Thoughts
on Devotions – LD36
Q.
99
What is God's will for us in the third commandment? Q.
100
Is blasphemy of God's name by swearing and cursing really such
serious sin that God is angry also with those who do not do all they
can to help prevent it and forbid it?
In
J. V. Fesko's book, The
Rule of Love,
he makes the point that God's name is sacred. He also points out that
God is connected with his redemptive acts – God's people were
redeemed “so they could reflect the character of their covenant
Lord.” The third commandment, in its emphasis on God's character
and his Redemption, also points to the perfect righteousness of
Christ. Fesko makes the connection using verses such as Joel 2:32 -
“Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We
can violate the third commandment not just with words, but also
through our actions if, as Christians, we dishonor the name of the
Lord. DeYoung, in The
Good News We Almost Forgot,
notes that the OT outlines several actions that violated the third
commandment including, blasphemy, false oaths, false prophecy, when
priests did not follow the correct procedure for sacrifices and when
people either unlawfully touched holy things or put detestable things
in holy places. DeYoung also mentions “vain repetition” of God's
name in prayer (using his name “like a comma”) as misusing the
Lord's name. Joking about God or using other speech that uses God and
his name for amusement rather than addressing him in reverence also
violates this commandment.
New
English Translation of the Bible: Note on Exodus 3:14 a tn The verb
form used here is אֶהְיֶה
('ehyeh),
the Qal imperfect, first person common singular, of the verb הָיָה
(haya,
"to be"). It forms an excellent paronomasia with the name.
So when God used the verb to express his name, he used this form
saying, "I am." When his people refer to him as Yahweh,
which is the third person masculine singular form of the same verb,
they say "he is." Some commentators argue for a future
tense translation, "I will be who I will be," because the
verb has an active quality about it, and the Israelites lived in the
light of the promises for the future. They argue that "I am"
would be of little help to the Israelites in bondage. But a
translation of "I will be" does not effectively do much
more except restrict it to the future. The idea of the verb would
certainly indicate that God is not bound by time, and while he is
present ("I am") he will always be present, even in the
future, and so "I am" would embrace that as well (see also
Ruth 2:13; Ps 50:21; Hos 1:9). The Greek translation of the OT used a
participle to capture the idea, and several times in the Gospels
Jesus used the powerful "I am" with this significance
(e.g., John 8:58). The point is that Yahweh is sovereignly
independent of all creation and that his presence guarantees the
fulfillment of the covenant (cf. Isa 41:4; 42:6, 8; 43:10-11; 44:6;
45:5-7)....
Monday:
The
catechism starts with an explanation of what is forbidden in the
third commandment. Blasphemy (i.e., to make light of or insult God in
some way) or using his name to curse someone (to wish harm on
someone). False swearing (perjury) or unnecessary oaths (e. g.,
expressions such as “by God”). Profanity is using God's name as
though it is common, in swearing, but also in expressions such as
OMG! In the OT the punishment for misusing God's name was death.
Leviticus
19:12
You must not swear falsely in my name, so that you do not profane the
name of your God. I am the Lord.
Lev.
24:10-16
Now an Israelite womanʼs son whose father was an Egyptian went out
among the Israelites, and the Israelite womanʼs son and an Israelite
man had a fight in the camp. The Israelite womanʼs son misused the
Name and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. (Now his motherʼs
name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) So they
placed him in custody until they were able to make a clear legal
decision for themselves based on words from the mouth of the Lord.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses: “Bring the one who cursed outside the
camp, and all who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and
the whole congregation is to stone him to death. Moreover, you are to
tell the Israelites, ʻIf any man curses his God he will bear
responsibility for his sin, and one who misuses the name of the Lord
must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must surely stone
him, whether he is a foreigner or a native citizen; when he misuses
the Name he must be put to death.
Tuesday:
We
should use God's name only with reverence and awe. We should treat
God's name in the same way that we would treat God himself if we were
standing in his presence. In the Lord's Prayer Jesus teaches us to
“Hallow” God's name – treat it as special and holy.
Psalm
115:1
Not to us, O Lord, not to us! But to your name bring honor, for the
sake of your loyal love and faithfulness.
Wednesday:
God's
name is special because it stands for all he is. God revealed his
name because he wanted to have a relationship with his people. When
God “passed by” and showed his glory to Moses he proclaimed his
name because God's name stands for God himself. We should gently
correct people who are misusing God's name and make known to people
how great God is so that they will honor him.
