|
reading is not what it ought to be. Will you join me in dedicating more time each day to daily Bible reading? How many of us will make a habit of reading God’s Word each day? Let’s see how many can read through the New Testament in the month of January. It will be time well-spent and our Lord will be pleased. Who knows? We might even learn something new! ;-)
“Oh My God!”
Todd Clippard
If you are like most folks, nary a day goes by but what you hear someone exclaim, “Oh God!” or “Oh my God!” You hear it everywhere you go: at work, at school, at the bank, supermarket and Wal-Mart. Worse still, you hear it used by folks who claim to be religious, even some who claim membership in the Lord’s church.
“Oh my God!” has become a faddish saying. It is used to express alarm, surprise, delight, dismay, sarcasm, and any other kind of response. Television, no doubt, is the chief offender, as nearly every game show, soap opera, situation comedy, prime time drama, and movie repeatedly uses the phrase. In a recent TV ad promoting the movie, “Sweet Home Alabama,” the entire 30 seconds was used to show clips of the movie’s characters using the phrase “Oh my God!” and nothing else. It was one of the most revolting things I’d ever heard on television (I don’t have a dish). Similar ads promoting “Friends” and other shows of like ilk could also be cited. (My TV Guardian doesn’t edit or filter TV commercials, only regular programs with closed captioning. But it is MUCH better than no filter at all!)
In Exodus 20:7, in giving the Ten Commandments, Moses commanded:
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
The word here translated “vain” means “uselessly” or “falsely.” That is to say, we shouldn’t use God’s name unless we are using it in a justified, constructive matter. “Will not hold him guiltless” means “will not acquit, will not consider innocent or blameless, will not let go unpunished” (cf Nahum 1:3).
|
In light of these truths, the Jews sought to protect and preserve the sacredness of God's name. Centuries before Jesus’ birth, they stopped pronouncing it altogether so its usage would not become common and ordinary. Respect and reverence for God’s name is found throughout the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms:
“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy Name in all the earth” 8:1;
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him” 89:7;
“Holy and reverend is Thy name” 111:9.
In his commentary on Exodus 20:7, Adam Clarke wrote, “even pagan people thought that the names of their gods should be treated with reverence.” He then cited a passage from these same pagans, calling for reverential treatment of the names of the gods:
“It is most undoubtedly right not easily to pollute the names of the gods' using them as we do common names; but to watch with purity and holiness all things belonging to the gods.”
Should we as God’s people today show less respect and regard for our God (Ps 96:4-5)? Our speech reflects our character and attitude. Jesus said it like this:
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you, That every idle word men may speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matt 12:34b-37).
Jehovah God is to be reverenced (Heb 12:28)! Let us refuse to be guilty of showing an empty and low regard for the God of Heaven! “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Eph 4:29).
|
