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HONORING g-D'S NAME
Exodus 20:7 God's name represents all that He is; His character and
conduct, His power, His wisdom, and the honor and glory that belong
to Him. Who G-d is forms the foundation for the first three
commandments. How we are to respond to the revelation of His
wonderful name? How do we refrain from taking His name in vain? It
means more then simply not using foul language. Our words reveal
what is in our hearts. The Hebrew word shem (name) means more
than a label. It refers to that which is both descriptive and distinctive.
Often we use nicknames that more clearly identify certain persons. In
the Bible, names are not mearly labels but are descriptive of a person
or place, referring sometimes to their origin and sometimes to a
particular quality or to the hopes for that person's life. Adam means
"red earth" because the first man was taken from the ground. Adam
named his wife eve which means life referring to her status as the
mother of humanity. Cain means "gotten one" acknowledging that Eve's
first born was a gift from the L-rd. Noah means "rest" expressing the
hope that he would bring comfort and respite. Elijah means "my G-d is
Jehovah" expressing the desire of his parents that he would follow
G-d. The name of G-d Yahweh/Jehovah is translated L-rd and refers to
the Hebrew phrase "I AM" which focuses on Him as the self existent One
(Ex. 3:14). He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything, uncreated,
existing as the Eternal One.
The third commandment tells us not to misuse the name of the L-rd our
G-d. The Hebrew word shawu or shavu, translated "vain" means evil,
empty or false. It refers to anything which does not live up to its
reputation or disappoints the hopes resting on it. To take the L-rd's
name in vain means to treat it in an empty, thoughtless manner, to
consider Him and His name as nothing. People treat His name as empty
when they refer to Him as "the Man upstairs" or exclaim "dear L-rd"
without really thinking of Him or truly seeking Him. Those who lift up
His name in a meaningless way are like those who honor idols. All idols
are powerless, fruitless, and useless and the L-rd's name should never
be associated with them. G-d will not ignore the offense of taking His
name in vain. Knowing the L-rd's name opens the door for growth in
our relationship with Him. When we understand that He is
compassionate and gracious, we can come to Him with our weakness
and failures, our sin and disobedience. We can experience His love and
kindness. He is truth, so He also reveals the truth about our own
situations, about ourselves, about our sins, and about the salvation that
He gives. This knowledge will help us to honor His name and to avoid
using it in any way that does not glorify Him. Our goal as Christians
should be for all of our actions and words to be offered in the name of
Yeshua, with Him empowering us, working and ministering in us and
through us.
Moses was zealous about honoring the name of the L-rd. Deut. 32 is
called the song of Moses. Verse 1-4 Moses calls all creation to listen as
he glorified G-d's name. He spoke of the L-rd as the Rock,
dependable, the foundation for all of life. All that He does is
perfect,no blemish or blame. There is no injustice in any of His ways
or deeds. The more one knows the value and honor of the name of the
L-rd, the less likely one is to use that name in a meaningless way, to
make light of it, or to fail to give it genuine honor.
Job was an upright man who feared G-d and shunned evil. He prayed
for his children regularly, including a prayer forgiveness in case they
had dishonored G-d in any way. Long before the 3rd commandment
was written, Job showed the kind of reverence for G-d's name that
G-d desired. Even, when he lost almost everything Job responded in
faithfulness to the L-rd, glorifying His name, Job 1:21. When we are
oppressed or facing trouble, where do we turn? Those that know the
name of the L-rd turn to Him, put their trust and confidence in Him and
find Him to be a stronghold of protection. In Psm 124:4 states, "the
waters (overwhelming problems) would have engulfed us." Although
the L-rd may allow the waters to swirl about His children, He does not
allow you to drown. Verse 8 "our help is in the name of the L-rd, who
made heaven and earth. We should lift up His name in praise. The
Bible includes more than 500 names, titles and descriptions of G-d,
each expressing some aspect of His character, conduct or nature. The
children of Israel found their identity, their unity and their victory in
the L-rd. It is the same for us today; every name of G-d is a call to
love, trust, obey and honor Him.
In Exodus 22:28 the L-rd makes clear that His name was not to be
reviled or cursed. The Hebrew word galal used means to lessen; to
make light or small; to despise or treat as insignificant. The L-rd also
commands us never to worship any idol because it profanes the name
of G-d. The Hebrew word chalal means profane. To worship an idol
polluted the people, bringing shame on them and on the name of the
L-rd by whom they were called. Swearing falsely or taking an oath in
His name and then lying connects G-d with the lies that are told and
profanes His name. This is a great offense to G-d. In Lev. 24:11 we
see a young man who blasphemed the Name and cursed. The Hebrew
word nagab translated blaspheme and means to puncture or to hollow
out G-d's character and person. His sin merited death. This breaking
of the 3rd commandment is a serious offense.
