CURSING,
SWEARING
@*! %&#$
USING THE LORD’S NAME IN VAIN
"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7 also Deuteronomy 5:11)
Do we really even need to discuss this? Everybody knows that this commandment can be basically translated into saying, "Don't Cuss!", “Don’t Swear!”, “Don’t use God’s Name in Vain!”
There are three words in Lev. 20:7 and Deut. 5:11 we need to concern ourselves with if we are to get the true meaning of what the Bible is saying. The first word is the word “TAKE” . The Hebrew word translated “take” is “naw-saw'” and it means; “bear, take, carry, regard" etc. The Hebrew word translated “Name” is “shame” and means; “renown, fame, famous, named." The third word is “Vain” translated from the Hebrew word “shawv” and means; “vanity, falsely, lying, emptiness, vanity, falsehood, nothingness."
On the basis of this let me paraphrase what God is saying: “Do not take, bear or carry the name, renown, or fame of the Lord your God vainly, falsely with emptiness.”
First, let me shock you by saying that I think that the issue may not be so much of what we say as much as it is in how we live. To lay a foundation for what I just said, What does it mean to say "in-vain"? If I read a story in the newspaper that says, "They searched the woods for the missing child in vain", I raise up words of failure. Of not accomplishing or doing the thing that was desired. So taking a "name in vain" may be some kind of failure, too.
When a woman marries a man she takes his name. She forsakes her parent's name, and takes her husband's name. The taking of the new name, reflected a change in life, and change in status and a change in priorities. She is no longer a single woman, she is a married woman. She no longer dates men, she is married to one. She is no longer the same woman, she is a changed woman. She is now responsible to her husband and to her family and that marriage relationship. If her lifestyle does not change from that day forward, she would have taken the man’s name, but not changed her lifestyle, she would have taken his name "in-vain". She would have had a new name but she would have taken it in vain.
If you take the name of God, and tell the world that you are
now part of the 'bride of Christ' as the church is called, yet you do not live
like a 'bride of Christ', you have taken His name in vain, and you will not be
considered guiltless. Live with Jesus as if you are committed to Him for life, not
as if He is a friend. A spouse is supposed to be an intimate friend, companion,
confidant, friend and a lifetime commitment. To treat Jesus as anything less
than that, is to take His name in vain. Ouch. Are you 'guilty as charged'?
Having said that let’s go back to what most of us have been taught that this verse means.
Using The Lord's Name In Vain
Under the Law of Moses it was made quite clear to the Israelite people that they were not to use Jehovah's name in vain. It was, in fact, made a part of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Ex.20:7; Deut.5:11).
Throughout the history of the Jews they were constantly reminded of this command (see Lev.18:21; 19:12; 20:3; 21:6; 22:2,32; Prov.30:9; Isaiah 52:5). Several examples of using the Lord's name in vain and the resulting punishment are found in the Old Testament.
We need to be reminded that it is just as sinful today as it was then to use His name in vain. Even so, God's people do use His name in vain. I have witnessed this being done by those claiming to be children of God. I have heard more than one professing Christian use the words "God d--n" I'll bet you have too.
It is sad indeed that those who profess to be Christians will use His name in a vain way. But why is this so? Many people do not know what it means to use the Lord's name in vain. Therefore, they use the Lord's name in vain and do not even realize it. So what does it mean to use the Lord's name in vain? The word vain means empty, void of any real value. To use the Lord's name in vain is to use the Lord's name in an empty way; in a way which has no real value. The only way using the Lord's name would not be without value is to use it for those things it was intended to be used for.
First, we are to use the Lord's name in worship. Worship is "courtesy or reverence paid to worth; hence, honor; respect...To perform acts of homage or adoration" (Webster). God's people love, honor, respect and adore our Heavenly Father. Expressions of this adoration are acts of worship.
The Lord's name is used in worship and it is to be the object of our worship. Notice we are to glorify His name: “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” (Rev.15:4) and "Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name.." (1 Chron.16:29; Psa.29:2; 96:8). We are to "bless his holy name" (Psa.103:1) and "..praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth.." (Psa.138:2).
