The 3 Commandment
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3. 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.
Speaking the Name. The prohibition of the third commandment involves, first of all, speaking the Name of God. God’s name must not be spoken without meaning or with deceitful intentions. There are basically three errors that lead to a misusing of the name of Yahweh:
1. The name is misused in sorcery. Sorcery attempts to use God’s name to summon His assistance, but for selfish ambitions: to drive out sicknesses, to neutralize enemies, to foretell the future. Such sorcerers were not to be tolerated (Deut.18: 10-14; cf. Matt.7; Acts 19:13-17). Sorcerers try to control divine forces in order to place life, death and the future within their own power.
2. The name is misused in false prophecy. False prophecy involves predictions which do not come in the name of the Lord, but pretend to (Deut.18: 22; 1 Kings 22:11; Jer.14: 15).
3. The name is misused in false oaths. False oaths involve using the name of God to pass off a lie as if it were true (Lev.19: 12).
Name and Revelation. The third commandment does not say, "you shall not misuse my name," but "the name of Yahweh, your God." Why the third person? The issue is one of misusing that precious name. But this commandment is not exhausted by an improper speaking of that name because the name can be abused without even mentioning it. Included within a person’s name is his whole being. Name, in the Bible, often refers not to what they were called, but to what they were (1 Kings 4:31; 1 Sam.18: 30; 2 Sam.19: 21). The opposite of honoring a name is cursing it. To curse, in Hebrew, is to declare someone a nonentity and despicable. The above example of Shimei demonstrates this.
We now understand God’s name to be His revelation in the works of creation and redemption (Ps.8: 1,9; Prov.17: 5). Yahweh made a name for Himself as Creator and as Redeemer of His people Israel. Precisely for that reason, He has made Himself known by the name YHWH. These four letters mean, "I am who I am" (Exod. 3:14) — that is, I exist as Saviour and Liberator, I make real what I say, I do what I have promised. This is demonstrated by the entirety of salvation (Ps.106: 8).
On this basis, the Lord may demand that people reverence His name. We are to give it glory, kabod, weight. The opposite would be to minimize the name of the Lord, to underestimate, despise and scorn that name. Lev.24: 10-23 unveils a story in which an Egyptian father blasphemes God’s name — not by merely saying it, but by dragging it through the mud. Whoever blasphemes shall be put to death (Lev.24: 16). God’s own people could blaspheme. The Israelites scorned God in the wilderness (Num.14: 11) and when they enjoyed plenty, they turned to other gods (Deut.31: 20). When this happens, the pagans have reason to blaspheme the God of Israel (2 Sam.12: 14; Ezek.36: 20-32). What constitutes the essence of cursing/blasphemy is when someone thinks, speaks & acts disparagingly in regard to God.
The Name of Jesus Christ. Christ ‘glorifies’ the Father. What kabod represents in the Old Testament, doxa represents in the New: the weight, greatness and honor due to the name of God. In Christ, the Father stands before us (John 14:9). We must take into consideration here, therefore, the name of Christ. Glory and honor are also due to Christ (John 1:14; Rev.5: 12-14). In addition to glorifying, we must also deal with blaspheming. A wicked lifestyle on the part of Christians can be the occasion for outsiders to blaspheme the word of God (Titus 2:5). Christ warned against a specific form of blasphemy, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. When Jesus healed a demon-possessed man, the Pharisees insisted with vehemence that this was the work of the Devil and then introduced the unforgivable sin (Matt.12: 31-32). The blasphemy against the spirit is willfully misunderstanding and branding as devilish what in fact comes from the Holy Spirit. What is clearly from the Holy Spirit, you ascribe to the devil. Heb.10: 26-31 indicates something similar. Again we see willfulness and self-conscious declaring what is holy to be unclean. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is directed against the work of the Son, both in Matthew 10 and in Hebrews 10. We can see how serious it is when the name of Jesus Christ is despised.
Modern Cursing. This is the form of cursing we find in expressions like, "my God," "Jesus," "to hell with you," "damn you," etc. This is generally different from the biblical examples. Modern profanity is not usually intended to be blasphemous. Yet it is still an echo of biblical cursing. People mention God without thinking about him. Cursing is not a self-conscious demonstration of unbelief, but a symptom of unbelief. It is only natural that they use God’s name without thinking. We should say, "Isn’t this the Creator of your very life whose name you use so lightly?" The vocabulary of the unbeliever exposes his emptiness. Swearing with God’s name is also becoming more common among Christians. We must regard it highly. Just as you wear an expensive article of clothing only for special occasions and you take care to keep it in good condition, in the same way we must use the name of God and of Christ.
