📖 Exodus 20:7 — The Third Commandment
“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.” (NKJV)
🪧 Commandment #3: Honoring the Name of God
🗣️ “Take the name… in vain”
• The Hebrew word for “take” is נָשָׂא (nasa), meaning to lift, carry, or bear.
• So this isn’t just about saying the name—it’s about how we carry God’s name in all we do.
• The word for “vain” is שָׁוְא (shav’), meaning empty, false, or worthless.
⚠️ Not Just About Cussing!
While using God’s name in profanity is certainly included (and wrong), this commandment goes far deeper:
❌ Using God’s name to justify false teaching
❌ Saying “God told me…” when He didn’t
❌ Making oaths or promises “in God’s name” and not keeping them
❌ Claiming to be His but living in contradiction to His will (see Titus 1:16)
❌ Calling out God’s name carelessly in sentences where it has no useful meaning
This command is about protecting the honor of God’s holy name in everything we say and do.
🔥 The Lord Will Not Hold Him Guiltless…
• This is one of the only commandments with a direct warning attached.
• God takes the misuse of His name seriously. It reflects on His character, His holiness, and His truth.
🙌 The name of God is not a casual thing—it is holy, set apart, and powerful.
📖 Cross-References
• Leviticus 19:12 — “You shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.”
• Ecclesiastes 5:2 — “Do not be rash with your mouth… for God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.”
• Matthew 6:9 — “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” – In this verse Jesus taught us the name of God is hallowed or holy. This is still completely relevant today under the New Covenant.
• Worship, doctrine, and Christian living all carry the weight of bearing His name rightly.
🙏 Application
• 🙅♀️ Don’t use “God” or “Jesus” flippantly or in frustration
• 🧑🏫 Don’t claim God’s authority for things He didn’t authorize
• 🙋♀️ If we wear the name “Christian,” we must live in a way that reflects His holiness
📌 Wearing God’s name means walking in His will.
This one has always been of particular meaning to me. I know that all the commandments are perfect and upright but when I think of using God’s name in a flip way I just plain get scared. Always have…
The Fourth Commandment
📖 Exodus 20:8–11 — The Fourth Commandment
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
🛑 Commandment #4: Remember the Sabbath Day
🔍 Verse 8 — “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
📌 “Remember” — not just mentally recall, but actively observe.
📖 The Sabbath was a set-apart day for God—holy, consecrated.
🔁 “Sabbath” = שַׁבָּת (Shabbat), from the verb meaning to cease, to rest.
• This was not just rest from work—it was rest unto the Lord. A spiritual rest.
• It connected them to creation (God rested) and to their identity as His people.
🔨 Verses 9–10 — “Six days you shall labor… but the seventh…”
👨👩👧 Everyone stopped working: men, women, servants, foreigners—even animals.
There was no social hierarchy on the Sabbath—everyone rested. 🌿
🌍 Verse 11 — Grounded in Creation
“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth…”
This is the only commandment tied directly to creation.
God didn’t need to rest—but He did, as an example, to establish a pattern for His people.
✨ The Sabbath was a reminder:
• That God is the Creator, not them
• That they are not slaves anymore (see Deu 5:15) And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
• That life is more than labor—it’s about relationship with God
🧱 The Sabbath was part of the Old Covenant, given specifically to Israel.
• Colossians 2:16–17 tells us the Sabbath was a shadow pointing to Christ:
“Let no one judge you… regarding a Sabbath… which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”
• Under the New Covenant, Christians are not bound to observe the Sabbath day, because we now live in the fullness of Christ.
🕊️ Our rest is now found in:
• Jesus Himself — “Come to Me… and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) 28Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
• The hope of eternal rest (Hebrews 4:9-11) 9There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
The Fifth Commandment
📖 Exodus 20:12 — The Fifth Commandment
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” (NKJV)
🧭 Commandment #5: Honor Your Father and Mother
💡 This is the first commandment with a promise attached—and it anchors the entire second half of the Ten Commandments (how we treat one another).
📖 The word “honor” is from the Hebrew כָּבֵד (kavod), which means:
• To give weight to
• To treat with seriousness, respect, or importance
So it’s not just about obedience—it’s about valuing and esteeming our parents as God-given authorities.
👪 What Does “Honor” Look Like?
🧒 For children:
• Obeying parents with respect and trust
👩🦰 For grown children:
• Speaking of them with kindness
• Caring for them when they’re aging
• Living in a way that reflects well on their teaching, if godly
📌 Even when parents are not godly or honorable in behavior, we can still speak and act with dignity, refusing to repay evil for evil (Romans 12:17).
Personal Note:
This one was especially hard for me. My parents were especially hard and did not teach me well. My father died when I was only 18 and my mom was a harsh woman that treated me quite badly throughout our relationship. It was very difficult when she came down with dementia to feel loving toward her but in the depth of my heart I knew it was right to take care of her and I did. I don’t say that to boast. I say it because I had a true knowledge that God wanted me to give her care despite herself and her ways. For me, it was not only kindness to her but to myself. I have nothing to regret now, nothing to ask forgiveness for later, and she has good care and a peaceful surrounding with all her needs met. Sometimes these choices are very difficult and giving care to a hard hearted parent is a test that is indescribable. It doesn’t matter though. We must do what God would have us do and go the route that we are guided to go. It is ALWAYS better God’s way, and not my own.
🌍 “That your days may be long upon the land…”
• This was a national promise to Israel—obedience to this command would lead to stability and blessing in the Promised Land.
• But the principle still stands today: honoring parents tends to lead to wiser living, stronger families, and a society that values order and care.
• Biblical family order—parents have a God-given responsibility to teach and train (Eph. 6:4) And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord
• Children’s role to obey, respect, and care (Eph. 6:1–3) 1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3“THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU AND YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.”
• The spiritual nature of honor—it’s not about blind obedience, but godly reverence and submission to God’s design
Obedience to commands like this is part of faithful Christian living—not just a good suggestion, but a command that pleases God (Col. 3:20) Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
This will wrap up for today. I am glad to be able to put in a brief note about myself to add to some of the context. It can be very difficult when things do not specifically align but that never means that we should not do our best with whatever we have been given. Job is an excellent example of this. Although I am not looking to be given some big tenfold betterment at some point, I do hope that living by faith and doing my best to follow the commandment toward my parents will render me better off in the sight of God when I meet Him. Until tomorrow!
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