Exodus 20:7
Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their mothers? These are some of the questions discussed in a book I read this summer, Freakonomics. One chapter in the book discussed names and has this story.
In 1958, a New York City father named Robert Lane decided to call his baby son Winner. The Lanes, who lived in a housing project in Harlem, already had several children, each with a fairly typical name. But this boy—well, Robert Lane apparently had a special feeling about him. Winner Lane: How could he fail with a name like that?
Three years later, the Lanes had another baby boy, their seventh and last child. For reasons that no one can quite pin down today, Robert decided to name this boy Loser. Robert wasn’t unhappy about the new baby; he just seemed to get a kick out of the name’s bookend effect. First a Winner, now a Loser. But if Winner Lane could hardly be expected to fail, could Loser Lane possibly succeed?
Loser Lane did in fact succeed. He went to prep school on a scholarship, graduated from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, and joined the New York Police Department, where he made detective and, eventually, sergeant. Although he never hid his name, many people were uncomfortable using it. To his police colleagues today, he is known as Lou.
And what of his brother? The most noteworthy achievement of Winner Lane, now in his late 40s, is the sheer length of his criminal record: more than 30 arrests for burglary, domestic violence, trespassing, resisting arrest, and other mayhem.
These days, Loser and Winner barely speak. The father who named them is no longer alive. Though he got his boys mixed up, did he have the right idea—is naming destiny? What kind of signal does a child’s name send to the world?
What’s in a name?
Despite the fact that parents spend a lot of time choosing names for their children, we are pretty casual about names.
Call me anything you want but don’t call me late for dinner.
Bob Dylan in his song, Serve Somebody, has this lyric:
You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
We are fairly loose and easy with the names we give to children, but names used to have a lot more meaning than they do today.
Abram, meaning exalted father, was changed to Abraham, father of many, when the covenant of circumcision was made.
Jacob, meaning cheat or deceiver, was changed to Israel, meaning struggles with God, after he wrestled with the angel of the Lord at Bethel.
But names still do matter. If you go to an office building and want to meet with the head of security for the building, will it be more effective to just ask to see the head of security or to know his name and ask to see Michael Smith?
Knowing a person’s name gives you better access to that person. And, when you meet and say, “Thank you Mr. Smith for seeing me,” and he says, “Call me Michael,” you know that he has invited you one step closer to his inner world.
Names give us access and they give us intimacy.
It is the name of God that is at the heart of the third commandment.
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
When Moses met God at the burning bush, he was given his assignment
So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.
And then Moses learned the name of God when he asked
“Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
I AM WHO I AM. This is the translation of the Hebrew on the bulletin cover. YHWH, four letters, which we pronounce, Yahweh.
Orthodox Jews consider the name of God to be so holy they do not allow it to be said. The name of God, YHWH, was pronounced just once a year by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement.
So you can understand perhaps the shocked reaction of the Pharisees when Jesus told them
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” [using YHWH, the holy name of God] 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Jesus spoke the name they dared not speak and he claimed it for himself! Is it any wonder that they reacted so strongly?
But the third commandment does not tell us not to pronounce the name of God; it tells us not to misuse the name of God.
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
The name of God, YHWH, is found almost 7,000 times in the Old Testament. This seems to say we should use the name of God. We are to use but not misuse his name.
To help deepen our understanding of God’s name, let me point out the holiness of God’s name, the power in God’s name and then the grace and love in the revelation of God’s name.
The reason we are not to misuse the name of God is because his name is holy. It is not just God who is holy but his name is holy. We tend to view a person and his/her name as separate but the name of God is part of God. To use the name of God is to tread on holy ground.
When Moses met God at the burning bush and he learned the name of God, he was introduced to the holiness of God
Exodus 3:5
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
This is one of my great frustrations in preaching, trying to help myself and all of us to see the greatness and majesty of God and to see that when we come to him we are standing on holy ground. I pray for the presence of God to be so powerfully experienced by us that we will remove our shoes and stand on holy ground.
When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he gave them an intimate name of God, Our Father, and then added, hallowed be your name.
To hallow something is to consecrate it or to set it apart for a sacred purpose. A battlefield might be hallowed in honor of all those who lost their lives in that place. Those who go to Normandy, on the coast of France, where thousands lost their lives on D-day in WWII do not go to play soccer on the field. They walk solemnly along the rows of crosses. They gaze down at the beaches where so many young lives were ended prematurely. It is a place honored and held sacred. It is not a place to build an amusement park.
