Exodus 20:6-7

[God said:] “I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”

The word commandment sounds demanding and perhaps even harsh, so we need to be clear that God’s motivation was lavish unfailing love. When I think back to my childhood, I recall that my father had some very clear principles. The most major among them was showing respect to my mother, and if I said or did anything that suggested less, I would know about it quickly! There is absolutely no question that his reaction was based upon love for my mother and also for me, although it could seem and feel quite harsh at the time. In a similar way, God insists that His name must be given absolute respect, and the penalties for showing disrespect would be very severe.

Some devout Jews have taken this commandment to mean that we shouldn’t use the word God at all, but I don’t agree with that. What matters is that we use the name of God with ultimate respect. This is difficult in a society which constantly makes jokes about God and frequently uses His name as an expletive. We won’t achieve anything helpful by lecturing the people around us and telling them how offensive we find their language. I believe our best approach is to ensure that we always use the name of God with care and respect. I like to take every opportunity to say to people: “God bless you” in the hope that they might see how much God means to me. However brief the encounter, I have found that it is normally possible to use the greeting, even in a shop or at a petrol station check out!

Question

In what ways might you be able to help the people around you to see how much God means to you?

Prayer

Lord God, help me always to speak Your name with love and respect, and to encourage others to do the same. Amen