Daily Reading
Daily Verse
"You shall not misuse
the name of the LORD your God,
for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless
who misuses his name."
Exodus 20:7
Daily Thought
The commandment says, "You shall not misuse the name of God."
I think I know what happened. Afraid to misuse God's name, the Hebrews stopped using it. Period.
God told Moses his name, and said, "This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation." No one remembers it. The Hebrews buried it.
Jesus tells a story of a landowner who gave three servants treasure to invest. Two did what they were asked, but the third, the one the landowner called wicked and lazy, buried it.
We have been given another name, God's name, the name above all names, the name of Jesus.
To not use is to misuse, as well.
To God's Glory,
Dave
Daily Prayer
Our God, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who delivered the nation of Israel from slavery, the God who saves us from bondage to sin, thank You for Your Son, Your only Son, Jesus Christ.
Your Name is the Name above all names. May we carry Your Name to this world, in what we say, in what we do. May our actions represent You well, so You will be praised.
In the Name of Jesus,
Amen
No, in respectful awe we do not repeat it aloud. We believe that all that a being is, is invested in their name. That name is not for us to use; it is for the one whose it is. 'I am that I am'. We refer to G-d reverentially in prayer, and have yet another name to refer to Him casually in conversation. Quite a difference from the surrounding culture who routinely take His Name in vain. Fear? No. Respectful awe? Absolutely!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your latest email so much that I got on here to write a comment about it. I was pretty much going to post the exact opposite of what Laurie posted (no offense). I have always heard the explanation for why the Israelites never used the name YHWH as being one of total reverence. Which, to be sure I understand the good intentions, but God revealed himself by that name in order to be known by that name.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the fact that the world uses His name in vain is indicative of the poor way that we as believers have given it to them.
I, too, understand Laurie's sentiment, and could sympathize with her, except I cannot then explain "This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation." Without a doubt, the world trivializes and profanes God's name, and it is natural for us, then, to want to protect it. How often, though, does God simply sigh and say, "Why can they not simply obey me." Even in worship, we insist on doing it our way, not His.
ReplyDelete