Exodus 33:14-20 "Moses said to the Lord “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name’ and you have found favor with me. If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live”” (NIV).
As I read this passage and think about the idea of identification, particularly the identification of the people of Israel, as it relates to God, I picture the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Representatives of each country enter triumphantly bearing the flag of their homeland. In the instance of the Olympics, and mostly throughout the world and history, a country is defined geographically. However, for the people of Israel at this time, they did not have a banner to identify them by their geographical location, and they had nothing but their God to distinguish themselves from any other group on the earth. They were a people with no land to call their own, lost in the wilderness, trusting and believing in this all-powerful God that had delivered them from the land of Egypt, under the instruction of their leader Moses. So who are they?
These people are nameless, faceless, and without recognition to the rest of the world. They are the rejects, the homeless, and the helpless. Despite their socioeconomic position, or lack thereof, the Lord favors them more than any other people. Yahweh has seen fit to call these people his own. The Lord has identified the least as His. The Lord has said “I know you by name, and you have found favor with me.” Their only identification other than that of a wilderness tribe is in the eyes of Yahweh, who knows them as more than just a wandering tribe. To Him, they are the chosen people, whom he knows by name. So what does this mean? Why does it matter that the Lord knows them by name?
The advantage that the people of Israel have is not as much that the Lord knows them, but because He has chosen them, and knows them, He has also revealed to them His presence. Because Israel has the presence of God, their nation is one without boundaries, without limitations. They are a country that bears the flag of the Lord; their own identification is in Him. It is not that the Lord is walking with them, eating with them, and teaching them about His Kingdom as he would later do in the incarnation that is Christ, but the revelation of his name is His presence. All of the wisdom and knowledge of who they are is found within His name. When Moses says, “show me your glory,” his petition was not as much to know the name of the Lord, as it was to see the fullness of God’s presence, to be enraptured by his greatness. However, as the Lord chooses, he shows mercy and compassion to Moses in denying him the request that he has made. As easy as it would be for the Lord to reveal His glory to Moses, he refrains because it is more than human eyes and hearts can handle, warning Moses that he would not survive. So the greatest revelation to humans of the glory of God is wrapped up in His name, the very name that He has given the people of Israel. So what is the idea behind all of this?
If the glory of Yahweh is found within his name, and the only identification of the people of Israel is also in the name of the Lord, then does it stand to reason that the people of Israel are the glory of God? His presence with them by their identification as His makes them the abiding presence of God on earth. So if this is true, then in the light of the Third Commandment -“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”- could we say that it is not so much a warning against making light of the synchronic idea of the name “Yahweh,” but a warning against identifying ourselves with him in any vain, empty, useless, or worthless manner. Then to take the name of the Lord in vain is to identify ourselves with Him in any way that does not glorify Him. His name is the fullest possible revelation of his glory; He has given His name to His people, so if they are not a demonstration of His glory, then they are guilty of using his name in vain.
As a wife takes the name of her husband when they become one, so we take the name of Christ when we become one with Him. At the point of commitment, personal goals, desires, and ideals are sacrificed for what is best for the newly joined union. In our union with Christ, bringing glory to the name of the Lord, and His Kingdom are the goal and purpose of the union. To join in union with Christ, and to maintain personal goals and desires and ideals then becomes “taking the Lord’s name in vain.” In essence, we have taken the name of our groom, but continue living for our own name. When the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence,” he was essentially saying that we carry his name. As Olympians carry the flag of their homeland, proudly bearing the banner of their nation, we are to display the banner of the name of the Lord as we live out our lives here on earth. To do anything less than this is making the name of the Lord empty, useless, and worthless.
Coming to Christ is no small decision, and should be done out of a pure heart by the guiding of the Spirit. When we take the initiative to draw others into a relationship with Christ by emotional manipulation, empty reasoning, or for prideful satisfaction, we take the name of the Lord, stamping it on the heart of another followed by our own stamp of approval, and vainly apply our stereotype on that individual. The day we realize the power of His name, we will see the fullness of His revealed glory in our lives, but as long as we take His name and apply it to our own shallow desires, we are guilty of taking his name in vain.
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