Thou shalt not idly utter the name of Jehovah thy God; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that idly uttereth his name.
The third of the ten commandments turns from what Israel must not worship to how they must speak. No one may use God's name as if it were empty. With the two commands before it, this one guards the truth of who God is, and it ends with a warning: God will not treat the breaker as innocent.
What the Name Stands For
The commandments before this one deal with God's uniqueness and with images. This third one deals with His Name.
The third requires the hallowing of His Name — that which stands for what He really is as revealed. These three commandments guard the great primary truth on which all others rest, for faith and practice.
Israel could not see God. What they had of Him among them was His Name.
In the third place the name of the Lord is safeguarded. Though the LORD Himself was unseen, He had made His Name known. If they used His Name in an unworthy way, they would soon disregard His supreme place among them.
Oaths That Mean Nothing
"In vain" means emptied of weight. The clearest case is an oath sworn in God's name by a man who never intends to keep it.
An oath invoking God's name is a most serious matter. Elijah made such an oath to Obadiah, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand" (1 Kings 18:15), and he kept that oath. But men will often dare to use God's name when they do not even intend to keep their word. That is completely in vain, and it is gross evil… In fact, the Lord Jesus goes further than the law, by telling us, "Do not take an oath at all" (Matt. 5:33-37). By the time the Lord Jesus came, man had proved so untrustworthy that his promises about the future were worth nothing.
Once serious use decays, careless use follows.
A person may do this seriously or lightly. He may seriously swear by God that he will do a certain thing, and then not do it. People are so irresponsible that this becomes common. Then they use God's name lightly, and they no longer care how offensive their talk is.
Wider Than Bad Language
Profane speech is not the whole of it. The command also reaches the person who ties God's name to an idol.
To take His name in vain is not only saying it in vulgar oaths. Something else offends God just as much, if not more: tying His name to idols. The Egyptians did this. They gave one or more of the divine attributes to the sun, to the moon, and to each of their idols… Is this not the most offensive part of idolatry — giving the glory of God to another, and His praise to carved images? (See Isa. 42:8.)
Carrying a Name You Contradict
The same principle presses on anyone today who claims the Lord as his own. A confession of His name and a life of evil cannot stand side by side.
All who name the Name of the Lord must depart (or "withdraw") from iniquity. We must not link the Name of the Lord with evil in any form… In a day of confusion it is no longer enough that a person confesses the Lord. We must test his confession. The test is this: do we submit to the authority of the Lord by departing from iniquity? To remain in association with evil and name the Name of the Lord is to connect His Name with evil.
Not Held Guiltless
The verse carries its own penalty. Words are not a small matter. A profession with nothing behind it is what this command exposes.
Can anything be emptier, by its very nature, than professing God's name without constantly turning to His word and obeying His will? Even a human law has a penalty when it is broken… Can men who profess the true God forget how solemn an everlasting judgment is — a judgment not for godless deeds only, but for godless words? Can they act as if they were independent of God, as if their tongues or anything else were their own?
The One Who Never Emptied It
Only One kept this command perfectly — in His speech and in His vows.
Sadly, out of the heart of man, among other evils, comes profanity. The Father's name was always on our Lord's lips, but never in a light way. He taught and practised in absolute perfection that petition, "Hallowed be Your name."… But He could say, "I must perform my vows to you, O God" (Ps. 56:12). What vows they were! — to glorify God about sin; to seek and to save the lost; to lay the eternal foundations of redemption deep, firm and broad; to bring many to glory.
Summary
- The Name revealed. It stands for what God really is as He has made Himself known, so this command guards the truth all the others rest on.
- The Name emptied. Swearing by God with no intention of keeping your word empties His name. Careless, offensive talk is the next step down.
- The Name misattached. Tying His name or His attributes to idols gives His glory to another. That offends Him as much as any vulgar oath.
- The Name carried. Everyone who names the Lord faces one test: does he withdraw from evil? Staying with evil ties His Name to it.
- The Name hallowed. God will judge godless words as well as deeds. Only Christ kept the Father's name always on His lips, never lightly, and He paid every vow He made.