God’s name is YHWH. He is the “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). His name is his identity; it describes His character. In the ancient world, names were not merely identifiers or labels. They were descriptive of character. God’s name is good (Ps. 52:9; 54:6). It is not to be taken for granted or invoked lightly. It isn’t to be something that one utters carelessly or with disregard. We are talking about a high holy and mighty person.

The third of the Ten Commandments seems simple at first read: we are not to take God’s name in vain. But the more we think about it, the deeper our reflections will become on what it means to honor God and cherish His name above all else. The commandment reads:

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

In the Hebrew the word “vain” means something like worthless, empty, or nothingness. In Jeremiah 18:15 it is used in the phrase “false gods.” In Jeremiah 2:30 it describes the wasted effort as ‘in vain’ is Judah struck. When we see that we are not to treat God’s name in vain, we are not to disregard it as having little value.

God’s name is YHWH. He is the “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). His name is his identity; it describes His character. In the ancient world, names were not merely identifiers or labels. They were descriptive of character. God’s name is good (Ps. 52:9; 54:6). It is not to be taken for granted or invoked lightly. It isn’t to be something that one utters carelessly or with disregard. We are talking about a high holy and mighty person. Just as we would never address a royal figure with slang terms, casually throw around their name, or give them a cutesy nickname, so also we show reverence for the name of God by upholding it and honoring it.

As John Currid writes, “When someone insincerely or thoughtlessly invokes God’s name, that person is proclaiming that God’s being, nature, and essence are worthless. On the positive side, the Third Commandment means that the Hebrews are to revere and honour the name of Yahweh.”[1]

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