In John 8:49 Yeshua states "I honor My Father." Yeshua did more than
just repeat G-d's name. His life and ministry were a continual
expression and explanation of the father, His Name, His nature, His
character and His Honor. Yeshua leads us to love and honor the Father,
and never to misuse or dishonor His Name. Yeshua rebuked those who
prayed only to be noticed by others. He instructed that we should
never resort to meaningless repetitions. Our prayers are not heard and
answered according to how many words we use; mindless repetitions
are worthless to the Father and an insult to His name, His nature, and
His character. He wants to hear us speak from our hearts in a manner
that honors His name.
The Jews of Yeshua's day were well aware of the 3rd commandment,
but many failed to grasp its true meaning. They understood that using
G-d's name in an oath, vow, or promise was calling G-d as witness and
connecting Him to that pledge. To lie or avoid fulfilling the promise
made in His name, made one a debtor to the individual and also
accountable to G-d. Therefore they avoided using G-d's name in oaths.
The Pharisees developed all kinds of formula's to cover this matter,
like sweating by Jerusalem or other things. Yeshua made it clear that
using Jerusalem or any other thing still connected the oath to G-d,
because everything belongs to G-d. We are each accountable before
G-d for every word spoken. We are not to misuse His name or the
name of anything He has created. Each person's attitude toward and
belief in Yeshua determines their destiny. Yeshua is willing to forgive
any sin and any blasphemy against Himself. Blasphemy against the holy
Spirit shall not be forgiven. (Matt. 12:32) Rejecting Yeshua as Messiah
and declaring the works of the Holy Spirit to be the works of the devil
also meant rejecting Yeshua as the deliverer from sin and Satan. Those
who are merely ignorant about Yeshua can learn the truth, repent and
find forgiveness. But anyone who deliberately turns away from the
Spirit and His works would have no place to turn for salvation, or
forgiveness. Evil hearts speak evil words. Many reveal their evil
hearts by the words they speak. Words will either justify or condemn
you. To speak against the holy Spirit and reject His witness is to take
His name in vain throughout eternity. If anyone is concerned about
words spoken in the past they can ask for forgiveness, it is evidence
that the holy Spirit is working in that person's heart. Yeshua will not
forsake anyone who genuinely calls on His name for salvation.
G-d wants His name to be honored. Knowing His name means
experiencing who G-d is. He wants us to discover more about Him
daily, continually growing in the grace and knowledge of our L-rd and
Savior. This means interacting with Him in the ongoing experiences of
life; in prayer, in reading His Word, in applying that Word to daily
decisions and everyday relationships. We express who He is in
personal praise, prayer and thanks, as well as in telling others about
Him. As we know and honor Him in ever increasing ways, we become
more able to guard against misusing His name, treating Him in the
wrong way, or speaking of Him or to Him in a dishonorable or empty
way. When facing challenges, sorrow or pain, we have the
opportunity to discover the L-rd at work in the midst of those
situations. When we call on G-d and see Him give us enabling grace,
patience or comfort we then can testify as to who He is.
When we allow the message of salvation and the power of the Holy
Spirit to capture and control every fiber of our beings, we will be filled
to overflowing with the wisdom of G-d. We will be able to teach and
minister to others in His name, as well as being blessed with hearts full
of praise and thanks to G-d. We should strive to see that our words
and actions are marked by the character of Yeshua so that our lives
honor His Name. We must not let the truth of G-d's Name or Yeshua's
name be hidden, under minded, abused, mocked disregarded or in any
way distorted.
L-rd, I praise you that You have the Name above all names, You are
worthy of highest honor and praise. In Your Name is the revelation of
the awe, the magnificence, the wonder of Your holiness and justice,
Your grace and mercy, your wisdom and power. Your name is L-rd,
Yahweh, the fully alive G-d. You are G-d Almighty, El Shaddai, the All
sufficient G-d. You are L-rd, the Sovereign over all the Kings of this
earth, the one who puts all in place. You are ruler of my life. You are
Messiah, who fulfills all the promises of the Scriptures and reveals Your
perfections in the New Testament. Thank You for being the Savior
who willingly died in my place, paying for all my sin and shame. May I
never treat Your Name in any way that is disrespectful, dishonoring or
shameful. Help us to always be on guard against any actions or words
that would treat You in a thoughtless or flippant way. Blessed be Your
Name forever. B'Shem Yeshua. Amen.
conduct, His power, His wisdom, and the honor and glory that belong
to Him. Who G-d is forms the foundation for the first three
commandments. How we are to respond to the revelation of His
wonderful name? How do we refrain from taking His name in vain? It
means more then simply not using foul language. Our words reveal
what is in our hearts. The Hebrew word shem (name) means more
than a label. It refers to that which is both descriptive and distinctive.