Exodus
33:18-23
And Moses said, “Show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I
will make all my goodness pass before your face, and I will proclaim
the Lord by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be
gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” But he
added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live.”
The Lord said, “Here is a place by me; you will station yourself on
a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the
rock and will cover you with my hand while I pass by. Then I will
take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face must not be
seen.”
Exodus
34:5-7
The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and
proclaimed the Lord by name. The Lord passed by before him and
proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious
God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness,
keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty
unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing
with children and childrenʼs children, to the third and fourth
generation.”
Psalm
34:3
Magnify the Lord with me! Letʼs praise his name together!
Thursday:
We
use God's name properly when we confess publicly that we believe God
is who he says he is and when we confess Jesus' name and say that we
believe he is the Son of God sent by the Father to save us from our
sin. The apostles and disciples preached Jesus' even when the
authorities told them to stop.
Acts
4:1-4
While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the
commander of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
angry because they were teaching the people and announcing in Jesus
the resurrection of the dead. So they seized them and put them in
jail until the next day (for it was already evening). But many of
those who had listened to the message believed, and the number of the
men came to about five thousand.
Friday:
Prayer
is another way that God's name can be used properly. Scripture tells
us to call on the name of the Lord. Jesus taught us to pray “in his
name.” We recognize that prayers can come to God only through Jesus
and what he has done to bring us to his Father.
Psalm
116:4,13,17
I called on the name of the Lord, “Please Lord, rescue my life!”
I
will celebrate my deliverance, and call on the name of the Lord.
I
will present a thank offering to you, and call on the name of the
Lord.
John
14:13-14
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do
it.
Saturday:
Another
way to use God's name as he wants is to glorify him by what we say to
him. We bring honor to God's name when we live in a way that brings
honor to him and causes other people to praise him.
Psalm
145:1-2
I will extol you, my God, O king! I will praise your name
continually! Every day I will praise you! I will praise your name
continually!
Psalm
148:13
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty extends over the earth and sky.
Colossians
3:17
And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Reading
between the lines...
Thomas
Jefferson thought that by getting rid of the concept of Trinity would
make us better disciples. He is not alone; some Christians also think
this way, but it denies the very person and teaching of Jesus. It
denies the person of Jesus since he fundamentally is the Christ, the
Son of God. Both the gospels of Mark and John are structured around
the full name of Jesus as the Son of God, anointed by the Spirit, the
One eternally begotten of the Father. To know Jesus is to be
introduced to the Spirit and his Father. To know Jesus is to already
know the close bond – united in love – between the three persons
of the Trinity. The Trinity is the three persons of God united in
love (Adam and Eve are “one” united in love; the church is “one”
united in love). They are so “one” that they cannot be without
each other – they are so much one that they are “in” one
another. To understand the person of Jesus we must be Trinitarian,
but to understand the teaching of Jesus we must also be Trinitarian.
Scrivener likens the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6 to the threefold
name of God in the Trinity. In Matthew 28, Jesus basically proclaims
all believers as priests who can put God's name on the people of all
nations. Jefferson could not be more wrong – the Trinity is the
very heart of our faith.
Matthew
28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Numbers
6:24-27
“The Lord bless you and protect you; The Lord make his face to
shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his
countenance upon you and give you peace.”ʼ So they will put my
name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
Jesus
is the only one in the Bible who is referred to with this phrase. On
Pentecost (harvest time, i.e. thinking of fruit) Peter is telling the
crowds that Jesus is guaranteeing an abundant harvest of new life.
Peter invites people to be gathered into the harvest. At the start of
Pentecost there are 120 disciples waiting for what Jesus promised...
Peter explains what is happening to the crowd. Peter's quotation from
David in Psalms, points out David's prophetic role in proclaiming
Jesus as the promised Messiah. David's descendant was the first
fruits of resurrection – and on the basis of this first fruits the
world can now be grafted in to find new life, when before there was
only death. The “fruit of David's loins” had life enough for a
cosmic harvest.
Acts
2:30-31
So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him
with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, David by
foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he
was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay.
Psalm
16:10
You will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful
follower to see the Pit.
1
Cor. 15:20
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of
those who have fallen asleep.
