In Vain

"In Vain" 

Are we being misled on the direction of the 3rd Commandment? 

“Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy Elohim in vain; for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” – Exodus 20:7

Let's look at other uses of "in vain":

• "And your strength shall be spent in vain " - Leviticus 26:20
  
• "For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose" - Isaiah 30:7
• "For thus saith Yahweh that created the heavens; Elohim himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am Yahweh; and there is none else.” - Isaiah 45:18
• "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.  But in vain  they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." - Matthew 15:8-9

 We can see by the further detail in these verses that “in vain” means: 

• “to no purpose" 
• Uselessly, Empty, Falsely 

Here are some of the Hebrew and Greek words used for “in vain”, as well as short definitions:

1. Strong's H7723 (shav') 
2. Strong's H7385 (riyq) 
3. Strong's H1892 (hebel)
4. Strong's H8414 (tohuw) 
5. Strong's G3155 (matēn)
   

• Emptiness/Emptiness of Speech 
• Falsehood  
• Fruitlessly
• Nothingness
• Vainly
• Worthlessness

Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines “Vain”:

• having no real value
• worthless
• marked by futility or ineffectualness 
• in an irreverent or blasphemous manner

Q:  After putting this all together, what are we directed to do in the 3rd Commandment? 

A:  The common interpretation is to not swear attaching “God” to it.  While refraining from vulgar language is spoken about in other verses, in this verse our Heavenly Father, Yahweh, is commanding us to: 

• Not make His name worthless, by ineffectually using emptiness of speech, and therefore showing a lack of reverence to His name. 

All throughout scripture we are told to know and call upon His name.  Could this commandment explain the very importance of proper usage, and the consequences of using meaningless substitutes?

Using the Holy name of YHWH (Yahweh) ensures that we don't strip it of its meaning and inspiration of our Almighty Creator.
 
Calling Yahweh “God” or “LORD” is like me calling you “Person”.  Yahweh commands to be called by His name, not by what He is or His TITLE.  You can call me Accountant, but to differentiate me from other Accountants, you call me by my name.

His divinity puts Him above all other gods and lords.  Using His name is giving Him the honor that He deserves.

Think about this:

Would our adversary, the devil, want us to know and use such a powerful name? 

A name that means, “I AM THAT I AM” and “Behold Hand Behold Nail”.  A name that Yahweh, in part, gave to His son “Yahshua”, which means “Yahweh is Salvation”. 

What lengths would the serpent go to in order to beguile us?

• Removing Yahweh’s name from early texts?
• Changing the commandment’s meanings?
• Convincing many that Yahweh’s commandments are no longer valid?

Certainly any of this, and more, is possible to come from Lucifer, who “is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) and will “think to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25).

PROTECT YOURSELF WITH KNOWLEDGE AND TRUTH!

 
(Note: I am not the owner of the included artwork and the owner/author is not identifiable.)