"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. [Exodus 20:7]

"the LORD will not leave him unpunished..."

The Third Commandment is about God's name, not His title. That is true, you are right in your interpretation of the commandment. However - there are lines that are crossed using His title that are inappropriate for anyone believing in Yahweh.

Many people today use the title of Yahweh - God, very lightly, and don't esteem Him that is behind it. It is not taking the Lord*s name in vain they say, because it is just His title. However it reveals an attitude of not understanding the majesty and glory of God, or worse - not caring. Being indifferent to how you present Yahweh's title to the world. You are making His title nothing - using it lightly as an offhanded remark.

"But I don't have to follow the Old testament rules any more!"

Do you really think God will take it lightly how you use His title? Do you really think He will let you present it to the world - as if it was nothing? Do you really think He's ok with us cursing and damning things arbitrarily using His title? It may not be breaking the third commandment - but is it right?

Matthew 12:36-37
But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."


The Third Commandment may have had a different meaning to the Jewish people than it has to us today. We are not surrounded by Canaanites who use the names of their gods in statements to give what ever they said authority. They were highly superstitious. Their prophets used the name of their gods in pronouncements all the time. The usage could be in a curse, hex, or even a blessing.

To pronounce something in the name of a god meant that people would listen and fear. They may have said, “In the name of Baal, there will be no rain for 40 days.” Or “In the name of Marduk, I say that you will win this battle.” This gave the prophet much power and authority.

But, as we know, there is no Baal or Marduk. Those gods couldn’t have made such pronouncements. Thus the words of the prophet had no authority and didn’t need to be praised or feared.

Yahweh will not let His glory and honor be trampled on

God was commanding the Israelites not to do the same thing. God instructed them not to use His name like the nations around them used the names of their gods. He did not want them to use His name falsely to invoke authority. This can be seen even today as the name Jesus means very little because of its constant misuse.

In essence, God didn’t want the Israelites to say that He’d said something that He, in fact, had not. This makes sense. God has a reputation to protect. He doesn’t want anyone saying, “Thus saith the Lord”, if the Lord has not spoken.

We’ve all experienced this. We’ve had someone say we said something we didn’t. This can be very damaging to our character and destructive to our reputation. Why? Because it makes us out to be something we’re not. How much more important is it for God to protect His character?

Application of the Third Commandment Today

What does this mean for us? Well, for starters we understand that the third commandment is focused on something more foundational than using Yahweh's title without esteem.

While some people may never think of using that phrase, people all over the Christian religious landscape are breaking the third commandment every day, damaging the Lord’s reputation:

“Thus saith the Lord…”
“God told me to tell you…”
“I have a word from the Lord…”
“God says that if you send in this much money, you will be blessed.”

I could go on and on, but you get the point.

If all one needed to do to keep the third commandment was to avoid saying certain socially unacceptable words or phrases, it would be the easiest of the Ten Commandments to keep!

Using the name of the Lord in vain is a serious matter. It damages His reputation and character through false and unsure claims. Before you say “God said…” make sure He really said it.

If you are unsure, make your statement reflect your uncertainty. Saying “I think God is telling you to…” rather than “God is telling you to…” may not be as authoritative, but it will keep God’s reputation safe and keep you from breaking the third commandment.

If I were Satan, I couldn’t think of a better way to trivialize such an important commandment.

As an aside, I think that this misunderstanding of the third commandment is both sad and tragic. If I were Satan, I couldn’t think of a better way to trivialize such an important commandment than to fool people into thinking it’s focus is on a phrase, misusing Yahweh's title.

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