Oh My #@%!

Have you ever heard people reprimanding their children, other Christians and even complete strangers for uttering the phrase O.M.G. and citing the "third commandment" not to take the name of the LORD in vain as their battle cry? A deeper look at this reveals that this command has much more meaning than simply using God's title as a curse word or at best in a casual manner.

Now, first off, I realize that some people find that and other such phrases extremely offensive, and the goal of this post is not to make light of that. It should be offensive when we flippantly refer to the Creator and Savior outside of the context of worship or study. However, that indignant response to the phrase often stems from years of indoctrination and not truly understanding what the commandment truly means and who it applies to. So, before taking offense, please read through to the end. I promise you there is a point!

First, let's examine the text in question:

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)

There are two main issues that should be addressed when examining and interpreting this Scripture...

1) Many people don't even know what name they are not supposed to be taking in vain.

His name is not GOD or LORD. There is a reason why those words are capitalized in the Bible and that is because they are a representation of a proper name. When you see the word LORD (all caps), it is the actual name of the Almighty, the Hebrew tetragrammaton - Yod Hey Vav Hey or (YHVH). The Hebrew alphabet is consonant-based and has only a marking system for vowels as a pronunciation guide. However, not all manuscripts contain these vowel markings, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the "Vav" is pronounced with a "W" or "U" sound, especially in Arabic derivatives of the language. This is where we get all of the variants of His name - Yehovah, Yahweh, Yahveh, Yahuwah, etc.

Due to Jewish persecution and anti-semitism, THE NAME, was made illegal to say or write, resulting in the substitution of titles and linguistic idioms to represent it. Other sources claim that the substitution of titles was due to not wanting the Holy name of God to become commonplace. There is little, if any, scriptural basis for that opinion, and much support for the idea that He wants to MAKE HIS NAME KNOWN.

When you see the word "Lord" (cap L only) it is typically the Hebrew word Adon/Adonai, which indeed means lord or master. This however is a title and not a proper name.

The word often translated "God" or "gods" is Elohim. It is a plural Hebrew word and yet appears to be used sometimes in the singular and sometimes in the plural form. This is a more generic term that refers to any of a variety of divine/heavenly beings including false gods/goddesses, angels, celestial bodies, etc. This can be a source of confusion when reconciling between monotheistic (one God) and polytheistic (multiple gods) religious beliefs. The best way I've heard it described is that YHVH ("God") is an elohim (or eloha singular), but no other elohim is YHVH ("God"). In other words He is the Elohim of Elohim. This understanding helps in discerning what all of the first three commandments are talking about.

2) We don't really understand what it means to "take His Name in vain"

The Hebrew word 'Nasa" translated as "take" has nothing to do with verbally saying something. This word has many definitions, some of which are: to take, to accept, to bear, to carry, to lift up,etc.

The Hebrew word "Shav" translated as "vain" means empty, worthless, falsely, to ruin or destroy.

SO LET'S PUT THE CONCEPT TOGETHER........

To take His Name in vain means to accept, bear or carry His Name in an empty, false or worthless manner. This COULD be a result of saying the dreaded OMG phrase, but really has more to do with our behavior. Let's look at a scriptural analogy and tie it in with the commandments.

Let's look at the tradition of marriage. Prior to being married, a woman has her "maiden name", the name of her earthly father. Traditionally, when she gets married, she TAKES the name of her husband. This is a sign of a life-long covenant. She is no longer under the authority of her father, but of her husband now. She puts away her old name, cleaves to her husband, and assumes his name. The two become one. (Modern society is doing away with this, encouraging ladies to hold on to their maiden names and their married names. Symbolically, this shows where we are at spiritually, wanting to hold on to the prior carnal things while trying to entertain the spiritual - "just in case things don't work out".)

At Mount Sinai, YHVH shouted down and then later wrote down the commandments, His marriage covenant with Israel. The Apostle Paul mentions numerous times in his letters that He is revealing the MYSTERY of the assembly of believers, and that mystery has to do with Christ (the Messiah) and the church (ekklesia). The called-out assembly of believers in Messiah are referred to as His Bride. Again, we see the same picture of a marriage covenant.

Once we recognize that God sees His commandments through this lens of a marriage covenant, the commandments start to truly take shape.....

1) Thou shalt have no other gods (elohim) before me (in my face)

2) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD (YHVH) thy God (Elohim) am a jealous God (el).

3) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;

When you get married, you commit to one person. You don't continue to hang out with your old boyfriend/girlfriend(s), you don't keep their pictures in your wallet/purse and you don't follow and interact with them on social media regularly.

He said, I am committing to you. You will be my people (bride) and I will be your God (husband). Because of this, I expect you to be faithful, not to flaunt other gods (elohim) in my face. Don't make images of them, don't bow down to them, don't worship them. They are not your husband, I am, and a JEALOUS one at that! As my bride, don't take my name upon you in an empty, worthless manner. Don't drag my name through the mud by whoring around with and worshiping other elohim.

In other words, we are to be separated unto Him, not mingling ourselves with the world's materialism, it's feel-good religion, traditions of men and pagan customs that glorify lying and other sinful behavior. This is just as hurtful as carving a statue out of a tree and worshiping it as a god.

In regards to non-believers who throw His name around in flippant and offensive manners, yes it is offensive. However, THEY ARE NOT HIS PEOPLE. They are not His bride. It does not surprise Him when lost people act like lost people. The commandment was given to His people, His bride to carry His name and his reputation well.

#10commandments #takinghisnameinvain #brideofchrist #jewishweddingtraditions