A Serious Offense

When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be Your name.”

–Luke 11:2

God takes His name seriously because His name is His glory. His name describes His character. In Leviticus 24, a man got into a fight in the Israelite camp and “blasphemed the Name and cursed” (v. 11). The people who heard this brought the man to Moses. Notice God’s judgment against the man: “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then let all the congregation stone him. You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin. Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death’” (vv. 14–16). It was a severe offense to blaspheme God’s name!

You might be thinking, I’m glad I don’t serve a God who is so uptight and judgmental. I serve a God of grace and forgiveness. Do you think God has changed? Remember, His most holy name, Yahweh, means “to be.” God is eternal and unchanging, and His name is just as serious today as it was thirty-five hundred years ago. Consider this: When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, did He start with a request for world peace or for the hungry to be fed? No. Jesus said, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name’” (Luke 11:2). Jesus prayed for the holiness of God’s name to be realized.

As we discovered last week, the second commandment talks about worshiping the true God. We are not to diminish God by creating wrong ideas about Him. In the same way, the third commandment says we are not to diminish God by misusing His name.

Years ago, I subscribed to a magazine for writers. Companies often took out ads in the publication that asked writers not to misuse brand names and trademarks. For example, writers were warned against using the brand name Kleenex as a placeholder for any kind of facial tissue. Wouldn’t a company be happy that its brand had become part of everyday speech? No, in the company’s eyes, reducing its name to a generic term diminished the brand. A company might spend millions of dollars protecting its name and prosecuting those who misuse it. How much more seriously do you think God takes the misuse of His name?

When we use God’s name carelessly, we diminish His glory. It is a serious offense.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Third Commandment: Revere God’s Name” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2023.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.