Often we use nicknames that more clearly identify certain persons. In
the Bible, names are not mearly labels but are descriptive of a person
or place, referring sometimes to their origin and sometimes to a
particular quality or to the hopes for that person's life. Adam means
"red earth" because the first man was taken from the ground. Adam
named his wife eve which means life referring to her status as the
mother of humanity. Cain means "gotten one" acknowledging that Eve's
first born was a gift from the L-rd. Noah means "rest" expressing the
hope that he would bring comfort and respite. Elijah means "my G-d is
Jehovah" expressing the desire of his parents that he would follow
G-d. The name of G-d Yahweh/Jehovah is translated L-rd and refers to
the Hebrew phrase "I AM" which focuses on Him as the self existent One
(Ex. 3:14). He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything, uncreated,
existing as the Eternal One.
The third commandment tells us not to misuse the name of the L-rd our
G-d. The Hebrew word shawu or shavu, translated "vain" means evil,
empty or false. It refers to anything which does not live up to its
reputation or disappoints the hopes resting on it. To take the L-rd's
name in vain means to treat it in an empty, thoughtless manner, to
consider Him and His name as nothing. People treat His name as empty
when they refer to Him as "the Man upstairs" or exclaim "dear L-rd"
without really thinking of Him or truly seeking Him. Those who lift up
His name in a meaningless way are like those who honor idols. All idols
are powerless, fruitless, and useless and the L-rd's name should never
be associated with them. G-d will not ignore the offense of taking His
name in vain. Knowing the L-rd's name opens the door for growth in
our relationship with Him. When we understand that He is
compassionate and gracious, we can come to Him with our weakness
and failures, our sin and disobedience. We can experience His love and
kindness. He is truth, so He also reveals the truth about our own
situations, about ourselves, about our sins, and about the salvation that
He gives. This knowledge will help us to honor His name and to avoid
using it in any way that does not glorify Him. Our goal as Christians
should be for all of our actions and words to be offered in the name of
Yeshua, with Him empowering us, working and ministering in us and
through us.
Moses was zealous about honoring the name of the L-rd. Deut. 32 is
called the song of Moses. Verse 1-4 Moses calls all creation to listen as
he glorified G-d's name. He spoke of the L-rd as the Rock,
dependable, the foundation for all of life. All that He does is
perfect,no blemish or blame. There is no injustice in any of His ways
or deeds. The more one knows the value and honor of the name of the
L-rd, the less likely one is to use that name in a meaningless way, to
make light of it, or to fail to give it genuine honor.
Job was an upright man who feared G-d and shunned evil. He prayed
for his children regularly, including a prayer forgiveness in case they
had dishonored G-d in any way. Long before the 3rd commandment
was written, Job showed the kind of reverence for G-d's name that
G-d desired. Even, when he lost almost everything Job responded in
faithfulness to the L-rd, glorifying His name, Job 1:21. When we are
oppressed or facing trouble, where do we turn? Those that know the
name of the L-rd turn to Him, put their trust and confidence in Him and
find Him to be a stronghold of protection. In Psm 124:4 states, "the
waters (overwhelming problems) would have engulfed us." Although
the L-rd may allow the waters to swirl about His children, He does not
allow you to drown. Verse 8 "our help is in the name of the L-rd, who
made heaven and earth. We should lift up His name in praise. The
Bible includes more than 500 names, titles and descriptions of G-d,
each expressing some aspect of His character, conduct or nature. The
children of Israel found their identity, their unity and their victory in
the L-rd. It is the same for us today; every name of G-d is a call to
love, trust, obey and honor Him.
In Exodus 22:28 the L-rd makes clear that His name was not to be
reviled or cursed. The Hebrew word galal used means to lessen; to
make light or small; to despise or treat as insignificant. The L-rd also
commands us never to worship any idol because it profanes the name
of G-d. The Hebrew word chalal means profane. To worship an idol
polluted the people, bringing shame on them and on the name of the
L-rd by whom they were called. Swearing falsely or taking an oath in
His name and then lying connects G-d with the lies that are told and
profanes His name. This is a great offense to G-d. In Lev. 24:11 we
see a young man who blasphemed the Name and cursed. The Hebrew
word nagab translated blaspheme and means to puncture or to hollow
out G-d's character and person. His sin merited death. This breaking
of the 3rd commandment is a serious offense.