We ought to "love the name of Jehovah" (cf.Isaiah 56:6).
Because our God is holy, righteous, loving, just, etc... the psalmist wrote,
"Holy and reverend is his name" (Psa.111:9). In our worship, whether by songs,
prayers, preaching, etc.., we are to praise and glorify the high and holy name
of Jehovah.
Whenever we use the Lord's name in these activities we are using the Lord's name in the way He intended for us to use it. However, whenever we use the Lord's name in other ways or for other things than these, then we are guilty of using the Lord's name in vain. Examples of how the Lord's name is used in vain is seen in the exclamatory speech people often use. (An exclamation is defined as, "a sharp utterance of strong feeling...A word of outcry; an interjection" -Webster.)
People use exclamatory speech when they are surprised with good or bad or at times when they are angry. Constantly, especially among younger groups, we hear "GOD!" or "JESUS!" used to express their strong feelings about something. GOD and JESUS are names to be used in worship and in teaching, not as exclamatory speech. We show disrespect for God when using His name in such a vain and worthless manner.
What does it mean to use God's name in vain? Simply, this means to misuse God's name in any fashion. It is not just directed against cursing, though that is one way in which His name is dishonored by people and is used in vain. What are some ways people take God's name in vain? There are many, but let us look at just a few.
The first way is when we profess God's name but do not live answerably to it. It means we live hypocritically. Thomas Watson said, "pretended holiness is merely double wickedness." Whenever we do not live up to the call of the Christian life, we take God's name in vain.
Secondly, when we use God's name in idle conversation we are vainly using His name; like telling a joke with God or Jesus in it. God is to be revered by us, not spoken of in a light and jesting manner. When we speak lightly of God we use His name in vain because God is not to be taken lightly by anyone.
Thirdly, when we swear by God's name falsely, we use it in vain. Whenever we make a promise and do not keep it, we are lying as a Christian and making a mockery of God's name. When we make an oath to God and do not keep it we use His name in vain.
Fourth, when we use our tongues in a way that dishonors God’s name we use His name in vain. This is when we curse and swear. It is when we say "O my God" or any such time when the Lord's name is used in an irreverent way.
For most, the ultimate violation of the third commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain;....” is to say “God d - - n it.” You can use just about every other word or phrase, no matter how bad, but when your vulgarity includes the utilization of this phrase, many would believe that you have crossed the line.
Some people will stand before God and when asked “Why should I
let you in to heaven?” will proudly say, “Because I did not murder, commit
adultery, and I never said “the G - D word.”
I believe we have this wrong. In fact, from a purely objective standpoint, When you use the God d--m words you are calling on God to damn something. What does the verb “damn” mean? The American Heritage Dictionary defines the verb ”to damn” as “the act of pronouncing an adverse judgement upon.”
To call upon God to damn something is in and of itself neither sinful nor unbiblical. In fact, you can find people throughout Scripture, especially in the Psalms, who call upon God to bring judgement on their enemies. In other words, they are asking for God to damn those who they feel are ripe for His judgement. In this sense, saying “God d - - n _____” is no more sinful than saying “God bless _____.” In both instances we are using God’s name in vain..
Some may say to me the reason why this is a violation of the third commandment is because people are using God’s name in a “vain,” “worthless,” or “empty” way. In this case, to say “G -D it!” is not the same as seriously calling upon God to damn something or someone.
But there are three major problems with this line of reasoning:
1) “God” is not the name of God, but a common phrase used to refer to deities in general. How can a generic classification be considered a formal name? It would be like you saying that my name is “person.” God gives His name to Moses in the book of Exodus. His name is Yahweh. Would you have the same offense if someone were to stub their toe and say “Yahweh damn it!”? I doubt that you would.
2) If the principle that we are going by is that we are not to use God’s name and not really mean it, then I believe that we are very inconsistent in what we take offense to as a culture. Why don’t people get offended when others say “God bless you?” Do you think that every time someone says this that they really mean it? Do you think that in their mind they are talking to God, beseeching on your behalf for a blessing? NO! They are using God’s name in vain.
