Sandwiched in between God’s command to refrain from creating idols, and then bowing down to them in worship, and keeping the Sabbath day holy, is the command concerning God’s name. It reads as follows:
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 (Ex 20:7; Lev 19:12; Dt 5:11).
Now, it is a common mistake to assume that what God is discussing here is using God’s name in a damning way.
But, that is not the case at all.
Given the context, God is commanding his people not to use his name in an false, empty, or “vain” way when it comes to worship.
Equating him alongside any idol or false deity, for instance, would be taking or using God’s name in a false way, for it would make him as equally false as they are.
Instead, God’s people were to recognize his name as distinct, special, or holy.
Jesus, while instructing his disciples at the Sermon on the Mount, told them that when they prayed, they were to make their petitions to God in a way that differentiated them from the pagans.
He said, “…do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
Instead, “Pray like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt 6:7-13).
Also, taking God’s name in vain would include vainly swearing by God’s name or including the Lord in propositions that the petitioner either deceitfully made or eventually failed to live-up to.
Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes” or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil (Matt 5:34-37).
What we have a big problem with today in regards to taking God’s name in vain are the number of false preachers and teachers who invoke God to deliver on promises of health and wealth, all the while contradicting God’s sovereignty on such matters.
Interestingly enough, those invocations regularly take place during “worship” sessions, often telecast to people around the world, with equally vain invitations and promises that if the viewer will simply send in x-amount of dollars, then abounding health and wealth will come back to the giver, because God said that it would.
What the false teachers and preachers of the “Prosperity Gospel” have failed to consider is that by invoking God’s name in the vain ways that they have, is the curse that follows for doing so.
God told the nation of Israel, “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting” (Dt 28:58-59).
Now, obviously the “Name It-Claim It” crowd do not represent God’s people, much less the nation of Israel.
But, the principle still applies, that anyone who would dare to invoke or use God’s name in a vain way will surely incur the curse of God; it is just a matter of time.
God’s name is holy; it is distinct, and ought to be revered by one and all.
Why anyone would balk or act contentiously to prevent having anyone, let along children in a public school, learn that reality is as much of a testimony about their own vanity, as it is of others who use God’s name in vain during “worship” and claim to be “Christians.”
