Exodus 20:7
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."
This commandment addresses the need to reverently treat God. The people were warned of the consequences of use God's name profanely or as an obscene language, and if they were to make oaths using God's name, this decision was not to be trifled or used rampantly.
In the days of Moses, God had decreed the sacredness and sovereignty of His name and told the people "anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death." (Leviticus 24:16 )
Against the Honour of his Holy name, Jesus warns in Matthew 5:37 that the people of God are not to swear using his name, instead they are to let their "yes" be "yes" and "no" be "no". There was no need to be like the triad and invoke the name of god or proclaim "may the heavens strike me dead, if I didn't do as I say". I recall petty days as a child when we childishly "swore and crossed our hearts" for issues that we had stated and others simply didn't believe. Those truely were simple-minded days of innocence, but now I know better.
Weirdly, in today's context very few of us need to make oaths or administer promises under oaths. (except in a court of law). However, in the care-less environment that we live in, we fall guilty of treating the name of God irreverently.
How often have we seen characters in movies blaspheming in exclamation "Oh god!" or "Oh my god!" or even to have ourselves type in msn or in blogs the short form "OMG!". It may seem of little reason to make a fuss about it, afterall, with all that vulgarities spewing forth and coarse, crude language being used in our generation, what is a fuss over this short exclamation of shock that is accepted colloquially?
But even in what we consider the little things to us, it is before God a sin of blasphemy as we irreverently use His name. When we stand before Him when we die, there is no such excuse as "I didn't mean it", "it was a slip of the tongue" or "It was acceptable then."
Like it or not, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His standards, decrees and warnings to humans as we live are absolute and not subject to trends of time or evolution of time. So may we stay alert and embrace the statues of God clearly that we may not be deceived or sin ignorantly.
Blessings,
M.
'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:12)
03 August 2006
Blaspheme
Exodus 20:7
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."
This commandment addresses the need to reverently treat God. The people were warned of the consequences of use God's name profanely or as an obscene language, and if they were to make oaths using God's name, this decision was not to be trifled or used rampantly.
In the days of Moses, God had decreed the sacredness and sovereignty of His name and told the people "anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death." (Leviticus 24:16 )
Against the Honour of his Holy name, Jesus warns in Matthew 5:37 that the people of God are not to swear using his name, instead they are to let their "yes" be "yes" and "no" be "no". There was no need to be like the triad and invoke the name of god or proclaim "may the heavens strike me dead, if I didn't do as I say". I recall petty days as a child when we childishly "swore and crossed our hearts" for issues that we had stated and others simply didn't believe. Those truely were simple-minded days of innocence, but now I know better.
Weirdly, in today's context very few of us need to make oaths or administer promises under oaths. (except in a court of law). However, in the care-less environment that we live in, we fall guilty of treating the name of God irreverently.
How often have we seen characters in movies blaspheming in exclamation "Oh god!" or "Oh my god!" or even to have ourselves type in msn or in blogs the short form "OMG!". It may seem of little reason to make a fuss about it, afterall, with all that vulgarities spewing forth and coarse, crude language being used in our generation, what is a fuss over this short exclamation of shock that is accepted colloquially?
But even in what we consider the little things to us, it is before God a sin of blasphemy as we irreverently use His name. When we stand before Him when we die, there is no such excuse as "I didn't mean it", "it was a slip of the tongue" or "It was acceptable then."
Like it or not, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His standards, decrees and warnings to humans as we live are absolute and not subject to trends of time or evolution of time. So may we stay alert and embrace the statues of God clearly that we may not be deceived or sin ignorantly.
Blessings,
M.
'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:12)
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain."
This commandment addresses the need to reverently treat God. The people were warned of the consequences of use God's name profanely or as an obscene language, and if they were to make oaths using God's name, this decision was not to be trifled or used rampantly.
In the days of Moses, God had decreed the sacredness and sovereignty of His name and told the people "anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death." (Leviticus 24:16 )
Against the Honour of his Holy name, Jesus warns in Matthew 5:37 that the people of God are not to swear using his name, instead they are to let their "yes" be "yes" and "no" be "no". There was no need to be like the triad and invoke the name of god or proclaim "may the heavens strike me dead, if I didn't do as I say". I recall petty days as a child when we childishly "swore and crossed our hearts" for issues that we had stated and others simply didn't believe. Those truely were simple-minded days of innocence, but now I know better.
Weirdly, in today's context very few of us need to make oaths or administer promises under oaths. (except in a court of law). However, in the care-less environment that we live in, we fall guilty of treating the name of God irreverently.
How often have we seen characters in movies blaspheming in exclamation "Oh god!" or "Oh my god!" or even to have ourselves type in msn or in blogs the short form "OMG!". It may seem of little reason to make a fuss about it, afterall, with all that vulgarities spewing forth and coarse, crude language being used in our generation, what is a fuss over this short exclamation of shock that is accepted colloquially?
But even in what we consider the little things to us, it is before God a sin of blasphemy as we irreverently use His name. When we stand before Him when we die, there is no such excuse as "I didn't mean it", "it was a slip of the tongue" or "It was acceptable then."
Like it or not, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. His standards, decrees and warnings to humans as we live are absolute and not subject to trends of time or evolution of time. So may we stay alert and embrace the statues of God clearly that we may not be deceived or sin ignorantly.
Blessings,
M.
'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:12)
