As in the NT, so in the OT: we profane or honor the name of God by our behavior. Of course, behavior involves the heart and attitude as well as the action.
The Ten Commandments said, 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 (Ex. 20:7). Not long before the Babylonian captivity, and
leading up to that captivity, the LORD noted: A man and his father go in to
the same girl, to defile My holy name (Amos 2:7). What depths of sin Israel had descended to;
true to His word, God did not hold the nation guiltless. Nevertheless, the nation has this hope, that
in the future Messianic kingdom, when God in Christ rules from Zion and walks among the people and dwells in their midst, No more shall the house of
Israel defile My holy name, as they defiled My holy name by the
abominations which they committed (Ezek. 43:7-8).
Why did this harlotry profane God’s holy
name? It is because Israel was defined
by its relationship with God. The Ten
Commandments (Ex. 20) are set up by the covenant Israel willingly entered into
in Ex. 19. Notice that
Ø God
offered this covenant, based on the powerful and gracious way God had brought
Israel out of Egypt (19:4).
Ø Based
on that, God offered a conditional covenant: if you will indeed obey My
voice and keep My covenant, they you shall be a special treasure to Me above all
people; for all the earth is Mine.
God could have chosen any nation.
His offer was to Israel, as part of His unconditional covenant with
Abraham.
Ø The
people answered, All that the LORD has spoken we will do. Thus, honoring the name of God is not simply
an issue with the third of the ten commandments. It concerns everything established at Mt.
Sinai (Exodus through Numbers) and the law for Israel in the land that was
given just before they entered Canaan (Deuteronomy).
Don’t forget: the laws that God gave Israel
were an absolute blessing. What great
nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all
this law which I set before you this day (Deut. 4:8)? But at the same time, we also acknowledge
that from the beginning, enjoying a relationship with God by keeping the law
was going to be an impossibility. By
your own ability you could not ascend into heaven or cross the sea to keep
it. At its best, the law would cause Israel to seek the LORD, to trust Him.
There were many who understood this truth, and
who were people of faith. King David was one: Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Ps. 32:1). To this day, it is the only way to a
relationship with God!
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