“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Exodus 20:7, NKJV
“What’s in a name?” Thus begins a famous quote by Juliet in what is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Some of today’s cultures see tremendous significance in names, while others do not. Western cultures tend to see names as simple “labels” to attach to their children; western parents often choose names that they simply like the sound of. On the other end of the spectrum, many of the ancient Eastern, African and Middle Eastern cultures are much more careful in choosing names, as they attach special meaning to them. Is this simply a matter of perspective, or is there possibly a special dimension to names? And more importantly, what does any of this have to do with Jesus and the third commandment?
I believe that this third commandment is likely to be the most misunderstood – and mis-taught of all God’s commandments. What does it mean to “take the name of the LORD” in vain? And why would God maintain someone’s guilt for breaking this commandment? Let’s first examine the latter – and try to understand the immense significance of this simple phrase.
“…for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
These words are so easy to skim over; it’s almost like a second thought. But let’s consider, for a moment, what it means to hold someone guiltless. This is by no means a secondary concept; it is at the very core of scripture! It is only the grace of God that removes guilt from our lives. And without the removal of guilt, there is no redemption.
The word used for “guiltless” is נקה (naqah). Naqah means “to be, or to make clean”. By implication, it is to hold someone blameless – to acquit them. Do the words “to make clean” remind you of any special passage? The Lord Himself discussed the concept of being made clean on more than one occasion. Let’s take a look at the wonderful example that He gave us on the night before His crucifixion:
And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
John 13:2-11, NKJV
Did you see it? Jesus’ words are very clear: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” We must be washed in order to have a saving relationship with Christ, and He must do the washing. If we have no relationship with Christ, we are lost. We will not be acquitted of our sin, made clean – held guiltless. Instead, we will suffer immeasurably throughout eternity. Yes, God’s warning at the end of the third commandment is exceedingly dire. We absolutely must not break this commandment!
Knowing how important the Ten Commandments are, having been handed down by the hand of God Himself, this one being associated with an ominous warning now seems even more crucial. What is it about this commandment that would cause someone to lose or miss out on his or her eternal salvation? To answer this question, we will look at three things: first, the importance of The Name, and second, we will examine what it means to take His Name in vain. Finally, we will examine Jesus’ fulfillment of this commandment.
There are over 2,500 names recorded in scripture. And there are multiple genealogies. Every single name, and every collection of names is important. People often start reading the Bible in the first chapter of Genesis, and make good progress – through the first four chapters. And too often, when they reach the fifth chapter, they lose interest. Why? Because this chapter is the first of the biblical genealogies. Many people do not care about who was the father of whom, how many years they lived, and who came after. Yet; if the reader would not give up, and would look just a little deeper, studying the meanings of these names, they might discover one of the first truly amazing hidden nuggets in the biblical record. Someday, I will make this the focus one of my blogs. Meanwhile, we will move on in our current discussion.
The Name
Have you ever wondered what Adam’s first task was? While we cannot be certain, we are given a fairly significant clue to the answer of this question:
Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
Genesis 2:19-20, NKJV
To me, this seems amazing – that the first official act that Adam performed was to name each of the animals. And not just animals; he named all of the birds as well. This must have been quite a task! It is often true that the things one does first are likely the highest priorities. And since Adam was directed personally by God, naming His creatures was indeed a priority. But Adam’s task of naming creatures did not stop here. In fact, only one chapter later, he was given a task to name something – indeed, someone much more important:
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Genesis 3:20, NKJV
Any married man must quickly recognize how important it would be to name your wife well! And in the very next chapter, we see both Adam and Eve name one of their sons, who is immediately seen naming one of his:
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 4:25-26, NKJV
All through scripture, we find ourselves in the presence of parents as they name their children. And in many of these passages, we are told why the names have been chosen. Let’s take a look at a couple of these passages:
And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him — whom Sarah bore to him — Isaac [Laughter]. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Genesis 21:3-7, NKJV
Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.
And the Lord said to her:
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two peoples shall be separated from your body;
One people shall be stronger than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau [Hairy]. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob [Heel Catcher; Supplanter].
Genesis 25:21-26, NKJV
Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” So she called his name Joseph [He will add], and said, “The Lord shall add to me another son.”
Genesis 30:22-24, NKJV
Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.” And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni [Son of my Sorrow]; but his father called him Benjamin [Son of my right hand]. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
Genesis 35:16-20, NKJV
(Bold italic words added as simple definitions of the specific names)
In each of these cases, the names actually held special significance in the individuals’ lives. I will leave it to my reader to study these individuals (along with others) to understand their ultimate significance. But there is one more passage that I think is extremely significant in the history of the Jewish nation; a passage where the preincarnate Christ Himself renamed an individual for His own purposes:
And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.”
But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
So He said to him, “What is your name?”
He said, “Jacob.”
And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel [Struggles with, or Prevails against God]; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.”
And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [Face of God]: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
Genesis 32:22-30, NKJV
Do you see it? Here, God renamed Jacob, effectively resetting the future course of history through a very interesting and unique interaction with Jacob, the supplanter.
Yes, names in the Bible were considered very special; and their meanings are indeed important. But these are only people – the human beings. Let’s see how God feels about His own name, as He introduces Himself to His servant Moses:
Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’
Exodus 3:5-15, NKJV
Here we see The Holy God introducing Himself to His servant, Moses. Does this sound familiar? It should. When we studied the first commandment, we saw Him do the very same thing – introduce Himself:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
In that passage, He introduced Himself as the one that delivered them out of Egypt. God seems to always introduce Himself to His servants in a way that connects – that is special to them personally. And this passage is no different. In fact, this passage is even more special, in that His answer to Moses will serve to become His memorial name. Did you catch it?