I seriously doubt that that person actually said a prayer before he or she said “God bless you” If this is the case, then why is saying ”God bless you” not just as much a violation of the third commandment as saying “God d - - n you?”
Is it more biblical to ask for God’s kindness or judgment? I don’t think anyone who is honest with themselves can say that they are consistent in this regard. Saying “God d - - n it” and not meaning it should be just as bad as saying “God bless you” and not meaning it.
3) This is the most important so I have saved it for last. In
fact, if what I am about to say is true, then the first two don’t really make a
difference. The question is this: What does it mean to use God’s name in an
empty or vain way? What does the third commandment really mean? Go back and read
the meaning of the four words found in the verse in the third paragraph of this
lesson.
The nations to which the Israelites were going had many gods. They were highly superstitious. Their prophets would often use the name of their god in pronouncements. The usage could be in a curse, hex, or even a blessing. They would use the name of their god to give their statements, whatever they may be, authority.
To pronounce something in their own name would not have given their words much weight, but to pronounce something in the name of a god meant that people would listen and fear. They may have said, “In the name of Baal, there will be no rain for 40 days.” Or “In the name of Marduk, I say that you will win this battle.” This gave the prophet much power and authority. But, as we know, there is no Baal or Marduk. Since this is the case, they did not really make such pronouncement and therefore the words of the prophet had no authority and should neither have been praised or feared..
God was attempting to prevent the Israelites from doing the same thing. God was saying for them not to use His name like the nations used the names of their gods. He did not want them to use His name to invoke false authority behind pronouncements. In essence, God did not want the Israelites to say that He said something that He had not said. This makes sense.
What does this mean for us? Well, for starters we understand that the third commandment is certainly not focused on something so trivial as saying “G - D it!” The funny thing is that while some people may never think of using that phrase, people all over the world are breaking the third commandment every day, damaging the Lord’s reputation.
“God told me to tell you . . .” “God says that if you send in this much money, you will be blessed.” I could go on and on, but you get the point. Using the name of the Lord in vain means that you do damage to His reputation and character through false and unsure claims. I think that this misunderstanding of the third commandment is not only sad, but tragic. If I were Satan (and I am not ), I can’t think of a better way to trivialize such an important commandment and misrepresent the character of God than to make people focus its essence on the phrase ”God D--n it.”
Does this mean that I believe that we can now say this phrase and not worry about it? Absolutely not. I think that using this phrase in a vulgar way is offensive in any contexts. We don’t want to be offensive. It all comes back to being intentional with everything we say. It is offensive speech that must be used with wisdom and discretion.
The Vain Name
What is the real meaning of "taking the name of the Lord your
God in vain?" Are we guilty with some of our everyday language, or is there more
to it than that? When I first started in the ministry I had a habit of using
the words, “gosh” and “jeese”. A older pastor confronted me about it, told me I
was using words that were a substitute for God and Jesus.
Without any argument I believed what he was saying and cleaned up my speech, so
as to speak.
So, let’s look at the commandment again: "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Ex.20:7; Deut.5:11). The commandment says: "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain"
The first thing I notice here is that it says that we are not to use God’s Name in vain. It does not say that we are not to use words that are a substitute for God’s name. I personally do not like to hear people say "my god" or "by god" or just "god" in everyday conversation. But “God” is not the name we are told not to use in vain.
The Scripture says we are not to use God’s Name in vain. What is God’s name? There are many given in the Old Testament: Elohim - “the strong one”, El Shaddai: “God Almighty.” El Elyon: “The Most High God.”, El Olam: “The Everlasting God.”, Yahweh (YHWH) or modernly translated Jehovah: Adoni, - “Master or Lord.” These are just a few of the names of God found in the Old Testament.
One Commentary states concerning this verse, "This relates to invoking God's name in an oath and then not fulfilling this vow. It's clear that God expects Israel to use His name in oaths provided the people faithfully execute what has been promised." Then it makes a reference to Jeremiah 4:2 where it says, "And you will swear, 'As the Lord lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; then the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory."
Apparently the point that is being made here, and I've heard this before from a number of different sources, is that what this commandment is really about is making an oath and then keeping the oath. In other words, making a pledge in God's name and then keeping it. If you swear by God and then break the oath then you're defaming God's name in some fashion.
