"Thou sh alt not take the name of the Lord in vain" are words referring to the third of God's commandments listed in the Book of Exodus. It is also found in the Book of Deuteronomy. Another version of this saying is: "Do not take the name of the Lord in vain." This expression has a continuation, which says that the one who does this, the Lord will surely punish. How is this commandment to be understood? The meaning of "Do not take the name of the Lord in vain" will be discussed below.
Meaning of expression
The adverb “in vain” used in the text of the commandment is marked in the dictionary as “outdated”, “bookish”, “referring to high style”. In simple terms, the adverb "in vain" is used. That is, these are synonymous words.
According to the dictionary, "in vain" means:
- futile;
- unnecessary;
- useless;
- unsuccessful;
- extra;
- unfounded;
- meaningless.
Thus, if we rephrase the expression under study “Nottake the name of the Lord in vain” according to the indicated meaning, then one can say the following: “One should not use the name of the Lord in any senseless way, as something useless and unnecessary.”
If you apply the opposite method, then you can express it like this: “You can pronounce the name of the Almighty only consciously, with sincere intentions, in a useful (necessary) context, with a useful purpose.”
What is the violation of the 3rd commandment?
This is a violation of the prohibition not to pronounce the name of the Lord God in vain. In short, it means:
- Using the name of God in an inappropriate context, without spiritual meaning, without consecrating oneself to God.
- Pronounce it as a curse or scold, wishing harm on someone.
- To make a false oath in the name of God, with the aim of deception, to mislead.
This is seen as speculation in the name of God.
Explanations in the Old and New Testaments
As to the meaning of the third commandment, “Do not take the name of the Lord in vain,” one can find many explanations in the Bible. In Old Testament times, when an oath was given in the name of God, this was considered a guarantee of its truthfulness. So in the book of Deuteronomy there is an appeal: "Fear the Lord, only serve him and swear by his name." In this regard, a false oath with the mention of the name of God was a violation of the commandment in question.
In the New Testament, Jesus also explained the meaning of the commandments. Regarding the third of them, the Gospel of Matthew says the following. Notswear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is his footstool; nor Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; nor with your head, for you cannot make a single hair either white or black.” Thus, the New Testament calls for the abandonment of oaths altogether.
More about violations
The following actions are a violation of the commandment "Do not take the name of the Lord in vain":
- A promise made to God and broken. In Ecclesiastes it is said that when a vow is made to God, then it must be fulfilled without delay, since he does not favor fools. Therefore, it is better not to promise at all than to promise and not deliver.
- False prophecy, which means the statement of an idea, the authorship of which is attributed to the Almighty. This is also a violation of the commandment, because falsehood is attributed to the holy name of God.
- Near-religious idle talk, that is, the mention of the name of God in a speech without any spiritual background. Using words such as: “Oh, my God!”, “My God!”, “Oh God!”.
- Indecent use of the name of the Almighty. For example, as a magic spell or in various divination.
- Blasphemy, that is, blaspheming the Lord God. This is confirmed, for example, by an episode from the Gospel of Matthew, when the Jews deliberately tried to accuse the Savior of blasphemy in order to put him to death. And Stephen was also falsely accused in Acts: “And they taught some to testify: we heard that he spoke blasphemous words inGod and Moses.”
- Idle talk while turning to the Lord. In his prayers, a person turns to the Almighty, to the holy name, ex alts him. In order to keep the commandment, it is necessary to address the Heavenly Father only with an open and sincere heart. Prayers cannot be hypocritical, deceitful, memorized, spoken automatically or read. They should not contain common words and idle talk. From the book of Isaiah it is clear that God is against hypocritical worship. It says: “This people approaches me only with their lips and honors me only with their tongue. And his heart is far away from me, their favor is the study of the commandments.”
Other violations of the commandment
Among the violations of the instruction from above "do not take the name of the Lord in vain" there are also others. This is:
- Unjustified actions. When a person calls himself a Christian, but does not act in the same way as Jesus Christ would have done in a similar situation, this is the use of the name of God in vain. Such an action is seen as speculation on the name of the Lord Christ. In this regard, the New Testament contains a call to live and do deeds worthy of the title of Christian. This is mentioned, for example, in the Epistle to the Ephesians of the Apostle Paul.
- Changing the name of the Lord. Some people call the Almighty not by his name, but by other names. For example, someone says that Buddha and Krishna are also names of God. But this is the same as calling Alexander Eugene. Therefore, the Lord will not like it if others give himname.
- Disgrace to the name of God, and blasphemy against him in what is dedicated to him, in what they do with the holy things of the Lord, with what he called holy. In the book of Leviticus there are the following words: “The Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy things of the children of Israel, so that they do not dishonor my holy name in what is dedicated to me.”
- Rejection of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, belittling his personality and role. Thus, the third commandment is violated, since the name of God with which he revealed himself to the world as a Savior is rejected.
Why is keeping the third commandment important?
The name of the Lord is a reflection of his essence, it is inseparable from him. When it is used in vain, it can be seen as devaluing it, thereby showing disrespect to the Lord himself.
The Ps alter says that God is holy and his name is holy. Holy means meant for a special purpose. The Almighty is not compatible with vanity and sin. When the holy name is mentioned in vain, God is associated with sinful vanity.
And also the name of God is the access to his favors, blessings and grace. When a person uses it in vain, he thereby deprives himself of them.