“This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.”
So, while God has many many names (this is a very special study for those who wish to truly get a closer picture of God’s special attributes), All of these names pale to the name He gives Moses:
“I AM”
And of course, this name is perfect. It is a name that no other being in this univers (or any others, for that matter) can claim. This is the Supreme Being – the One that “IS”. All other beings have a beginning. All other beings have a creation date and time. There is only ONE that simply IS. And He is the Creator of ALL other things.
My name is Ma You Ji (马友吉) which has a very special meaning. It is special to me, and to my friends. Yet it has a beginning. And it identifies one that had a beginning. A creation time and place. Yet the one that created me has no such time or place. He is simply the “I AM”. What a wonderful and unique name. And it is extremely powerful:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous run to it and are safe.Proverbs 18:10, NKJV
The NAME of the Lord is a strong tower. Do you see it? This passage does not say that the Lord is a strong tower (although it is undoubtedly true). No, the Proverb claims that the NAME of the Lord is a strong tower. And who is safe? The righteous run to it and are safe. But who are the righteous?
The word used for righteous is צדיק (tsaddiyq). It comes from the root: צדק (tsadaq) which means to be right (in a moral or forensic sense). But how can anyone be right or righteous? In his letter to the Romans, Paul quotes from the Psalms, saying:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
Romans 3:10, NKJV
So if this is true – and taken out of context, all are lost. No one can run to the strong tower and be saved. But we know that this is not true. It would indeed be a cruel, cruel world if God were to hold our faults against us and withhold righteousness from us with no recourse and no chance for redemption. Rather, God bestows righteousness on His saints. And how is this righteousness bestowed? Through the washing and cleansing of His blood. Here is how Paul goes on to describe the process:
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:21-26, NKJV
So it is faith in Jesus that actually makes us righteous. And if we are righteous, we can run to the strong tower and be safe. But remember – Jesus said:
“If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
So without the washing of Jesus, we cannot be made righteous. Is this unclear? Let’s further establish it through another passage as penned by John in his first epistle:
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:5-7, NKJV
So in order to run to the strong tower (that is, the name of God) and be saved, we must be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and made righteous. And this only comes through faith in Him.
But what does any of this have to do with the third commandment? Everything.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
Whom does the Lord hold guiltless? Those that have been made righteous. Those that, through faith, have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. All others remain guilty – a terrible state that brings eternal pain and suffering. So, through the corollary, it is simply not possible for those that have been cleansed by the blood of Christ to take the name of God in vain. Let me repeat this incredible truth: those that have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, and through faith in Him cannot break this commandment. It is simply not possible. So, then, what does the command really mean? What does it mean to take the name of the Lord in vain? Let’s look at a passage in Acts that will help us see this commandment more clearly. Here we see Peter answering to the rulers for healing a lame man:
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:8-12, NKJV
Peter is making an incredible claim – salvation comes only from the name of Jesus Christ. Those that are truly saved are saved by His name. To “take the name of the Lord” in true faith is to believe in His righteous death and His cleansing blood. But if this is true, is it possible to take that name in vain? Unfortunately, yes. It is sad, but true that many in this world call themselves “God followers” and “Christians”, yet do not truly believe that He is the way, the truth and the light. They “take His name” as a cultural statement, yet do not believe in the power of His name. They are seduced by the world, which constantly tells us that a belief in Christ as the only way to God is too restrictive. And yet, the scripture clearly states this as truth. In the eyes of the holy God, there are two sets of people. Those that are covered by the blood of the risen savior and thereby declared righteous, and those that have not accepted His blood as their sole method of redemption, and have trusted in some other way. And the latter includes many that call themselves followers of God, and many that call themselves Christians. At this point, I must stop and ask my reader: which group are you in? Jesus said:
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”
The Gospel of Luke 13:24-30, NKJV
My friends, I plead with you – do not get caught outside!
So we have seen that taking the name of the Lord in vain means to follow Him in name only, but not in saving grace and righteousness. These, by definition, cannot be held guiltless. But now – how did Jesus Himself fulfill this commandment? In two ways: first, it is His name (as we have seen) by which men MUST be saved. Jesus simply cannot take the name of the Lord in vain, because it is His name! But there is more. And it is truly awe inspiring. Let’s take a look at a passage that caused much controversy (and hatred toward Jesus) when He was teaching:
Then the Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 8:48-58, NKJV
Did you see it? In this fascinating dialogue between the One true Savior and His adversaries, we see the eternality of Christ as God Himself. Jesus claimed to live before Abraham, a man that had walked the earth roughly 2000 years before the incarnation of Christ. This was enough to cause the Jewish leaders to want to stone Him, but this was the lesser of Jesus’ two claims. Indeed, did you see it? Jesus took the memorial Name of God, “I AM”! For anyone that is NOT God, this is pure sacrilege! It is deserving of death. So the Jewish leaders had every right to stone Jesus for uttering, let alone taking the memorial name of God. That is, they would be right to stone Him if He were not actually God. But He was indeed God, and His name is the only one under heaven by which man must be saved. This fact is underscored by Jesus in another dialogue with the same ruling class:
Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”
The Gospel of John 8:21-24, NKJV
And there is the crowning statement. If you do not believe that Jesus IS God incarnate, you will die in your sins. My friends, Jesus fulfilled the third commandment by taking the Name of God as His very own name, and using it to save us from our sins. It is the very power of God, who bestows righteousness on His saints, and provides a tower of ultimate safety. Blessed be His HOLY NAME! Selah.
In our next blog, we will look at the fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Until then, may God bless your study of His holy Word. Rest in the power of His NAME!
YouJi