If taking God's name in vain means this then we're in big trouble. How is that different from the dozens of phrases that we use that use God's name? Things like “god-less”, “god-father” or “god-son”. What about “god-forsaken”, “god-send”, “god-fearing”, “god-speed”, “God help us”, or “God have mercy on us?” All of those are ways that we use the same word "god," and it seems to me that if saying "oh god" or "my god" or just "god" in our speech is using God's name in vain then why aren't all of these other things using God's name in vain.
Let’s go back to using the words “gosh”
and “Jeese.” Neither
one of these words are found in the Bible as a name for God. The word
“gosh” is
found in the dictionary and is an expression of excitement. If we cannot use the
word gosh then we should not use the word good. Look at them. Which word is more
like the word God? GOD, GOOD GOSH.
Remember Gomer Pile? He was always using the word “Golly” Do you remember the context in which he used it? It was always use when someone said or did something that surprised him. When they did he would say “golll-lly” Golly and Gosh are both expressions of excitement.
What about Jeeze? It depends on how you spell it but it is also found in the dictionary and is an expression of being annoyed or insulted, surprised or scared. How can anyone tie any of these words to the commandment "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7 also Deuteronomy 5:11) They are not the names of God nor are they substitutes for names for God.
People in the church today are hung up on a couple words and turn around and use dozens of words and phrases that are far worse than gosh or geeze. WHY? It goes back to Legalism, where someone made a law for them self and expect everyone else to keep it. Somewhere and at some time someone decided that these words were substitutes for names for God and that using them was a violation of the commandment. Then they decided that everyone who uses them are violating the commandment.
Let
me ask you a question What does "Suffering Sucatash"
mean?
In case you are too young to remember, “Suffering Sucatash” is an expression often used by the Looney Toons cartoon character Sylvester the Cat. This question was asked and here are some of the answers that were given. It is an illustration of how things get started:
ANSWERS:
It pretty much means the same thing as "oh boy" or "oh God." Other than Sylvester the Cat, this expression is rarely used. - Jacob
It means the same as goodness gracious, good heavens, heavens to betsy, mercy sakes, sakes alive, great scott, by gosh, by gum, and by golly. Just an interjection to express frustration, dismay, surprise, or distress. -Mike
There was a rejection of Profanity in the mid 1800's,
Victorian Age, so the common people developed a wide variety of malapropisms to
avoid swearing on Holy names. They were used for swearing and other types of
interjections. With time they came to have a mildly comedic effect.
People are not so concerned about blasphemy, nowadays. We have worse problems.
Crikey = 'Christ'
Cripes = 'Christ'
Jeez = 'Jesus'
Dangnabit = 'Damnation"
by gum = "by god"
by gosh =" by god"
by golly = "by the name of god"
jumping jehosaphat
suffering succotash = 'Suffering Savior' -Paul
It’s the same as saying "Cheese 'n' Rice "like religious
people who need an epithet but don't want to commit blasphemy. - John
Absolutely nothing. Which is what you are about to become!
Sorry, I just couldn't resist that quote. Mel Brooks rules!
My favorite euphemism: Holy chitlins! I first heard that one on Rugrats,
actually. If only the kids saying that knew what it actually meant... Andrew
You should probably avoid some of these expressions, if your
religious beliefs don't match up.
You are giving a mixed message, but I doubt it matters much. Using the actual
names of God or J.C. would be considered quite offensive in the wrong context to
the wrong person ...Rugger
I still like how in one Simpsons episode Principal Skinner, when annoyed, once uttered, "G.M. Chrysler!" (In another episode Homer bought a food product from the supermarket called "Cheezus n 'Rice".) Rick
All these explanations for the meaning of “Suffering Sucatash” No wonder we are confused everyone has their own answer.
Let me close by saying this, It is never right to use God’s name in vain, it is never right to use His name in an empty manner. It is never right to call yourself a Christian and then not live like one. If you find you have been guilty of this, perhaps without realizing it, then begin today to purify yourself and your speech.
"Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear" (Eph.4:29).