Zambia Hunt

In the Third Commandment, God declared,

“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 command, repeated in Deuteronomy 5:11, was not only about speech or avoiding profanity (Leviticus 24:10–16). It was a call to bear God’s name rightly. The first four commandments govern our relationship with God; the last six, our relationship with others. Jesus affirmed this twofold division when He summarized the law in Matthew 22:37-39:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Bearing His Name

The people of Israel were called to carry the name of the Lord—to bear it as a mark of identity and ownership. They were to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), a visible demonstration of what it means to live under God’s rule. They were to bear His name for the sake of the nations, that all the peoples of the earth might know that the Lord alone is God.

To “take His name in vain,” then, is not only to misuse His name in speech but to misrepresent His character through hypocrisy or unfaithfulness. The weight of His name demands that His people live in a way that displays His holiness.

CH Spurgeon reminded his listeners that,

…your main and principal motive as a Christian should always be to live for Christ. To live for glory? Yes, but for his glory.”

Bearing His Name Under the New Covenant

Under the new covenant, believers are likewise called to bear His name. In Christ, we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). We are baptized in the name of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and commissioned to carry that name to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:19–20).

Our lives, our mission, and our message are all to be centered on His name. The Apostle Paul said his ministry existed “to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all nations” (Romans 1:5). That remains the heartbeat of every true disciple: to live, serve, and go for the sake of His name.

In 1853, David Livingstone was preparing for his expedition from Kuruman in South Africa to the interior of Africa, which would lead him to what is now Zambia and to the “discovery” of the Zambezi River and, eventually, Mosi-o-Tunia, which he named Victoria Falls (1855). His journal entries reflect his consecration to the exalting of the name of Christ and the sake of gospel advance in the region. On May 22nd, Livingstone wrote in his journal:

“This age presents one great fact in the Providence of God; missions are sent forth to all quarters of the world,–missions not of one section of the Church, but of all sections, and from nearly all Christian nations… The fact which ought to stimulate us above all others is, not that we have contributed to the conversion of a few souls, however valuable these may be, but that we are diffusing a knowledge of Christianity throughout the world… future missionaries will see conversions follow every sermon. We prepare the way for them. May they not forget the pioneers who worked in the thick gloom with few rays to cheer, except such as flow from faith in God’s promises! We work for a glorious future which we are not destined to see–the golden age which has not been, but will yet be. We are only morning-stars shining in the dark, but the glorious morn will break, the good time coming yet.”¹

We Are to:

Honor His Name

• In worship: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name” (Psalm 29:2).
• In conduct: “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

Go for the Sake of His Name

• Missionaries and believers go not for fame, comfort, or gain, but “for the sake of the Name” (3 John 7).
• Our calling is to make His name known “where Christ has not been named” (Romans 15:20).

Seek the Glory of His Name for Eternity

• In eternity, the redeemed will sing, “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Revelation 5:9–13).
• Every act of obedience, every sacrifice, and every proclamation now points to that final day when His name will be exalted above every name (Philippians 2:9–11).

Empowered by His Spirit

The old covenant revealed humanity’s inability to live up to God’s standard; the law could expose sin but not transform the heart. The new covenant accomplishes what the old could not. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, God purifies a people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). The Spirit empowers us to live lives that are consistent with the Name we bear.

Living Consistent with His Name

Those who publicly proclaim the name of Jesus must be marked by lives that reflect His character. Leaders in the church are to be “above reproach” (1 Timothy 3:2), showing holiness before both insiders and outsiders. The credibility of the gospel depends upon the integrity of those who proclaim it.

Matthew Henry warned of taking God’s name in vain by professing it, but living in a way that takes it lightly!

 “We take God’s name in vain, [1.] By hypocrisy, making a profession of God’s name, but not living up to that profession. Those that name the name of Christ, but do not depart from iniquity, as that name binds them to do, name it in vain; their worship is vain (Mt. 15:7-9), their oblations are vain (Isa. 1:11, 13), their religion is vain, Jam. 1:26. [2.] By covenant-breaking; if we make promises to God, binding our souls with those bonds to that which is good, and yet perform not to the Lord our vows, we take his name in vain (Mt. 5:33), it is folly, and God has no pleasure in fools (Eccl. 5:4), nor will he be mocked, Gal. 6:7.²

Conclusion

We are commanded not to “take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” and warned that God will not hold one who does so, guiltless! To bear His name is a sacred trust. It calls us to holiness, humility, and mission. Whether in public witness or private faithfulness, our prayer must be:

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory.”
(Psalm 115:1)

Live out your identity with Christ this week, and do so for the sake of His name! This will revolutionize how you work at your place of business and in your interactions with your family, and will motivate you to share the gospel with someone God has brought across your path.

1. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/13262/pg13262-images.html#CHAPTER_VIII. ↩︎
2. Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 124). Hendrickson. ↩︎