The name of God is given to us and we are reminded that it is hallowed. It is a sacred name, not to be used casually, flippantly, indifferently. It is a name given to us to be used with honor and respect.
The name of God is holy and there is power in God’s name.
When God sent Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, he did not send him without any resources. Demonstrations of the power of God were given to Moses until the hand of Pharaoh was forced and he permitted Israel to leave. When they were pursued by Pharaoh’s army, the power of God destroyed them.
YHWH, I AM, whom Moses met at the burning bush is a holy and powerful God.
When Jesus, God in the flesh, healed and cast out demons his power was revealed. But then his disciples began also to heal and cast out demons and in the book of Acts it is not Jesus himself but those who use his name who build the church.
At Pentecost in the first sermon of the church the people asked what they needed to do to be saved and Peter replied (Acts 2:38)
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When Peter and John met the lame beggar at the gate called Beautiful (Acts 3:6)
Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
When the Sanhedrin challenged Peter & John for what they did, they asked them (Acts 4:7)
By what power or what name did you do this?
They recognized the supernatural power in the miracle of healing and discovered to their dismay that it was the name of Jesus, whom they had crucified, that was healing people.
Jesus told his disciples in John 16
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
In the name of Jesus demons are controlled and cast out. In the name of Jesus people are healed. In the name of Jesus people come to new life.
There is power in the name of Jesus.
The name of God is holy, there is power in the name of God and in the revelation of his name, God showed his grace and mercy.
I talked about the access and intimacy that comes from the revelation of a name. Michael Smith tells me who heads security in the building and when Mr. Smith tells me to call him Michael, he introduces me into a more intimate circle of those who know him.
When Abraham spoke with God, he did not speak to an unknown god. God revealed himself to Abraham as YHWH. Abraham had access to God because God had revealed to him his name. And God then demonstrated his desire for intimacy by initiating covenants with Abraham. From the beginning, God revealed himself as one who would pursue us, reach down to us, make himself accessible and pull us into an intimate relationship with him.
God revealed himself this way to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He continued with Moses and Joshua and all the way down through history with his greatest revelation in Jesus. God continues to reveal himself to us today. The grace and mercy of God is abundantly shown by the way he reveals himself to us.
God did not distance himself from his creation. But in revealing his name, he gave us access to himself and revealed that he desires to be in intimate contact with us. This is such a great privilege. The creator of all that is seen and unseen, who preexisted all that is seen has revealed himself and given us his name.
We ought to be awestruck by this. At the very least, we are not to misuse the name of God because his name is holy.
How do we misuse the name of God?
We misuse the name of God when we trivialize his name. The first thing people think of when this commandment is read is how people will say, “God dammit!” or “Jesus Christ!” as ways of expressing anger or frustration.
It is interesting that people never say, “Winston Churchill dammit!” or “Madonna dammit!” Beneath the surface there is a cultural acknowledgment that God is the one who has power to damn.
It is really inappropriate for people to use the name of God to express anger that someone is not doing what they want them to do. But although people think first of using God’s name as a curse when they apply this commandment, this is not the real misuse. Using God’s name as a curse reveals that the person has no real understanding of the majesty, power and love of God. The force of this commandment is directed elsewhere.
A much more serious misuse of the name of God is when we use the name of God for our own selfish purposes.
When Jerusalem was threatened by Babylon, Jeremiah prophesied that God was judging Israel and using Babylon to accomplish his purposes. This was not a popular message and Jeremiah suffered because of his faithfulness. Other prophets, however, were content to give the politically correct prophecy and assured the leaders of Jerusalem that neither sword nor famine would come. This was a short-term benefit gained at the price of a longer-term loss.
Jeremiah 14
Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore, this is what the LORD says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine.
These false prophets used the name of God for their own selfish agenda and paid the price for it with their death.
Politicians, particularly in the US, end their speeches with “God bless you,” using the name of God to promote themselves with the many Americans who look for expressions of faith in God from their political leaders.
There is nothing wrong with this, unless the name of God is being used for a political agenda. If it is meant and the politician genuinely wishes God’s blessing on people, then it is appropriate. I end most of my emails with God be with you. I do this because it is my deepest wish for that person that they experience the presence of God with them and when I type that at the end of an email, most of the time I am very conscious of blessing that person. But when God is used to promote a political agenda, this commandment is being violated.
When I pray and at the end of my prayer I say, “I pray in the name of Jesus,” what does this mean?
