless who misuses his name.” Exodus 20:7 We are at all times not to misuse the name of the Lord, and He even gave us a commandment not to do this. The majesty of God’s name, is to be held sacred by us, and we should stand in awe of Him and His name. In Psalm 135:3 it says, “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.” God is directing us not to take His name in vain, but to use it is reverence, and in respect to Him. When we profess God’s name, but do not live answerably to it, we take it in vain. We should not use God’s name in idle discourse, as God’s name is not to be used when we are not thinking about Him and worshipping Him. When we use His name in vain in our every day idle conversations, such as “O my God” or “O God”, this is breaking this precious commandment, and is letting God know that His name is not sacred to us. We are to use His name when we pray and worship Him, to let Him know how great He is, and that we bow down before Him. God does not want us to swear by His name, or use His name in oaths, as this is disrespectable, and not permitted according to God’s word. In James 3:8 the Bible says “but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.” It is becoming easy for many people to use the name of God in their everyday talk, where it has nothing to with honoring and respecting Him, but simply a habit they have, and have picked up from others. We must be careful how we use the name of God, and use it in a way that always shows the majesty of who God is. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven​ April 3