Saturday, July 24, 2021

The Ten Commandments

John Stromgren

The Second Commandment

The numbering of the commandments varies between traditions – the church in Luther’s time made one out of the two you see in the picture above, and two out of the last one. But how you number them is not important. Thinking about them is.

Here’s the second, in Luther’s list, and his explanation:

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”

What does this mean for us? We are to fear and love God so that we do not use his name superstitiously, or use it to curse, swear, lie, or deceive, but call on him in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.

I had a friend who owned a British sports car. We were talking about the rear brakes, and a certain pin that is held by a tight spring. “That’s called the Jesus pin,” he told me. “Because that’s what you say when that thing let’s go.” The name of Jesus is well known among mechanics, workers, parents . . . anyone who gets really frustrated. And “God” is a common part of speech. It’s used for emphasis, or exasperation, or even joy! Funny how it can be so powerful, and yet thoughtless at the same time. It’s similar to “dropping” a name. We like to appropriate that power for our own purposes. Sort of disrespectful, when you think of it. What if we thought about God when we used God’s name, someone we can talk to no matter what, thank for every good gift, praise for all that is beautiful?