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8/6 Reading Portions: Judges 20; Acts 24; Jeremiah 34; Psalms 5-6
Jeremiah 34:16
“but then you turned around and profaned My name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.”
NAME
Often, in our weak and feeble minds, we tend to think of the name of YHVH God or the name of Jesus in our misunderstanding of 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.” Exodus 20:7
This misunderstanding is not merely among unbelievers. It occurs with Christian believers as well. Knowing the commandment exists, we will attempt to not utter the Lord’s name futilely or foolishly. The command from the original Hebrew actually tells us to not destroy or make desolate the name of Yehovah, our God. Today’s verse in Jeremiah gives us some further insight. The people of Jerusalem were commanded to set their slaves free. It was a command in the Law of Moses, but they had defied God’s command. The people repented (Jer 34:15), but then they enslaved their slaves again, opposing the command of God. You see, whenever we sin, we profane, or “pollute” (KJV), the name of God— whether Yehovah Elohiym, Y’shua, Ruach HaQodesh, the LORD God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. The name of YHVH, the I AM, conveys God the Father’s eternality, sovereignty, and Self-sufficiency; and therefore, to disobey God’s Word is to imply God is not Forever-King. The name of Y’shua means “will save” (Matt 1:21), and conveys God’s mercy, love, grace, and power to save; and therefore, once saved by grace through faith, to willfully disobey God’s Word is to imply God is impotent to save, and that salvation from Him is a myth at best or non-existent at worst. The Ruach HaQodesh is the Holy Spirit and is as His name states— holy; and therefore, to willfully disobey God’s Word is to imply God isn’t holy. The Hebrew word translated profaned is ותחללו, which is from the Hebrew root חָלַל (cha-LAL). It means to wound, to profane, to pollute, or to dissolve. It is first used with reference to the third generation of mankind following Adam’s fall:
To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. Genesis 4:26
Now, there were people who called upon the name of the Almighty as evidenced by the genealogy of Genesis 5, from Adam to Noah. Nevertheless, this last part of the verse in Genesis 4 can also be translated: “…then profanely to call in the name YHVH.” This is why Christ’s imputed righteousness is so important. Our fallen flesh contains enough corruption to stain the best of our thoughts, prayers, righteous deeds, and reverent words. Christ’s grace and righteous life must be applied— and it is, once we are saved. Yet this is how our response to God’s love works: that as we believe, think, say, and do with love for God in Christ, we do so with godly fear— reverencing Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, trembling at the thought of sin for fear of grieving the Holy Spirit and breaking Jesus’ heart. And when we do sin, we repent with godly sorrow, confessing our sin, and Jesus is faithful and righteous to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (2 Cor 7:10; 1 Jn 1:9) Hallelujah! What a Savior!