God's name declares Who He is. And God's name declares what He does for His people. He is El Shaddai – LORD God Almighty. He is Jehovah Shalom -- the Lord is Peace. He is Jehovah Jireh – the LORD Will Provide, and He is Jehovah-Raah, the LORD My Shepherd. And of course, He is the great "I AM" – the eternal, self-existent, self-fulfilled, sovereign God who depends on no one and needs nothing. "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens." Psalm 8:1 (NKJV) Because God's name reveals His greatness and the essence of His character, His name stands for God Himself.
That's why the third commandment is much more than a prohibition against cursing. "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." Exodus 20:7 (NKJV) Every time we worship with our lips, but not our hearts, we misuse His name. Every time we think wrongly of God and misrepresent Him to others by the way we speak and act, we take His name in vain. Yet our gracious God is Jehovah Tsidkenu, the LORD Our Righteousness! In Christ, the law's condemnation is silenced, and its instruction embraced, and followed. Join us Sunday as we continue our look at the 10 Commandments, "Law of Love and Liberty."
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Steve Massey is the pastor of Hayden Bible Church of Hayden, Idaho. He also writes about matters of faith for The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Wash., where he previously worked as an editor and reporter. He and his wife, Pam, have two grown children, Jake and Sarah.
