Ten Words #3: Don't Misuse My Name

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"Don’t make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God."

Rules are subject to many interpretations and applications. If laws were easy to understand and follow, we’d have no need for a Supreme Court.

For ancient Jews and modern Christians alike, it’s not easy to apply commandments such as this one. Many Jews believed that God’s actual name was so sacred that they dared not misspeak it. They went to such great lengths that they refused to even speak or in some cases write the divine name YHWH. They believed this was a way of honoring the third commandment.

When I was a kid, folks interpreted this in a similar manner. We got in trouble for saying the name of Jesus or God in a flippant manner. Combining God’s name with a curse word was a horrendous sin! Even speaking replacement words like geez or gosh was cause for harsh rebuke from my parents. This is how we took care to not make wrongful use of God’s name.

While I still believe it’s a good idea to speak God’s name in right ways, I think this only scratches the surface of understanding the third word. God’s name has honor. People who belong to God represent God and God’s name in this world. When people who wear God’s name do dishonorable things, they cheapen and disgrace the name of God.

People sometimes boldly claim that God endorses their agendas. They allege knowledge of what God wants. Some back up their actions by saying that God is on their side.

This happens more often than one might think. Ku Klux Klan members have always claimed to be acting for God. German soldiers wore belt buckles that read "God with us." ISIS soldiers say they are doing God’s will. When we launched our response after 9/11, prominent banners read, "Kick A^% & Take Names. God Bless the USA!" A clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses claims that she is acting upon God’s authority. When we attach God’s name to our projects, can we be sure that we are using God’s name in a proper and right way?

In Phil 1:27, Paul tells his Christian friends to "live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ." Most of our translations leave out the "citizen" language. But it’s there. As citizens of heaven, we wear the name of God! Our words and our actions should reflect God’s name in a "worthy manner."

To me, this is a far more challenging application of the third commandment than our (mis)use of slang words.  Ask yourself, "Do I wear God’s name in a worthy way?" That should make all Christians think about whether or not they make rightful use of the Lord’s name. It certainly makes me stop and think.

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