Taking Gods Name in Vain God is serious about His name. When He punished Israel for bringing idols out of Egypt, He justified His actions by saying, “But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations…” (Ezekiel 20:9). It has always been God’s desire that all humanity “be called by my name,” (Amos 9:12), and so He demands, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,” (Exodus 20:7). One of the symptoms of a society that is seriously sick is national irreverence. Today America is acting like an undisciplined adolescent, laughing at and crudely trampling down all the values established by God and reinforced by Calvary. We have lost all sense of awe. His name is no longer revered…even among His people. When we think of taking God’s name in vain, we naturally consider this to be a prohibition against cursing and profanity, and that is true. One’s absence of vocabulary and good sense is reflected in that kind of language. Man is now trying to dignify his vulgarity. “Profanity” has not become a college course in one of our largest universities, according to an article in Time magazine However, taking God’s name in vain involves much more than cursing. “Vain” means “empty,” “lifeless,” “lacking a sense of urgency.” Taking His name in vain suggests that one does not have a sense of urgency about God. The greatest sinning against the name of God is not done in the barrooms where it is dragged through the sewer, but in churches where the words of songs, prayers, and sermons are not really meant. We take God’s name in vain when we claim faith in God but never get excited about it. We take His name in vain when we call ourselves Christians and couldn’t care less if the world went to hell. We take His name in vain when we call Him “Lord,” but withhold ourselves from Him. We take His name in vain when our profession of faith makes no difference in the way we live. God said, “…if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked way, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin, and will heal their land,” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Gary Hundley
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 09:07:15 +0000
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