The third commandment, as found in the Book of Exodus, chapter twenty and verse seven, reads:
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.
What exactly does it mean to take His name in vain, and why is this such an important commandment?
To take the Lord’s name in vain means to use it when you’re not praying, to use it for a purpose that is not the purpose for which it was meant. When we say someone’s name, we use it to get their attention or to refer to them. When we swear, and we say the Lord’s name, we are using it in anger, to express frustration or as an adjective. We are not trying to call upon Him and we are not referring to Him, but rather, using Him to dramatize our own angst.
The name of God is holy and sacred. We should only use it when we wish to come before Him in prayer, or to refer to Him. When we do speak of Him, we should use a reverential tone. We should use a soft voice and speak words that are pleasing to Him.
When you’re in a crowded room and you hear your name, don’t your ears automatically tune in to hear what’s being said about you? How do you feel when it’s positive? How do you feel when it’s negative? The same can be said of the Lord. He hears everything that is said about Him, positive and negative. And He knows when His name is being used in anger. Often, when we hear the Lord’s name taken in vain, it’s accompanied by other vulgar words. He hears all of it.
I love the story that is told of President Spencer W. Kimball, who, while in the hospital, overheard an orderly swear, using the name of Jesus Christ. As sick as he was, our prophet entreated the orderly to stop using such language, that he was, in fact, speaking of President Kimball’s dear friend. What would this world be like if we all worked to make our relationships with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father such that swearing would be absolutely abhorrent to us, to hear and to use, because of our deep friendships with those Holy Ones?
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