Sermon by Rev. Ray Silverman

Lesson: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord shall not hold him guiltless which takes His name in vain.

Sermon: In the book of Exodus, chapter 20, the Ten Commandments are given, not because man did not already know them – the essential truths have always been available to mankind – but because man tends to forget that these are Divine Commandments. They are given not just to help create conditions of harmonious living on earth, but rather to help us become the spiritual, heavenly beings we are intended to become. These commandments are not merely rules of civic life, given to bring about orderly and just dealings among people – though they do. They are not just good, sensible ideas – though they are. They are not just a comprehensive plan to regulate human activities in a just way – though they serve that function well. They are more, much more. They are the commandments of God Himself, given for our eternal protection, given for the development of our spiritual life, given for our eternal happiness.

It is noteworthy that these commandments are not numbered in the Word. They are never referred to by such names as the fifth commandment, or the eighth commandment. When Jesus was asked about the commandments, He combined them into two general categories. The first category was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. The second category was to love your neighbor as yourself. In a few places in the Word, these Divine Commandments are referred to as being ten, but their exact division, except into the two large categories, is never spelled out. Theologians and scholars have debated at great length as to whether the commandment against idol worship should stand alone, or be considered a part of the commandment to have no other gods. Originally, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutherans considered the worship of one God and the commandment against idolatry as comprising the whole of the first commandment. They also divided the commandment against coveting into two parts. The Church of England and other Protestant groups, however, reversed this, splitting the first commandment into two, and treating the commandment against coveting as a whole.

The important issue, however, is not so much how we divide or number the commandments, but rather, whether or not we keep them. We therefore might regard the grand opening to the Divine Commandments as a majestic prelude to all that follows: "I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the house of bondage. Worship Me, and none other. Do not worship any false images, but come to Me, the real God, the true God Who loves you with an everlasting love. I have brought you out of bondage. I love you as a mother loves an only child. I will never forsake you. I will never leave you comfortless. This is Who I am: Your heavenly Father, full of mercy and compassion, leading you like a tender shepherd, feeding you, healing you, continually filling you with inspiration and encouragement and hope. Keep your focus on me, the center and source of your being. Keep your focus upon Me and upon these words that I speak to you. Keep your focus on these, my commandments, for they are My presence with you, and in you. Keep these commandments. They are a divine blessing to you. They will enrich your life."

"O my children," our God says to each of us, "whatever you do, do not take these commandments in vain. They will teach you all about Me. Through keeping these commandments, you will come to know Me deeply, intimately. I shall come in to you, and you shall come in to Me, and we shall sup together. You will understand My great love for you. You will know how I yearn, unceasingly and continually, for your salvation. Please, I urge you, I entreat you, do not take My words in vain. Above all, do not take My name in vain. If you do, it will cause you great harm. I do not merely refer to the unfortunate habit of using holy names lightly, or jesting about things that are sacred. I’m not so very concerned about people who say, 'O my God,' to express surprise. I’m not so very concerned about people who utter my holy name, along with a damning curse, when they feel upset. I’m not so very concerned about people who invoke My name to lend authority to their utterances, saying, 'As God is my witness' or 'So help me, God.'

"But I am concerned about your neglect of all I want to give you. I feel like the father who gives his son a new bike, only to see it rust in the rain. That gift was taken, but not valued. It was regarded as an insignificant thing. It was taken, but taken in vain. It would have been better to have never taken the gift at all. Sometimes I feel like a mother who gave her daughter a beautiful dress, lovingly threaded together over many months, only to find that dress crumpled up and neglected in the back of a dark closet. Sometimes I feel like a friend who gave you a precious diary, full of intimate revelations of my inner life, and you never found time to read it. It just sat there amidst your other books, gathering dust on a brown shelf. All this can hurt. It always hurts to extend your love, to offer it as a gift, only to realize that it has been taken in vain. It hurts to see you reject that which would bring you so much joy. It hurts to see you hurt yourself.

"I came into the world, not as a bicycle or a dress or a diary, but I came as Myself. I offered Myself to the world. I came in the name of Jesus Christ, offering life and light to a world lost in darkness. I was not just a prophet, I was not just an enlightened rabbi, but I was who I am – your Lord, your Savior, your eternally loving Father, your Creator and Redeemer, all of which is contained in the name I gave Myself: the Lord Jesus Christ. I wanted you to know My true nature. I wanted you to understand that I am not a distant God, visiting punishments on those who do not worship Me. I am not a despot or a dictator, though many have seen Me in that way. Rather, I am your Lord, your Creator, full of tenderest mercy toward you. How else could I show this to you than by manifesting Myself to you, by dwelling with you, by opening My arms to you and saying, Come unto Me. I came unto My own, but they did not receive Me, but I continue to come, even now, to all who believe in My name, to all who do not take My name in vain. I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the house of bondage. I am giving My life to you. Do not take it in vain."

