Quick Note – Deuteronomy 5:11 – Don’t Take It in Vain

Deuteronomy 5:11 – 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.

Our passage today is the third command in the Ten Commandments.  Most of us have been taught that this commandment means that we should not swear or curse using God’s name.  We should not be saying things like “O God!” or “Jesus” when something bad happens like when we stub our toe.  We should not be ridiculing His name and treating it lightly.  And yes, that is true.  We shouldn’t be doing those things, because we should hold the name of our God in respect.  The Jewish people were so careful to avoid breaking this commandment that they wouldn’t even write the name of God completely, lest they write it incorrect; instead, when they write His name, they write it with letters missing – YHWH.  That is the esteem, regard, and respect we should hold the name of God with. 

But today, I don’t want us to focus on the simple part of swearing, but I want us to look at the verb that is used here in vs. 11.  It says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”  The word take means to accept, to lift, to carry, to grab.  When we take a name, we choose to put that name on ourselves and be recognized by it.  It is just like when a person takes a family name when they are married or adopted.  They choose to from then on out be associated with that name.  It means that the good and the bad, the righteous and the evil that they do will be linked with that name. 

So when we take on the name of God as Christians, followers of Christ, we are associating His name with how we act.  We are linking God’s name with the way we live.  That is why we shouldn’t take His name on lightly.  Don’t call yourself a Christian, if you are not going to live by His Word.  Don’t call yourself a Christian just to earn the favor of a girl you’re interested in; don’t call yourself a Christian just to build business relationships with those who go to church; don’t call yourself a Christian just to get out of hell.  You call yourself a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ, only after considering the cost.  The cost of following Christ is high.  It will come with persecution; it will come with denying yourself; it will come with choosing every day to make Him your Savior and Lord. 

We are told here that we should not take God’s name in vain.  We should not associate with His name lightly.  It is a serious thing to call yourself a Christian because it means that you are choosing to live in the way and manner that God wants you to.  So take that step seriously.  I am not trying to discourage you from becoming a Christian.  I am not trying to stop you from declaring your faith.  I am just pleading with you to take it seriously when you do.  It is not a joke.  It is a choice to live your life differently – to live it for God. 

Quick Note – Jeremiah 2:9-13 – A Bad Trade

Jeremiah 2:9-13 – “9 Therefore I still contend with you, declares the Lord, and with your children’s children I will contend. 10 For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing. 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. 12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, 13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

I have an obsession with games, not the typical video games that most guys play but board and card games.  I don’t mean Monopoly or Twister or Poker, but strategic games that are similar to Catan or Ticket to Ride (although I have never played those two classics but have played games that are more “advanced.”).  For card games though, I love playing trading card games/collectible card games.  These are games where you buy a pack of cards usually of 9 to 15 cards in hope that when you open the pack you will find a “rare” card.  Then you build decks and play against each other.  I love the strategy that comes with building decks and playing/piloting them, but I also love the surprise of opening and finding a rare card in one of those packs.  For those who still don’t know what I am talking about look up card games like Magic:  The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, or Pokemon, and you will know what I mean.  These games are not just toys but collectibles, because there is a trading aspect to it, where you buy, trade, and sell these “rare” cards.  I’m sure most of you can remember the Pokemon card fever that came in the late ‘90s.  People were buying pack after pack trying to get the rare Charizard card.  One copy of that card would sell for hundreds of dollars, and today, that card in mint condition can probably fetch thousands when placed in auction.  I never managed to get one, but one of my younger cousins did.  I think at the time he was under the age of ten, so he didn’t know what he actually had.  So one day, when he was at school, he traded his Charizard for three other Pokemon cards that he liked better but were not even close to them in value.  He was tricked and cheated but could do nothing about it, because he accepted that deal.  To this day, I think he regrets that naïve mistake.  He traded something of value for something that resulted in no profit.  You may wonder why I told you this story today.  It’s not to embarrass my cousin but to use his mistake as an illustration for our passage today in Jeremiah 2:9-13.  Specifically, I want us to focus on vs. 11b, “….But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.”

Our passage today is a rebuke that God had for His people Israel.  He was shocked to see that these people who He rescued out of captivity to Egypt, established in the Holy Land of Israel, and provided and protected, would abandon their worship of Him to worship idols.  He couldn’t believe that these people whom He constantly showed His love, mercy, and grace to would change Him for a false god of wood and stone.  In this passage, He told them to think about what they had done, to examine whether any other nation had ever traded their false gods for another set of gods.  If they wouldn’t do it out of fear and respect, why did the people of Israel who had the one true God, trade Him for a lie?  He just couldn’t understand their decision.  Rather than worship and treasure the God of glory, they traded Him for something that would bring about no profit or help to their lives.  They forsook the fountain of living water for a broken pot that could hold no water at all.  They made a bad trade.

Though these verses may not seem to apply to us when we first read them, when you take the time to meditate on them and place yourself into the shoes (or should I say sandals) of the Israelites, you will begin to ask yourself whether you are also trading God for something that brings about no profit.  Are you chasing after earthly pleasures and successes, like money, power, and fame, rather placing your treasures in heaven?  Are you putting anything in your life before your love for God?  Are you breaking the first commandment of the Ten Commandments and having any other gods before God, whether it be your family or your friends or your ministry?  Ask yourself, “Are you trading God for anything?”  If your answer is “Yes” then you are making a bad trade.  Stopwasting your time chasing after something that has no profit, and instead, set your heart on seeking after God.  He is the one thing that is worth more than anything else you can ever desire.  Don’t make a bad trade!