Misusing the Name

I was recently listening through a sermon series by J.D. Greear (Senior Pastor at Summit Church Raleigh-Durham, NC).  The series was called "This is what the heart looks like," and it walked through the 10 Commandments.

The thing that I've been wrestling with the past several weeks, the one things that's been bouncing around in my head, concerns his teaching on Exodus 20:7, "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your GOD, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name."

It seems like a pretty straight-forward command but, as with all of the Ten Commandments, this commandment itself merely scratches the surface of what is required of us.  The core issue always comes back to the state of our hearts.

To misuse the name of the lord is often referred to as, "Taking the LORD's name in vain".  So what does that mean?  Most would say it is using the name of GOD or Jesus as a swear word, or an expression that is out of proper context.  This is part of what the commandment is talking about, but it goes well beyond this.  To misuse the name of the LORD encompasses our entire lives.  It is a reference to the very way we live.  In short, to misuse the name of the LORD is to misrepresent who GOD is and what He is all about.

Names in the Bible are a fascinating study.  They carry much more weight to the Jewish people and the early Christians than they carry for us today.  Our names are often determined by simple preference, but Biblical names were meaningful.  Sometimes they were prophetic (as in Jacob's case - Genesis 25:24-26), other times the were marks of the past (Samuel means "heard of GOD", as his mother, Hannah, cried out to the LORD to allow her to have a child - I Samuel 1:1-20), Abraham's name was changed by GOD as a mark of the covenant between the two (Genesis 17:1-8), and in the Colossians we meet Paul's companion Jesus who goes by the name Justus out of reverence for the name of Jesus Christ.  For the Jews, the Name of GOD was so revered that they wouldn't even speak it.

This is because a name is not simply what someone is called, but it represents who they are.  All of a persons identity is tied to their name.  In Proverbs 22:1 we are told, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."  A good name is to be esteemed, to be known for righteousness.  In Song of Songs 1:3 the beloved praises the Lover saying "your name is like perfume poured out.  No wonder the maidens love you!"  It is his NAME that she adores, not what he is called, but who he is.  This is the significance of a name.

Now, I don't think that our view of names today is troublesome in anyway, however I do think that it sometimes leads us into confusion of the significance of verses like Exodus 20:7 which pertain to the Name of GOD.

When we come to understand the importance placed on the very Name of GOD we then understand how this relates to the very essence of the creator of the universe throughout scripture (Psalm 113:2, Isaiah 24:15, Ezekiel 39:7, Acts 2:21, Matthew 6:9, among others).  We are called time and time again to lift up His Name, to make known His Name, to revere His Name.

As we have now seen, a name is a representation of character, so the "Name" of the LORD is entirely wrapped up in who he is.  It speaks to His characteristics, His nature, His power, His presence, and His glory.  It is impossible to separate who GOD is from his very name.  That can create problems for those of us who take on the moniker of "Christian".  For as Jesus Christ was, himself, GOD and Christian, meaning "little Christ", describes an imitation of the person of Christ, we are then proclaiming our allegiance to and our representation of who GOD is when we call ourselves "Christians".

This is where we all fall guilty of "misusing the name of the LORD".  We call ourselves by the name of Christ and then fall short of upholding His character.  In doing so, no matter how great or how small our misstep is, we present the world with a false advertisement of the nature of GOD.  When we seek our own fame and glory we deny the greatness of His name.  When we swear an oath on GOD that we do not keep, we take His name in vain.  When we attach GOD's name to anything it should be involved in we profain His majesty.  We we present to people a picture of GOD that is anything less than perfect, holy, powerful, loving and full of grace, we defame His character and misuse His name.

So am I capable of accomplishing this?  Can I live the rest of my life without misusing the name of the LORD?  NO!

The beauty here is that Jesus traded names with me.  He took on my detestable and utterly incurable name and gave me His guiltless name of redemption.  He accomplished through his blood the punishment that was promised to you and me in Exodus 20:7 - "...the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name."  Because I could never live up to the law Jesus Christ paid for my offense.

It's such an elementary truth and teaching, but one that we can never be reminded of too often.  And in light of this truth why would we present our GOD as anything less than who he truly is?  Why would we withhold the grace, mercy, truth, and love that is GOD our Father?

Speak the name of the LORD in truth today.