All this could be considered as a majestic prelude to the Divine Commandments. They begin by focusing our complete attention on the one and only object worthy of our worship, the Lord God of the universe. They promise us the rewards of eternal life, of heavenly blessedness, in proportion to our freely choosing to keep the commandments. They open us up to receive and experience the divine mercy which continually and forever flows in to all who will receive it, to thousands and thousands of generations. And then they reveal this infinite divine mercy in a human form, in the person of Jesus Christ. Above all, this is the name we are not to take in vain. This holiest of names is the sum and substance of all divine qualities. The apostle Paul writes, “At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,” and Jesus Himself said, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them. Whatever you shall ask in My name, that I will give. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (Matthew 18:20; John 14:13, 14)

Now some people believe that the name of the Lord has the power of a magical incantation. They cast out demons in the name of the Lord. They exorcize evil spirits, saying, “I rebuke you in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.” Non-Christians, and even some Christians, look on, wondering what is going on. When a preacher says, “Be healed in the name of Jesus Christ,” what is happening? Even the Hindus believe that the mere repetition of the name Krishna or Rama can be a means of salvation. Does the mere mention of the Lord’s name invoke His presence and power? Can demons be cast out and people healed through the use of the Lord’s name? Are we to believe in what seems more like an ancient superstition, a merely magical use of the Lord’s name? The ancient Israelites believed that a child could be protected from evil by placing the book of Leviticus, which frequently mentions the name of the Lord, in the child’s cradle. Is there some truth to this magical and mysterious use of the Lord’s name? Are we perhaps in danger of breaking this commandment if we don’t use His name more often, and invoke it more frequently? Are we like the boy whose bike is rusting in the rain, or the girl whose dress lies rumpled in the closet? Are we taking the Lord’s name in vain?

In this regard, Emanuel Swedenborg writes, “The term name stands for a person’s whole characteristic quality.” (Apocalypse Explained 959 et al.) The phrase “in the name of the Lord” refers therefore to the divine qualities of the Lord. What Swedenborg helps us see is that the Divine Love, the Divine Wisdom, and the Divine Power are all qualities of God. We are solemnly warned in this commandment not to take these divine qualities in vain. They are free gifts which the infinite God of the universe continually extends to us in the name of Jesus Christ. All these wondrous divine qualities, invisible at one time, are now visible in Jesus Christ. It is not so much the mere name of Jesus Christ that casts out demons but rather it is the Divine Love in Him and from Him that casts out hatred. It is not so much the mere name of Jesus Christ that heals us from our ills, but more deeply, the divine quality of forgiveness, flowing in from Him, that heals us of our spiritual infirmities, our bitterness, our resentment. It is true that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It is true that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He will be in the midst of them.

It is true that whatever we ask in His name, we shall receive. His name is Wonderful, Mighty, Everlasting. Indeed, it seems like a magical name, but now we can understand the mystery of His name. By His name, we mean all the divine qualities. By His name, we mean love, wisdom, and power. To call upon His name is to ask the Lord to give us His love, His wisdom, and His power. He wants us to ask, He yearns for us to ask. "Ask," He says, "and it will be given unto you." "Here," He says, "receive these gifts that I am about to give you. Receive the power to love, to forgive, to rise above insult and injury. Receive the power to return kindness for cruelty. These qualities are My own, but I yearn to impart them to you." The Lord asks nothing from us except our willingness to receive. As the apostle John said “As many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:12)

Let us not take the name of the Lord in vain. His divine qualities are being offered to each of us now. They are gifts, free for the taking. He wants us to take them, but not in vain. That is, He wants us to use these gifts. He wants us to go forward in His love, to go forward in His wisdom, to go forward in His power, to go forward as Christians, receiving and using the divine gifts He offers us in such abundance, to go forward in His name. "Receive these gifts," our Lord says to each of us. "Use them as if they were your own. Everything that pours forth from Me into you is called 'My name.' It is My presence with you and in you. Honor it, treasure it, and use it." This is our Lord’s continuous request. May our response forever be, "Yes, Lord, these gifts are sacred. Hallowed be Thy name."