1400. The Third Commandment

The Third Commandment

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (Exo_20:7).

The commandment against profanity is broken at every turn. One can scarcely walk down the streets of a present-day city without hearing the people take the name of God in vain.

Our illustration of how breaking this commandment brought death is from the 12th chapter of Acts–the story of Herod

It was a set day, when Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne and made an oration unto them. The people were captivated by his brilliancy, and they shouted: "It is the voice of a god, and not of a man!" Immediately an angel of the Lord smote Herod because he gave not God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and died. There are many ways in which we may blaspheme our God. We may do so by taking His name vainly upon our lips; we may do so by accepting Divine appellations. The blasphemy of Herod which emphasizes the deism of man, is, indeed, a most common blasphemy.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR