Guard the Name – The Kingdom Curriculum VII (5)

Guard the Name

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain…” Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11

“And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death.” Leviticus 24:15, 16

Honor the integrity of God’s Name.

It falls to all those who take the Name of the Lord upon themselves to guard the honor of that Name at every opportunity.

In ancient Israel the death penalty was more common than it is today. Rather, it was prescribed for more offenses than today; probably it was only rarely practiced. We consider it “over the top” to kill someone for lying about God or misrepresenting His truth or character. That sounds so barbaric, so benighted. This is not the place to discuss the death penalty, only to observe that, in ancient Israel, when pagan cultures were always pressing on the people of God, and pagan practices–which could lead to immorality, human sacrifice, slavery, and worse–were forever seeking to entice the people away from God–in such times the purity, integrity, and honor of God had to be preserved at all costs. If someone could carelessly drag God’s Name down from its lofty place of glory and majesty, he could just as easily make room for some substitute, but false, deity, which could spell disaster for the nation.

So the community was put on notice not to tolerate blasphemy against the Name of God. We don’t kill folks for it, but blasphemy and taking the Name of the Lord in vain are just as wicked and dangerous today. If we know what’s good for us, we won’t belittle the character or misrepresent the Name of God. As we have opportunity, we need to correct one another for the casual use of God’s Name (“Oh, my God!”) or for talking as if God were somehow responsible for the trials and difficulties that come our way.

But we also have a responsibility toward our unbelieving neighbors. Patiently, and with grace, we take the Name of the Lord as He intends when we confront the frivolous or scurrilous use of God’s Name by those who have no part in Him. They may take offense at our objection, but, be sure of this, God will be honored.

Get your copy of The Law of God today, and begin making meditation in God’s Law part of your daily discipline. Go to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.