The seventh commandment…
In Exodus 20, we find the Ten Commandments, which most people are familiar with. And in the seventh commandment, there’s something interesting…
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 NASB)
What does that verse actually mean? You’re not supposed to curse? That’s at least what I was taught in “Sunday school.” Well… yes… and no… because that answer is FAR from complete… What about:
You meet someone who’s struggling. You know they could really use help, and your response to their situation is the following:
I will pray to God to help you through this tough time, brother.
And let’s say… after that, you do nothing. Not only do you not really help him, you don’t give him bread, some money in his account, no… if you’re being honest… you don’t even pray for him. You said you would, but in reality, you do nothing. Oops… Recognizable? “I’ll pray to God for you.” Not only are you now the example of the following text:
If a brother or sister is naked and lacking daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? (James 2:15-16 NASB)
But you’ve also greatly misused God’s name. You’ve thrown God into the conversation without doing anything. Because that prayer you said you’d do… you didn’t. What do you think God thinks about you using His name in that sentence? To be honest, we often get the chills when someone quickly says, “We’ll pray for you!” If they actually do it, GREAT! We’re really happy about that. But we do hope they actually follow through… because otherwise, they’ve just misused God’s name. Oops…
Another example?
God has told me that you need to do X, Y, or Z.
God has told me that X, Y, or Z is going to happen.
Oh really? Are you SURE that God actually told you that? Are you absolutely certain? Jeremiah 14:14.
Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have not sent them, nor have I commanded them, nor have I spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own minds.” (Jeremiah 14:14 NASB)
That’s also an example of using God’s name in vain. They’re abusing God, His name, and the voice they supposedly hear… it wasn’t God’s voice, but “their own heart.” Oops… And yes, what Jeremiah said back then still applies today.
Last example? A really intense one:
We’re a missionary organization sharing the gospel with people, and we could use your help. (read: money)
Sounds good, right? Until you take a closer look at what they’re actually doing.
You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thornbushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? (Matthew 7:16 NASB)
And when you look at those “fruits,” you see that they’re no longer doing any missionary work. Nothing. Yes, they have wonderful(!) humanitarian goals, but mission work, as it’s clearly stated in Matthew 28:19-20:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB)
They’re not doing that. No teaching about who God is… nothing. The word “God” only appears in the brochure, but on the street, they’re not sharing His gospel. Not a word. Yes, only if it happens to come up by chance, but actively doing what Matthew 28:19-20 says? No… they’re just focused on humanitarian work(!). Nothing wrong with good humanitarian work, but not all humanitarian goals are missionary goals… Not only is God’s name being misused, but the sponsors are also being misled… because the spread of the gospel is no longer happening in practice.
And if you think a little further, you can probably come up with many more examples where God’s name is being misused for human and not divine purposes. In God’s name, a lot is said, lied about, invented, and we throw the word “God” in there, and it sounds very spiritual… Oops… That seventh commandment…? It goes far beyond “you shouldn’t curse”… FAR and FAR beyond… and God? Wow…
You shall not misuse My name. Anyone who misuses My name is guilty. I will punish him. (Exodus 20:7 NASB)