In John 8:49 Yeshua states "I honor My Father." Yeshua did more than
just repeat G-d's name. His life and ministry were a continual
expression and explanation of the father, His Name, His nature, His
character and His Honor. Yeshua leads us to love and honor the Father,
and never to misuse or dishonor His Name. Yeshua rebuked those who
prayed only to be noticed by others. He instructed that we should
never resort to meaningless repetitions. Our prayers are not heard and
answered according to how many words we use; mindless repetitions
are worthless to the Father and an insult to His name, His nature, and
His character. He wants to hear us speak from our hearts in a manner
that honors His name.
The Jews of Yeshua's day were well aware of the 3rd commandment,
but many failed to grasp its true meaning. They understood that using
G-d's name in an oath, vow, or promise was calling G-d as witness and
connecting Him to that pledge. To lie or avoid fulfilling the promise
made in His name, made one a debtor to the individual and also
accountable to G-d. Therefore they avoided using G-d's name in oaths.
The Pharisees developed all kinds of formula's to cover this matter,
like sweating by Jerusalem or other things. Yeshua made it clear that
using Jerusalem or any other thing still connected the oath to G-d,
because everything belongs to G-d. We are each accountable before
G-d for every word spoken. We are not to misuse His name or the
name of anything He has created. Each person's attitude toward and
belief in Yeshua determines their destiny. Yeshua is willing to forgive
any sin and any blasphemy against Himself. Blasphemy against the holy
Spirit shall not be forgiven. (Matt. 12:32) Rejecting Yeshua as Messiah
and declaring the works of the Holy Spirit to be the works of the devil
also meant rejecting Yeshua as the deliverer from sin and Satan. Those
who are merely ignorant about Yeshua can learn the truth, repent and
find forgiveness. But anyone who deliberately turns away from the
Spirit and His works would have no place to turn for salvation, or
forgiveness. Evil hearts speak evil words. Many reveal their evil
hearts by the words they speak. Words will either justify or condemn
you. To speak against the holy Spirit and reject His witness is to take
His name in vain throughout eternity. If anyone is concerned about
words spoken in the past they can ask for forgiveness, it is evidence
that the holy Spirit is working in that person's heart. Yeshua will not
forsake anyone who genuinely calls on His name for salvation.
G-d wants His name to be honored. Knowing His name means
experiencing who G-d is. He wants us to discover more about Him
daily, continually growing in the grace and knowledge of our L-rd and
Savior. This means interacting with Him in the ongoing experiences of
life; in prayer, in reading His Word, in applying that Word to daily
decisions and everyday relationships. We express who He is in
personal praise, prayer and thanks, as well as in telling others about
Him. As we know and honor Him in ever increasing ways, we become
more able to guard against misusing His name, treating Him in the
wrong way, or speaking of Him or to Him in a dishonorable or empty
way. When facing challenges, sorrow or pain, we have the
opportunity to discover the L-rd at work in the midst of those
situations. When we call on G-d and see Him give us enabling grace,
patience or comfort we then can testify as to who He is.
When we allow the message of salvation and the power of the Holy
Spirit to capture and control every fiber of our beings, we will be filled
to overflowing with the wisdom of G-d. We will be able to teach and
minister to others in His name, as well as being blessed with hearts full
of praise and thanks to G-d. We should strive to see that our words
and actions are marked by the character of Yeshua so that our lives
honor His Name. We must not let the truth of G-d's Name or Yeshua's
name be hidden, under minded, abused, mocked disregarded or in any
way distorted.
L-rd, I praise you that You have the Name above all names, You are
worthy of highest honor and praise. In Your Name is the revelation of
the awe, the magnificence, the wonder of Your holiness and justice,
Your grace and mercy, your wisdom and power. Your name is L-rd,
Yahweh, the fully alive G-d. You are G-d Almighty, El Shaddai, the All
sufficient G-d. You are L-rd, the Sovereign over all the Kings of this
earth, the one who puts all in place. You are ruler of my life. You are
Messiah, who fulfills all the promises of the Scriptures and reveals Your
perfections in the New Testament. Thank You for being the Savior
who willingly died in my place, paying for all my sin and shame. May I
never treat Your Name in any way that is disrespectful, dishonoring or
shameful. Help us to always be on guard against any actions or words
that would treat You in a thoughtless or flippant way. Blessed be Your
Name forever. B'Shem Yeshua. Amen.
| Ministry of Gates of Praise Ministries, Inc. © Copyright Gates of Praise Ministries 2007 |