Reflections on God's Holy Name

Lent Day 11: Monday March 1

Theme for the Week: God’s Gift of the Ten Commandments

Passage for the Day:

Exodus 20:7

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

Reflection: For us 21^st century Christians, this may be one of the hardest commandments to follow. In movies, TV, internet communications and personal interactions, we seem to have adopted an “anything goes” attitude toward what is acceptable language. Swearing, along with other vulgar language, that would have shocked our parents and most likely gotten us disciplinary action in school, home or social activities is now heard routinely in almost every setting. God’s Holy Name is heard as a swear almost as frequently (if not more) than it is called out in worship. Because we hear God’s Name misused so frequently, it is so easy for us to slip, and use God’s name in a way that violates this commandment. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us will admit that, we have at some time slipped and used God’s Name wrongly.

An even more flagrant violation of this commandment is to use God’s Holy Name to support a lie or deception. In other words, a truly wrongful use of God’s name is to swear to the truth or validity of something, in God’s name, when we know that it is false or misleading.

For the ancients, God’s Name was God’s very essence. Perhaps if we thought of God’s Name as conveying God’s very being, we would be more careful in using this name. In Israelite tradition and in modern day Jewish tradition, the word that refers to God’s name (The Hebrew word meaning “I am who I am”—the name that God revealed to Moses) is never spoken, even in worship. This word is considered to be too holy to be uttered. Perhaps holding this holiness and sacredness of God’s name in our minds can help us to reconsider the ways in which we use God’s name.

Prayer Themes: Pray for all those who do not know God as the Holy One. Pray that careless and disrespectful use of God’s name might cease in our society. Pray that my love for God and reverence for God’s holiness might be reflected in my own use of God’s name.