The third commandment that God gave to Moses states that we are not to take the Name of the Lord our God in vain. The Hebrew word ‘naga’ means vain, empty or worthless. When God gave this commandment to Moses, the Children of Israel were surrounded by nations who were worshiping false gods.
Theses nations would call upon the names of these false gods to secure their blessings for themselves and others, or to pronounce a curse on their enemies.
God was telling Moses that the Children of Israel were not to use His Name, ‘Yahweh’, in this same manner. They were not to use His Holy Name for the wrong purposes or for selfish reasons.
Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.”
How many of us have experienced having someone say that we said something, or did something, which we did not say or do. This affects our reputation and makes us angry that people are now thinking that we would say or do such a thing.
Yahweh has strong feelings about His Holy Name. Yahweh is the God who created all things by the Word of His Power.
Isaiah 44:24 says, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone,”
Yahweh guards His Holy Name from all slander, and commands His children to do the same. When we speak the Name of God our Father, we are to do so in prayer and Praise.
His Name holds enough Power to create the energy behind the Universe, with all its stars and planets. His Name holds the Oceans back from overflowing the earth. His Name holds the Sun just the right distance from the earth, preventing us from being scorched or frozen to death. His Name brings the very breath to our lungs each day. His Name has declared the appointed day when each of us will draw our last breath and stand before Him to be judged for the things done in this body. His Name is powerful enough to create a New Heaven and a New Earth, after He casts Satan into the Lake of Fire for eternity. His Name is powerful enough to raise our bodies from the grave and clothe us with a glorified body like His.
The Name of Jesus Christ is as Powerful as the Name of Yahweh, because Yahweh manifested Himself in a body of flesh and called Himself by the Name of Jesus. Jesus is Yeshua in Greek and means ‘God Saves’, or ‘The Lord is salvation’.
II Corinthians 5:19 says, “that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
Colossians 1:15 says, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,”
Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
God manifested His power and glory in the flesh of Jesus Christ. Christ became the image of the invisible God, who is a Spirit and does not have a fleshly body like ours.
The Name of Jesus is above all names that can be named. There is a day when each of us will stand before Him, and whether saved or unsaved, we shall bow before Him and acknowledge that His Name is the Name of the One True God.
I have seen the power in the Name of Jesus, many times over the years of my life. I have seen demons flee at His Name. I have seen sickness and disease healed at His Name. I have seen provisions supplied in His Name. I have been delivered from danger and harm in His Name. His Name has saved me from an African jail, from a dozen thieves, from death by car accidents, from death by Malaria, and my youngest son from death by poisoning. His Name is powerful if we call upon it in sincerity with an obedient heart.
In a world where everyone is crying out for respect, we need to start by respecting and honoring the only Name whereby men must be saved, the Name of JESUS CHRIST! (Acts 4:12)
