Part 3 - The Fall and the Restoration
The Model of Restoration: Commandment Three
"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" (Deut. 5:11).
God has revealed Himself to us in His name. The word "LORD" is actually
Jehovah or Yahweh, meaning "the Self-Existent One" or "I AM WHO I AM." This
name is used in compound forms to signify Yahweh as the becoming One, the
One who becomes to us all that we need. Some of these names are:
- "The LORD will Provide" (Jehovah-Jireh)
He provides all our needs, especially a sacrifice for sin (in context).
- "The LORD Who Heals" (Jehovah-Rapha)
He heals us not only physically, but spiritually.
- "The LORD My Banner" (Jehovah-Nissi)
He leads us in the battles we face, for we live under Him.
- "The LORD Our Peace" (Jehovah-Shalom)
Jesus has made peace between sinners and a righteous God.
- "The LORD Our Righteousness" (Jehovah-Tsidkenu)
Our righteousness is His righteousness first imputed to us, then worked
out through us.
- "The LORD is Present" (Jehovah-Shammah)
He continually abides with us.
- "The LORD Our Shepherd" (Jehovah-Rohi)
From Psalm 23, He leads and guides us.
- "The LORD Who Sanctifies" (Jehovah-M'Kaddesh)
He separates us from a fallen world and sin back unto Himself.
- "The LORD Our Salvation" (Yeshua, Joshua, or Jesus (from
the Greek))
Our hope of salvation is in Him, not ourselves.
Psalm 20:7 says, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will
remember the name of the LORD our God." David says in Psalm 124:8, "Our help
is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth." Solomon writes in
Proverbs 18:10, "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run
to it and are safe." These are scriptures showing the putting of faith in
the God who has revealed Himself to be all things to those who come to Him.
Faith and trust
The commandment is to those who "take" the name of Yahweh. This word is
used in various scriptures as "bear," "carry," "hold up," "receive,"
"regard," and "lift up." The commandment concerns those who accept and put
themselves under Yahweh. They acknowledge and lift up the name of Yahweh. To
such, Yahweh says not to take His name in "vain." This means "falsely,"
"lying," or "vanity." To take His name falsely or in a lying way is to
receive His name but not to trust Yahweh for who He says He is in that
name. It is to walk under His name but not to put faith in it. We are told
in several places in Scripture that "the just shall walk by faith." God has
shown in His name that He will become all things to those who trust Him. It
is the putting of faith and trust in the God who reveals Himself to be all
things that forms the third point of a proper relationship with Yahweh.
Rather than trusting in God, Adam and Eve relied on their own
understanding. God had provided all they
needed. They ignored who He was and what He had provided. They counted as
"vain" the sustenance of God and looked to that which was not of Him or His
provision. This indicates a lack of trust that all their needs would be
provided by Him. Restored to a place of faith
God by His name has revealed that He is
sufficient and complete to those who would come to Him. To those who take
their place under His name, He desires a relationship of faith and trust in
Him. The model of restoration from the fall in this aspect concerns the
mind of man. Man in the fall elevated his own understanding above God's
understanding. A restored relationship between God and mankind involves man
once again submitting to God's understanding and judgment through faith and trust. God's
name provides a basis for that faith and trust.
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