We
typically use the phrase “cut to the heart” when we are betrayed
or insulted – but 3 times in Acts the Israelites are “cut to the
heart.” It is the preaching of the Apostles that is like a knife to
the chest. The first is Peter's sermon at Pentecost when he tells the
crowd that the Messiah that they killed was now God and Lord. They
were so disturbed by this that they exclaimed, “What shall we
do!?!” Should they hide? Should they hope that God forgets? Should
they make it up in some way? What could they do? Peter extraordinary
news – God not only wants to forgive, but to also give a gift –
the gift of the Spirit! We kill one family member, the Son – and he
gives us another family member, the Spirit. Peter says repent, change
your mind! Turn to Jesus. We used to think of Jesus as an
inconvenience, a swear word or a mere teacher – he is Lord and
Messiah, raised to rule at God's right hand. Jesus was baptised into
our kind of life; Peter now says that those listening must be
baptised into his kind of life. Inspite of our crimes we are given
God's son, we are given his Spirit and we are called home to his
family life. When we see this Gospel reality our hearts are not
simply cut, they are melted.
Acts
2:37
KJV Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and
said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren,
what shall we do?
Acts
5:33
KJV When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took
counsel to slay them.
Acts
7:54
KJV When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and
they gnashed on him with their teeth.
Acts
2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
“Damascus
road experience” refers to any dramatic conversion, but people will
have to wait for Christ's return to experience anything like what
Paul experienced. The Damascus road was not only the conversion of a
man, but the creation of an apostle. The qualification of an apostle
is to have met the risen Christ. Paul, a Pharisee, chief persecutor
of the early church – and of Jesus himself – is dramatically
called to service by Jesus. Jesus pities enemies and transforms them.
Saul is converted from one kind of suffering to another – he will
go against the “flow” in proclaiming Christ to the world. The
church's greatest enemy is turned to its greatest asset. The witness
of Paul is not diminished by his past, it is magnified. Paul can
preach a gracious Gospel – the grace of Jesus extends even to his
greatest enemies.
Acts
1:21-22
Thus one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time the
Lord Jesus associated with us, beginning from his baptism by John
until the day he was taken up from us - one of these must become a
witness of his resurrection together with us.”
Acts
26:16-18a
But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for
this reason, to designate you in advance as a servant and witness to
the things you have seen and to the things in which I will appear to
you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to
whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they turn from
darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God,
1
Tim. 1:15
This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: “Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners” - and I am the worst of
them!
After
Jesus was crucified and buried his followers were discouraged and
despondent. Yet shortly after they began to turn the world upside
down. The revolution occurred through the preaching of a reasoned
scriptural message. The message – about a King who dies for his
people and then is raised back to life – revolutionizes how people
think about things. Trusting the message changes how people respond –
though it is not this action that changes the world, it is the power
of the preaching of the good news that does it.
Acts
17:6
When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the
brothers before the city officials, screaming, “These people who
have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too,
How
do we teach the Gospel to a world that thinks so differently? Paul
used ideas already in the culture to further his Gospel proclamation.
He
reasoned with people in the marketplace, though to Athenian ears he
proclaimed a strange God. They were used to new ideas, yet Paul's
proclamation makes little sense to them. Paul uses the “unknown
god” inscription as acknowledgment that they lack this wisdom –
and he offers to fill in their lack of knowledge. He exposes their
theological inconsistencies and calls them to repent – based on the
fact of Christ's resurrection. The Gospel does not confront us as one
truth among many. Instead, it is the truth that measures all others.
1
Cor. 1:18
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Acts
17:22-23
So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see
that you are very religious in all respects. For as I went around and
observed closely your objects of worship, I even found an altar with
this inscription: ʻTo an unknown god.ʼ Therefore what you worship
without knowing it, this I proclaim to you.
Acts
17:28-31
For in him we live and move about and exist, as even some of your own
poets have said, ʻFor we too are his offspring.ʼ So since we are
Godʼs offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold or
silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination.
Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he
now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a
day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a
man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone by raising
him from the dead.”
Both
religious and secular people praise altruistic behavior as beneficial
to both the receiver and the giver – but true self-giving is
usually avoided. The Christ of the Gospel, however, is the
difference. He may tell us to give, but he is the ultimate giver and
determines that ultimate reality is one of self-giving. Since the
Lord is grace, self-giving is not a means to an end. It is the
essence of the blessed life. This is a gracious univers because it is
Christ's universe – to be blessed we must give.
Acts
20:35
By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we
must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he
himself said, ʻIt is more blessed to give than to receive.ʼ”
