Most of the commandments are pretty clear; don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t worship idols. Don’t worship other gods. Some seem more important than others and some are easier to follow than others - but there is one that no one even understands. No one even has a clue what God MEANT when He gave it, so how can they possibly obey it?? And of course I’m talking about number 3;Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Now what does that mean? If you don’t know, then how can you be sure you’re not breaking it as we speak? Most people assume that it means saying things like “God ___ it” or “for Christ’s sake!” or “holy ___”. But that’s not it at all. While that is not something you should be doing, that’s not what God was most concerned about when He penned this command in that tablet of stone. The words “in vain” come from the Hebrew word “shav” which basically means emptiness, or making devoid of value. For just two examples:
Jeremiah 2:30 In vain [shav] have I smitten your children; they received no correction: …
Jeremiah 46:11 … in vain [shav] shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
Here you can see that the word means that it was pointless, a waste of time, for Him to do those things, because nothing happened; for they weren’t corrected and they weren’t cured. So how can you take the name of God and make IT pointless, and “a waste of time”?
Before we can explain that, we have to briefly explain what “God’s name” means. When God says “my name” He doesn’t mean “God”. Or, for that matter, Jehovah, Yahweh, or Elohim. He’s talking about a CONCEPT, not a title. To come in someone’s name means to come with that person’s AUTHORITY. For example, when God sends someone a prophet, that prophet comes in God’s name - so when he speaks, he’s speaking in God’s place, as if God were there speaking…. Read the rest of this entry »