Exodus 20: Carrying God's Name with Integrity

Introduction

"You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain." Many people learned this commandment at school without really knowing what it meant. David, leader of Woodlands Church in Bristol, is continuing a Sunday evening series on the ten commandments, which he describes as "very foundational to our whole culture, our civilization."

As a child, he understood this third commandment in a simple way: don't swear, and don't use the name of God or of Jesus lightly. He keeps that sensitivity, especially for the name of Jesus. But he wants to go further and show what it truly means not to take the name of the Lord in vain.

His conviction comes down to one idea: we don't just speak God's name, we carry it. And "when we take his name upon us, his reputation is somewhat in our hands."

Message outline

1. The third commandment, more than a matter of bad language

The pastor reads the ten commandments as they are given in Exodus 20. They appear twice in the Old Testament, in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, almost identically.
He underlines the first sentence: "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Everything begins with God himself, before any rule.
In the United Kingdom, the name of Jesus has kept something sacred. It was a common first name in Jesus' time, and still is in some countries, but in our culture it is reserved for the one we worship.

2. Names matter: identity and reputation

"Names matter, don't they?" A father of five, David humorously describes how choosing a name gets harder with each birth, and how much it matters.
Some people wear a name on their back, like football fans with a player's shirt. Brands also say something about our identity and our choices.
In Hebrew thought, the name, shem, is closely tied to identity and reputation. We still say it today: wanting to "clear your name" means defending your reputation. God's name and his reputation are at the heart of this commandment.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, God's name is written with four letters, yod, heh, vav, heh. Its vowels are not known. It was almost too sacred to be written or spoken, probably something like "Yahweh." It is linked to God's self-revelation: "I AM WHO I AM."
Israel took this name so seriously that it was used with caution. The Gospel of Matthew, the most Jewish of the four, speaks of the "kingdom of heaven" where the others say "kingdom of God," so as not to be casual with God's name.

3. Carrying God's name, not just speaking it

The Hebrew verb in the commandment, nasa, means to lift up or carry. We could translate: "You shall not carry the name of Yahweh your God in vain."
In Exodus 28, the high priest entered the holy place carrying on himself the names of the tribes of Israel, to present them before God. In the same way, God's people carry his name.
"Our words and our choices, the way we worship, the things we do, the lifestyle we live say something about the God we claim to serve."
If your colleagues know you are a Christian, you carry his name at work. If your housemates know it, you carry it at university. As a student, David was the only Christian in a house of forty people: he felt that God's reputation rested a little on the way he lived.
He wonders how many people have been pushed away from God by the behavior of Christians, and mentions a recent conversation about certain scandals in the Catholic Church in America: "If that's Christians..."
The word translated "in vain," shav, means empty, futile, false, something that misses its goal. To carry God's name in vain is to claim it without reflecting his character, to make him say what he never said, or to use it as a tool for our own interests.
He asks everyone the question: have you ever given your behavior a divine mandate? Have you ever wanted to manipulate someone by telling them what God wanted for them? "It happens all the time in Christian contexts."

4. Not attaching God's authority to what he has not said

The first way to honor God's name: in our words, we refuse to attach his authority to something he has not said.
This is a challenge for a church like Woodlands, which wants to be prophetic, to listen to God and pass on what he reveals. How do we tell our imagination, our inner voices, from the voice of God?
His practice: hold these words lightly. "I think the Lord may be saying this, but I want you to test it, to weigh it." He does not impose it on the other person.
Yet some people do impose things on others, even saying "the Lord told me I'm going to marry you." Our desires are noisy and can seem as pressing as if they came from God.
One of his mentors used to say: "A word from God, a word of knowledge is sometimes like a whisper in your ear followed by a doubt." It is that subtle.
There are still words he can speak without hesitation, because they are consistent with God's character and with Scripture: "You are the beloved of God." He speaks to the one who feels like a failure, diminished, unworthy: "He loves you. He's for you. His mercy is more real than you yet know."

