3rd Commandment: Do Not Carry the Name in Vain

So we're going to look at now the third word. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. The most literal translation would be as follows. You will not carry. It's the Hebrew verb nasa, which means to pick up and carry. Okay. You will not carry the name of Yahweh your Elohim in vain. For Yahweh will not declare innocent the one who carries his name in vain. This whole thing is about God's name. Yeah. In the Hebrew Bible, God's name is spelled with four Hebrew letters. And the most ancient pronunciation that we're pretty sure we can recover of it would have been Yahweh. It means the one who is. Such a rad name. It's like the coolest name ever. It's a good name. The one who is. Yeah. So Yahweh's name is like the greatest name because he's the creator of all things. Now, here's something interesting. When God says he's going to guide the Israelites through the wilderness, God says, I'm going to send a messenger to go with you. It gets translated angel. And then God says, you know, you should be careful around that messenger. My name is in him. So how you treat him is how you treat me. So in other words, when God gives his name or attaches his name to others, it becomes a form of representation or a way that you encounter the God who is above and beyond. So when the priests go in and out of the tabernacle,

one of the special things that they wear is this chest plate with these gold settings in which are set 12 gemstones. On the gemstones are etched the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. And this is all symbolism, but this priest is a representative. When the priest goes in with those names etched on the stones, it's as if all of the people of those tribes are walking into the temple. So two times in Exodus chapter 28, that's called Aaron carrying their name before Yahweh. So what Aaron is to do for Israel, Israel is supposed to do with Yahweh's name to carry the name. It's a risky move to attach your name to something. Yeah, it's an intimate move. Yeah. And the risk is that Israel will carry the name of Yahweh in vain. It's the Hebrew word shav. It can refer to something that doesn't fulfill its purpose. Hmm. So for example, in Psalm 127, unless Yahweh is building a house, the people who build a house are building for shav, for no purpose. It won't actually succeed. Won't be what it's made to be. So God has attached his name to you for a purpose, to represent him. Yeah. So carry the name of Yahweh faithfully. So represent the character and the story of Yahweh with your whole life and being. And how are we supposed to do that? Well, that is what the rest of the Ten Commandments are all about.