Theologically, we pray to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit. But more is being said when I end my prayer with, in the name of Jesus. When I end my prayer this way, I am saying that this is a prayer I am praying in agreement with Jesus. I am saying that Jesus would pray this prayer.
What do you think about that?
We are using the name of Jesus when we pray this way and this should give us pause.
When I am at a meeting and someone asks me to pray and I do it because I have to but my heart is not really in it and I pray the words we are supposed to pray at such occasions, do I really want to use the name of Jesus and claim his agreement with my ceremonial prayer?
I often hear people pray with energy and conviction and something is claimed, and then the phrase is shouted, “In Jesus’ name!” The power of the name of Jesus is being pulled down to the request. Is the request worthy of such use of the name of Jesus?
In Jesus’ name! What am I praying for? Money for rent? Money to go to Spain? Clothes? A car? How sure are you when you pray like this that this is really God’s desire for you? Before you so easily pull in the name of Jesus to your prayer, you need to consider if that is really his answer for your situation. I know you think it is good to have what you pray for but when you pull in Jesus’s name, make sure it is not just your own selfish interest that is being served.
When I need something, I pray not so God will give me what I need but so I can release any worry and anxiety I have. God will provide for me what I need. This is his promise. I do not have to try to force his hand to act on my behalf.
Right now the church is facing a significant deficit at the end of our fiscal year, but I am reluctant to stand here and claim that the money will arrive, in Jesus’ name. God has not spoken to me asking me to have faith that he will act in this way and I will not presume on his part. We pray to release ourselves from worry and anxiety. It is highly presumptuous to pull in the name of God to get what I am so sure I want.
God will supply what we need. I do not want to use the name of Jesus as a magic word to get what I want.
It is far better for me to pray and end without praying in the name of Jesus than to dishonor God by using his name for my selfish purposes.
Another way we misuse the name of God is when we are careless or indifferent in worship.
When we sing hymns and songs or pray prayers, and we are indifferent, we misuse the name of God. I know for myself that there are many Sundays when my heart is not into worship. My mind is distracted. I am thinking of many things. And many times it is simply that too much of my faith is in my head and not in my heart. This is one of my big struggles in Christian faith.
I could be accused of being indifferent but I am really struggling and that is a big difference. To come to church and be indifferent as we sing To God be the glory great things he has done is an offense to God. If I am not praising God with this song, bored indifference is not the appropriate response. We have to work at it, even when our heart is not in it. Because of who God is, it is not an option for me to be indifferent. I must work and pray to open my heart to him. God has reached down to me, it is the least I can do to make efforts to open my heart to him.
The third commandment calls us to honor the name of God. There is an interesting example of this in I Kings
After Saul died, there was fighting between the men of Saul and the men of David. Abner had been commander of Saul’s army and set up a son of Saul as king. This provoked conflict with David who had been waiting for many years to be king. After one bitter battle, Abner’s forces were defeated and he fled. But he was pursued by Joab who was commander of David’s army. Finally at the end of the day, Abner and his surviving men were surrounded on the top of a hill and he called out.
“Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their brothers?”
Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued the pursuit of their brothers until morning.”
28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.
Do you see in this story the power of God’s name? This was a day in which men had seen their friends killed, their brothers, fathers, sons, cousins killed. The smell of blood and revenge were in the air but when Joab answered, As surely as God lives, it was over. The men came to a halt. They no longer pursued. They did not fight anymore.
To use the name of the Lord was a guarantee that what was said would happen.
It was not possible for Joab to say as surely as God lives and then when they let down their guard, go and kill them. To do so would be to dishonor God.
I call you today to honor God with your use of his name.
This is not a gentle suggestion, it is the third commandment that God etched in stone on Mt. Sinai. And it carries a penalty reminder with it.
You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
This last phrase is an expression in which less is said but much more is intended. It is like someone standing in front of you and saying, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
What this phrase means is that God will condemn those who misuse his name.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Judgement awaits those who misuse the name of God.
Does this seem too severe for you? If so, you need to have a deeper experience and understanding of the holiness of God. Misusing God’s name is a great sin and a direct attack on his honor and glory.
Think about what you pray. Don’t fall into patterns of prayer you learned somewhere. Think! Don’t presume.
A more literal translation of the third commandment says, You shall not lift up the name of the Lord your God for nothingness.
When you lift up the name of Jesus, make sure you are lifting up his name for something that is worthy of his name.
