Here is the commandment from Exodus 20, verse 7:
"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
The interested party then went on to abuse God's name as if it meant nothing to him. And the reason he did so was obvious: God's name meant nothing to him. I think the use of His name, and the actual attitude about God, go hand in hand. Perhaps this commandment was actually a cheat for us to use. We can measure, or discover where we stand with God by tracking the way we speak of Him. God knows our hearts, so He doesn't need the clues indicated by our speech patterns. The guilt of our blasphemy is clear if we listen to ourselves.
No, God is not hyper-sensitive about His name. Your spouse has the same standard God has. She knows what you really think of her by overhearing how you speak of her when her back is turned. You can tell what your boss has in mind for your future employment by listening to the inflection in his voice when he says "Dar-ren did that report." And you certainly know how your kids truly feel about you by the way they say "Daaaad", or "Moooom." We either use or misuse, showing either respect or contempt, in regards to every name we ever speak.
To misuse God's name is to expose your heart's idea. It reveals that if, unimaginably, you could get God in a small box, just how you would misuse Him.
By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?
By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?
Great post ... and so convicting. It's not just our words...
ReplyDeleteGreat post ... and so convicting. It's not just our words...
ReplyDelete