The 3rd Commandment - Bible Witness Media Ministry

(Continued from page 13)
God and His sphere of influence as God! So
when people make fun of the name of the
LORD, they are making fun of His existence,
His character, His reputation and His influence.
In other words, they are mocking God right
at His face!
Do you now see how grievous it is to break
the third commandment If you are guilty of
taking the name of the Lord in vain, repent
and warn your friends who likewise take His
The Te n Com m a n dments
you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have
cursed them already, because ye do not lay it
to heart” (Malachi 2:2).
Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, rallies God’s people to secure a good
name. In the book of Proverbs, he wrote, “A
good name is rather to be chosen than great
riches, and loving favour rather than silver and
gold” (Proverbs 22:1). In Ecclesiastes 7:1, he
wrote, “A good name is better than precious
ointment; and the day of death
than the day of one’s birth.” If
God is teaching His people to
do their best to preserve a good
name, this should make you think
how much more God treasures
His own name.
The prohibition of the
third commandment
The prohibition of the third
commandment is against using
the name of the Lord in vain. At
the outset, it may look simple.
But, it is not so. The coverage
of this prohibition is very
broad. Let no one think that
he is only guilty of breaking the
third commandment when he
says, “(Oh) my gosh!”, “(Oh) my
goodness”, “(Oh) my god”, “Jesus!”
or “for Christ’s sake”.
name in vain. Otherwise, you are in danger of
God’s wrath! Listen to the warning of the Lord,
“If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to
heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the
LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon
To follow this thought, it is
important to consider the
phrase “the name of the LORD”
and also the meaning of the word
“vain”. The word “vain” describes “anything
that is unsubstantial, unreal, worthless, either
materially or morally”. Since “the name of the
LORD” speaks of the person and the work of
God, any “unsubstantial, unreal, worthless”
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