Abusing God’s Name with a Show of Power. God’s name can be abused in different ways by different cultures. That was true of cursing. To what degree do the abuses of God’s name in sorcery, false prophecy and false oath exist today? Well you can have sorcery without sorcerers. Sorcery appears whenever we say that something is God’s will when in fact it is not. We use God’s name to lend force to our plans. People now have to follow us because we have God on our side. Sometimes this is accompanied by noble intentions. Crusades were organized under this slogan "It is God’s will." You must ask the question, are you communicating what God’s will or are you pressing your own will and using God’s name to accomplish your goal. Sometimes in prayers, people display a show of power pretending to have God in hand by their incessant use of God’s name. Jesus warned against excessive verbiage (Matt.6: 7). Reciting the "Our Father" fifteen times adds no force to your prayer. If you say God’s name to often by falling into repetition, you are not treating it reverently. This is different from false prophecy, which says, "Thus says the Lord," when in fact it isn’t.
The Oath: Meaning and Misuse. The forms of oath swearing have changed, but the substance is the same as in the Bible. The oath is swearing with appeal to the name of God, who serves as witness that a person is speaking the truth or intends to fulfill a vow. There is, therefore, a double application. We can swear an assertory oath in court, to confirm the truthfulness of our statements (I swear to the tell the truth, the whole truth . . .). And we can swear a promissory oath, a oath of office, obligating us to a careful exercise of our office or calling (e.g. presidents, members of parliament, judges, etc.).
This double use of the oath is highlighted by the Heidelberg Catechism (Lord’s Day 37). There are oaths which confirm ‘fidelity and truth’ and those of necessity. What is meant by necessity can be determined from Calvin and his distinction between public and private oaths. The public oath is one sworn before officials or superiors. The private oath is sworn by individuals before (an) other individual(s). Calvin provides this example: If a brother accuses you of some breach of faith and will not be persuaded by your arguments because of his thickheadedness, you may appeal to God’s judgment. Calvin points to Jacob and Laban (Gen.31: 53), to Boaz, who confirmed his intent to marry Ruth under oath (Ruth 3:13). Today, most oaths and contracts are regulated by legislation — they involve lawyers. Has the oath between private individuals fallen into disuse? Hopefully not. It can serve a positive purpose not only in the world, but also in the church, before the office-bearers (see Calvin’s example above).
Oaths serve a double purpose:the honor of God and well being of my neighbor. When we swear an oath by God’s name, we appeal to Him in order to end all counter argument (Heb.6: 16). God knows our hearts and is in position to punish falsehood. Swearing an oath then is an exercise of faith — no one can function as the verifier of our souls. We must take oaths in his name, for He is our God (Deut.10: 20-21). Swearing oaths also serve our neighbor. In a society where the oath is upheld, people recoil from lying and exercise their offices faithfully. Oath-bound physicians are committed to healing, as oath-bound officers are committed to the preservation of order in society. In court, witnesses are restrained from declaring the innocent guilty or vice versa.
We must consider also the consequences of misuses of the oath, i.e. perjury. This is a sacrilege of God’s name (Lev.19: 12). Even among pagans, perjury is a serious misdemeanor. Christians who swear oaths must realize that they always do that before God and that if they perjure they do so risking not only a prison term, but also the displeasure of God. That’s what the catechism rightly points out (Lord’s Day 37). We may not swear unnecessary oaths — those formulated to lend force to our words, "So help me God." The exceptional and serious character of oaths corresponds to the preciousness of God’s name.
Misunderstanding the Oath. Numerous sects and groups believe the Scriptures require us to do away with all oaths, among them the Hussites and Anabaptists. In so doing, they appeal both to Matthew 5:33-37 and James 5:12. Consider these four points:
1. Jesus did not nullify the law and the Prophets, meaning he did not nullify the upright use of oaths in the Old Testament;
2. Jesus permitted Himself to be placed under oath before Caiaphas (Matt.26: 63-64) and employed assertions which went beyond simple yes's and no's (e.g. ‘Truly, truly..." cf. Matt.5: 18, 26). The apostle Paul also summons God as his witness in a number of places, e.g. Rom.1: 9, 2 Cor.1: 23; 11:23. Hebrews 6:13-20 speaks of the oath used among people. Therefore, not every oath is forbidden.
3. Jesus is forbidding Jewish casuistry and superficial swearing in Matthew 5:33-37. People were using oaths in clever ways, not spiritual ones. To escape the tightness of swearing by the name of Yahweh, people swore ‘by heaven’ or ‘by Jerusalem’ or ‘by my head.’ Jesus and James were forbidding this kind of swearing. Do not swear at all in this way.
