Not Just Any Old God

Making a vow while invoking the name of a deity was common in the ancient world. It is common in our day, too. God didn’t and doesn’t want his people to do that. He isn’t just any old god. He wants us to elevate his name. He is the Lord God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, the Great I AM. His name is holy, and we must never profane it by treating it at any time and in any way as common.

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 30:2

A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.

Making a vow while invoking the name of a deity was common in the ancient world. It is common in our day as well. Someone might casually blurt out, “I swear to God” or “by God” or something similar to impress upon the listener the seriousness of that oath. The problem is, when one swears an oath by the name of the Almighty, it is usually on the spur of the moment or in a fit of emotion, and it is usually done unthinkingly and it is not going to be dependable.

God didn’t want his people to do that. He wasn’t just any old god. And he wanted them to elevate their God’s name. He was the Lord God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, the Great I AM. He was holy, and he took his holiness so seriously that he demanded his people eat, sleep, breathe and live 24/7 as his holy people. In fact, they were not to casually utter his name—to do so would be to profane it; to treat it as common. He even put that prohibition in the Top Ten of all his Commandments:

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. (Exodus 20:7)

Was Israel’s God serious about his people honoring his name? You bet! And here is a shocking example from Leviticus 24:10-14,

One day a man who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father came out of his tent and got into a fight with one of the Israelite men. During the fight, this son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the Name of the Lord with a curse. So the man was brought to Moses for judgment. His mother was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. They kept the man in custody until the Lord’s will in the matter should become clear to them. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard the curse to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him to death.

God was deadly serious about his name being profaned. He still is. Obviously, we don’t execute people for misusing it, but he is still the Lord God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, the Great I AM. He is no less Yahweh today than he was in ancient Israel. He is still holy, and he still takes his holiness so seriously that he demands that we eat, sleep, breathe and live 24/7 as his holy people.

So as it relates to casually and unthinkingly uttering his name, don’t. And one of the ways to implement that kind of respect for the name of the Lord relates to this business of invoking his name in making an oath. To honor his wishes that he clearly expressed to the Israelite, keep the following in mind:

• If you are making a vow and tempted to invoke his name to demonstrate how serious the oath is, never do it in the emotion of the moment. Never make it rashly. Stop, think about it, know exactly what you are saying, what you are promising. Remember, if you invoke God’s name, you are putting his character on the line in your oath.
• If you make a vow using his name, it must be fulfilled. Sorry, but you committed to it, and you chose to use God’s name as your earnest money. That is serious business, so that is why you must first clearly think it through before you do it. God will hold you to it.
• If you make a vow by swearing to the name of your God, remember this: you did not make it by uttering the name of any old god, this was the Lord of the Universe you brought into the agreement. And even if you or the one to whom you pledged didn’t take it seriously, God did.

Bottom line: Don’t swear to an oath and invoke the name of the Lord. Follow Jesus’ advice found in Matthew 5:33-37,

The law of Moses says, ‘You shall not break your vows to God but must fulfill them all.’ But I say: Don’t make any vows! And even to say ‘By heavens!’ is a sacred vow to God, for the heavens are God’s throne. And if you say ‘By the earth!’ it is a sacred vow, for the earth is his footstool. And don’t swear ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the capital of the great King. Don’t even swear ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Say just a simple ‘Yes, I will’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong.

Break the habit of uttering the name of the Lord your God unthinkingly in your conversations.  Don’t use his name casually in making promises, as if that somehow adds credibility to what you are committing to do. A simple “yes’ or “no” will do!

Elevate his name; reverence it. After all, he is still the Lord God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, Yahweh, your Great I AM!