Matthew Nath – Author

(Author note: This is the very first column I had published, ever, but also in the Edgerton Enterprise specifically.  I share it here, hoping that I'm not violating any type of exclusivity thing with that paper.  If so, I will have to remove it, but you can see more of my columns in the paper!  I think they are publishing them every other week, at least for now...)

Exodus 20:7 – You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain

This is the fourth commandment.  A very, very familiar commandment.  Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.  I’m going to explain to you how this was defined when I was growing up and I’m curious if you identify with this.  This commandment is where God told his people not to swear.  You shouldn’t say things like “God damn it,” because that is calling on God’s name to literally damn something and you should never want to do that.  The rest of the curse words are the same and should never be used.  And if you never swear, then you will have followed God’s commandment.

Now I’m going to offer a recent explanation I heard from a bible scholar and I’m wondering how accurate this is.  To take the someone’s name means to call yourself a follower or disciple of that person.  So, to take the Lord’s name would be to call yourself a Christian.  When the commandment says not to do that in vain, what God meant was: “do not call yourself a follower of mine and do nothing with it.”  The people around you should know that you are a Christian based on your behavior and your demonstrations of faithfulness to God.  That means finding ways to show people patience and kindness and joy.  Sharing your life with others in fellowship with God.  And most importantly, at least to the Isrealites who were given this command, not living like the pagans, the unbelievers, around them.

And what’s great to me about the Bible is that neither of those are exclusive.  It could easily be understood correctly in both explanations. Both are relevant, both are useful, both are true.  I think we should try to bring more attention to the second explanation though. Not forget the first, but shift our focus as we teach our students and children about the second definition also.  Because, I don’t know about you, but one of those understandings seems more important than the other.  Yeah it’d be great if I don’t swear, but I think it’s more important that I am serious about what I’m doing when I call myself a Christian.  That I am intentional about what that means to me and use that identity to shape my decisions and behavior.  That’s all we are called to do; try.  Do some work, and try to follow.