4. Anyone wishing to make Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 into a law code for the world will have to institute a different court system. It is interesting to note that the Anabaptists have done precisely this in their own ecclesiastical kingdom. This is surrendering realism for idealism. In paradise, no oaths would be necessary, but in a fallen world, people are confronted with the seriousness of what they are about to say (assertory oath) or of what they are about to do (promissory oath).
Taking Every Oath Seriously. Can your swear an oath by God’s name with someone who swears by the name of Allah? In the Scriptures, Isaac entered into covenant with Abimelech, king of the Philistines (Gen.26: 31). In Israel, it was impermissible to swear by anyone other than the true God. But this has become necessary in worldly relationships. We share everything with unbelievers — light, water, land, contracts, cities — these things must be regulated in common. And for that an oath is necessary. If one party swears by a false god, that’s his sin, but we may remind him of the declarations he made under oath to his god. In the church we may not tolerate sexually immoral people, but in the world we must live alongside them, even idol-worshippers (1 Cor.5: 9-11).
Difficulties with the Oath of Office.How can a Christian politician pledge fidelity to a Constitution that presents him with choices that go against his convictions (e.g. Sunday shopping or permission of sexual promiscuity)? Must we become Anabaptist? No, when someone swears an oath to uphold the constitution, he is not thereby declaring agreement at every point. If he were, no one would be able to swear an oath. Any number of laws lack unanimous consent. His oath does obligate him to respect the laws in place. He may employ all his efforts to change bad laws or introduce good ones, but he may not block the implementation of evil laws. A politician must vote against the selling of pornography in the stores, but he may not go into such stores and ‘clean them out.’ Difficulties in the oath of office become insurmountable only when laws compel participation in godlessness.
Dishonoring God’s Reputation.What value does God’s name have in our lives and in our relationships with others? Theologians can dishonor and blaspheme God’s name by the false doctrines they promote. Reformed theologians have always insisted that heresy is a transgression of the third commandment. But there is more. Orthodox conviction must be clothed with a Christian lifestyle preoccupied in giving glory to God. The degree to which we fall short here is two fold. The Heidelberg Catechism, in question 100, teaches that God is angry with those who, insofar as in the lies, do not oppose and forbid cursing and swearing. That’s obvious — He should expect His followers to defend His name. But often we are more afraid of our neighbor’s anger than God’s. Secondly, we fall short when we see those Scripture passages which speak of cursing in a holy manner (e.g. 1 Cor.16: 22; Gal.1: 8). This teaches us that God possesses a unique name and unique honor that must remain exalted, even when it leads to a sharp condemnation of enemies.
Abraham Kuyper once noted that the Scriptures rarely ask us to show our gratitude by doing something for God. Rather, the emphasis is always on being something for the Lord. Religion must not be reduced to morality. Obedience to the third commandment requires earnestness in our living. Whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we must do everything to the glory of God (1 Cor.10: 31).
Speaking is Silver, but Silence is Sometimes Golden. In contrast to blasphemy stands confessing God’s name. Nevertheless, there are times when silence is golden. There are inopportune times to defend God’s name (Prov.19: 7; cf. Matt.7: 6). Christ was silent before Pontius Pilate (Matt.26: 63; 27:14). The question should not be, will I be ridiculed? But, will the Word of God be damaged? Silence, therefore, can be a matter of prudence, but it can also be a matter of laziness. A silent Christian is no Christian. Speaking is silver, but silence is sometimes golden.
Dice and the Third Commandment.Formerly, our Reformed fathers argued against rolling dice in games on the basis of Proverbs 16:33 and the idea that lots were used for prayers and therefore that playing with dice involved ‘playing with God’ and violating fear and reverence for Him. The outcome in rolling dice proceeds only from God and immediately so (the notion of immediate providence is at work here). Three things can be said in response:
1. The rolling of the dice does not relate to immediate providence. It results from natural laws such that we would be able to predict the result of dice rolling if we were in a position to account for all the variables. Thus we are not ‘closer to God’ in a way that requires special fear and trembling.
2. The distinction between mediate and immediate providence representing a distinction between distance and nearness to God is dangerous. We should fear and revere God regardless of the manner of his providence.
3. God is involved in everything. Various doses of the incalculable and unpredictable provide the excitement needed for every healthy form of relaxation.
But What Then About Proverbs 16:33? ‘The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.’ We cannot equate casting lots with praying. We can see from Acts 1:24 that casting lots is not automatically a prayer, but through prayer it becomes a sacred act. Casting lots in itself, is not a sacred act. It is a normal occurrence just like thinking about what you are going to say (Prov.16:1,9), but even in normal occurrences, God is leading. The point is this: we must not disconnect even the very ordinary details of life from God’s providence.
Not the Third, but the Tenth Commandment. There is such a thing as a wrong use of risk in various games of chance (e.g. many forms of gambling), but that will be discussed in the tenth commandment.
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