Exodus 20:7
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain"
Using the name of the Lord disrespectfully, such as using it as though it were a curse word, is a declaration of your position against God. No one else in history is treated with such disgrace. This is driven by hatred in spirit. Would you use your mother’s name that way? No? So how much less should you use the Lord's name, who gave you your mother?
In the Hebrew texts, the phrase isn't translated as "take". Instead, it is "do not carry the Lord's name in vain." "Carry" here signifies engaging in work. To carry the Lord's name implies doing work in the name of the Lord, and to do so in vain is to leave it incomplete or without purpose.
Taking or carrying the Lord's name in vain includes committing evil acts under the guise of the holy God's wishes. Such as claiming God wants you to commit mass murder would be an example of this. Such as Saul of Tarsus, was an up-and-coming Jewish leader who executed untold numbers of early Christians. He believed he was doing the work of God executing blasphemers before coming to Christ and seeing what he was doing for the murder it was. This sort of action means you know the Lord and His principles, turning it into a deliberate insult to God Himself—not just an attack on His creation.
This verse states that "the lord will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished one who takes his name in vain"
You're an enemy of God if you break any of the commandments so ultimately you will be judged as such. The only way to escape that fate is a partial death, which is known as circumcision of the heart or to be born again.
Some people say they are followers yet engage in lies, cheating, and theft. While this is undoubtedly wrong, it is not taking the Lord's name in vain. Instead, it's when they use the Lord's name to rationalize this behavior, as in statements like "the Holy Spirit wants you to give to me." This exploitation of the Lord's name aims to manipulate generosity from people. It is like using the Lord as a means of theft, a grave misuse of the Lord's name.
This commentary is the basis to the children's poem book God's Law Revealed in Poems now available on Amazon. If you read and enjoy this book, please leave a review on Amazon to help others guide their children towards the light.