5. Let your yes be yes

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says: "Don't swear at all. [...] Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one" (Matthew 5).
If I have to swear on my honor or in God's name, David explains, it implies that usually I can't be entirely trusted. The oath reveals a flaw in my ordinary word. Jesus calls the devil a liar and the father of lies.
The second way to honor God's name: be truthful and keep your promises. He admits he is himself guilty of overpromising and underdelivering: "It's always better to underpromise and overdeliver than the other way round." His impulses are sincere, an offer of a coffee for example, but his ability to follow through is not always, and people are let down.
In an age when truth is becoming negotiable and under attack, when prominent people say false things without shame, deep truthfulness sets Christians apart. "We've got to fight for truth and be truth speakers," in our speech, in our writing and in what we say about others.

6. Not using sacred language to control or impress

The third way: refusing to use sacred language to control, impress or condemn others.
This can mean making yourself sound more spiritual than you are, describing your relationship with God in ways that are unreal. Or manipulating someone by telling them: "I think God's will for you is that you do this."
The more power we have over other people's lives, the more crushing this religious language can be. David says it plainly: it is often church leaders like him who are guilty of it.
He humorously quotes a little satirical dictionary of church jargon: "my ministry," what I want to do; "your ministry," what I want you to do. Let's not use spiritual language to get people to do what we want.

7. A conduct that agrees with your confession

The fourth way: "I want to live a life where my conduct agrees with my confession." He gives a humorous example of a Manchester United supporter wearing an Arsenal shirt: he would be wearing a name with no loyalty at all.
Saying you love Jesus while putting down a colleague, treating the opposite sex in utilitarian and casual ways, or staying centered on yourself is carrying his name in an empty way. For David this is serious: he thinks it could even touch the eternal destiny of other people.
The commandment sits within an honor: we have been given permission to carry the name of the Lord. The word "Christian" means follower of Christ, and he does not want to take that lightly either. God wants us to identify with him and to carry his Spirit wherever we go.
"It's like I've got my spiritual passport on me." Everywhere, we are ambassadors of the kingdom, in ordinary conversations and small acts of kindness.
He wears a cross around his neck that he received for his 21st birthday. Sometimes he has lived up to that cross, sometimes not. But he wants to carry this name with real integrity, and believes that if the church does so with the help of the Holy Spirit, society will be transformed.
Lived in the light of God, the ten commandments become not only laws but promises, and bring renewal to society. If we neglect these primal things, we will face the consequences.
He concludes: "Before we speak, let's ask, is this truly from God? Before we act, let's ask, what will this show others about him?" Then he prays for those going through spiritual weariness, from a verse of Isaiah 40 that a member of the team received for the evening: "Even the youths faint and get weary."

Key takeaways

The third commandment is not only about our swearing: the Hebrew verb means to carry. We carry God's name everywhere we go.
To carry this name in vain is to claim it without reflecting his character, to make him say what he has not said, or to use it for our own interests.
A prophetic word is shared with humility, letting the other person test it, never imposing it.
Let your yes be yes and your no be no: truthfulness and faithfulness to promises set the disciples of Jesus apart.
Carrying the name of Christ is an honor: your conduct is called to agree with your confession.

Personal application

Where are you carrying God's name this week: at work, at university, with family, among your neighbors? What do your choices say about the God you serve?
Have you ever said "God told me" to back up a personal desire or to convince someone?
Is there a promise you made and did not keep? What could you do so that your yes becomes a yes again?
In what area does your conduct not yet agree with your confession?
Before your next important word, could you ask yourself David's question: "Is this truly from God?"

Verses cited

Frequently asked questions

What does "taking the name of the Lord in vain" mean?

The Hebrew verb used means to lift up or carry. The commandment can therefore be understood this way: you shall not carry the name of Yahweh in vain. The word translated "in vain" evokes what is empty, false, what misses its goal. To carry this name in vain is to claim it without reflecting God's character, to make him say what he has not said, or to use it for our own interests.

Does the third commandment only forbid swearing?

No. As a child, David understood this commandment as a ban on swearing or using God's name lightly, and he keeps that sensitivity. But he shows that the commandment goes further: we carry God's name at work, at university, in our relationships, and the way we live says something about the God we claim to serve.

How can you share a prophetic word without misusing God's name?

David advises holding these words lightly: say "I think the Lord may be saying this," then invite the other person to test and weigh what is said, without imposing it. He reminds us that it is easy to confuse our own desires with the voice of the Holy Spirit, and that a word from God is sometimes like a whisper followed by a doubt.