Devotional - September 27, 2023
Scripture: Exodus 20:7 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
If I were to mention the name Michael Jordan or Maryl Streep, your mind would automatically start conjuring up certain images or thoughts specifically aligned with their names. If I said Stephen Schwarzman, most would say, "who...?" If I said he was the head CEO of Blackstone Investments, most would say, "that's nice..." Of the three people mentioned, the one who affects our lives the most is the third, because the investment group he heads is worth trillions of dollars. Yet, we know what we value, and we express the value of what we know, by what we say. In today's text God commands the Israelites to pay attention to how they use God's name. Afterall, everything God had done, God did for them (us). We learn from this command that God is listening. God is a Living God who is present. How else would God know what was said? But more importantly, how we use the Name says a lot about how we think toward God. Even how you unciate God's name during your prayers reveals your attitude toward God in that moment. In this command, God gives two names, LORD (YHWH) and God (Elohim). We could write books expounding on these two Names, but we'll keep it short. These two names are the names God uses when discussing creation and covenants. When discussing all that God had done in creating the cosmos (earth) and the formation of the people of God. All of which were and are done in accordance with God's will -past, present and future. Simply put, that is a lot, and should be seen and understood as such. Therefore, God deserves our utmost respect, especially when we consider what God has done through Jesus Christ. If they or we walk about misusing God's name what does that tell the world about our faith? To put it a different way, if we care about others, we honor their name. At times, we even defend it. The same holds true with God. Underneath the command we find another revelation about the human character, especially for the believer. We will be tempted to misuse God's name. We may normalize it by showing it has the same or less importance as anything else we discuss. Some use it as a swear word. I have never understood that with all the other colorful adjectives we have at our immediate disposal. Why swear using God's name? People say that swear words (four letter words) are inappropriate. They are "dirty words" and children might hear and start saying them too. But, using God's name in vain is okay? What does that say and teach children about our faith? I've heard pastors inevertantly use four letter words in the pulpit. Not good, ...a bit funny, ....yet not appropriate, but at least it's not God's name. The giving of this command lets us know that we will be tempted to trivialize the Name of God. One way to resist this temptation is to learn the Names of God. If you ever want to study the Names of God in the Bible, let me know. I recommend two small, short, books on the topic. The first is, Names of God by Nathan Stone, and the second is, The Names of God by Ken Hemphill. Though they are short, they are powerful due to the topic they cover. The first is a little more academic in it's approach. The second is a little more devotional in it's style of writing. I think it is sad that the Names of God are left unexplained in the church today. I put them in, but many others don't; many don't even know the Names themselves. Known or not, the command stands and it warns us to keep our relationship with God alive, personal, respectful, and informed.
Pray with me, ...Holy God we confess that we are tempted to let our relationship with You wane in comparison to other things. More than that Lord, we allow this waning to be expressed in our attitude and the way we talk about You. Our attention shifts to things that excite us or make us feel important. Yet, nothing compares to what You have done for us and what You continue to do. Lord, hear us, as we offer praise and thanksgiving to You for it. Hear us, O God, as we pray for our loved ones. Bless them in accordance with their needs. We continue to ask for Your blessing on our church so we can be the people You call us to be, in Jesus name, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
