Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Mattersনমুনা

Name Command

I grew up thinking that “taking the Lord’s name in vain” was using “Jesus” or “God” as a swear word. At our house, even “gosh” or “holy cow” cost me a fat twenty-five cents. Both were too irreverent. “Cows aren’t holy!” my dad would say. And he was right, of course. Clearly, it’s even worse to use God’s name as a swear word—dishonoring God in any way is a serious matter. But after further study, I’m convinced that most of us have misunderstood the command about God’s name. 

Translated woodenly, this command reads, “You must not bear (or carry) the name of Yahweh, your God, in vain” (Exodus 20:7, author’s translation). This may seem to make little sense. After all, names aren’t lifted or carried—they’re spoken. Most interpreters conclude that something must be “assumed” in this statement—something that would have been obvious to the Israelites but is not so obvious to us. And most conclude that the missing something has to do with speaking God’s name, so that the command is prohibiting the spoken use of God’s name in some situation. 

However, Exodus itself contains a clue that can help us understand this command. The high priest is to wear twelve gemstones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel to indicate his role as their representative. He also wears a gold medallion on his forehead inscribed with Yahweh’s name, indicating he is God’s authorized representative to the nation. He literally “bears the names” of the people before God and God before the people (Exodus 28:29). 

When Israel first arrives at Mount Sinai, God calls them a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6 NIV). Israel’s vocation—the thing they were born to do—is to represent their God to the rest of humanity. They function in priestly ways, mediating between Yahweh and everyone else. This is why God warns the people not to bear His name in vain. 

Keeping this command, then, involves much more than not saying “Oh, my God!” when someone cuts you off on the freeway, or a disgruntled “Jesus Christ!” when your team misses a touchdown pass. Keeping the command not to bear Yahweh’s name in vain changes everything about how we live. God’s covenant people must see themselves as belonging to Him, representing Him to the world. To bear His name in vain would be to enter into this covenant relationship with Him but to live no differently than unbelievers.