Exodus 20:7 (NKJV) – “You shall not take the name of the
LORD your God in vain.”
Exodus 20:7 (HRV) – “You shall not take the name of YHWH
your Elohim in vain.”
“Lord” is not a name.
It’s a title of nobility. Because
of this alteration, we haven’t known His name for thousands of years, at least
most of us haven’t. When somebody says,
“Praise the name of the Lord,” a correct response could very well be, “I’d love
to. Please tell me what it is.”
Old Testament Jewish religious leaders feared that the name
YHWH would be pronounced too often by the people, and therefore would be
treated callously. This, they felt,
violated the third commandment, and so they created their own rule which
forbade the name YHWH to be spoken by anybody except by the High Priest when
performing certain sacred duties during which the name must be used. KJV translators, out of respect for this
tradition, intentionally did not use the name YHWH. Instead, every time they came across it in
the scriptures they replaced it with LORD in all caps so they both respected
the tradition and allowed readers to understand what was actually meant when it
showed up that way.
This mistranslation, among others, has caused several
problems in Christianity today. It’s
created some minor problems such as the misbelief that phrases like, “Oh, my
God,” and “Oh, dear Lord,” are taking God’s name in vain. All of the mistranslation have caused some
major problems when we accept as truth something He did not say. But the larger issue I want to get into here
is the fact that we have taken a personal, intimate YHWH and turned Him into an
impersonal, generic Lord.
This change from YHWH to LORD is a microcosm of the state
of Christianity today. What was designed
to be an intimate, expressive love has become a dreary, dull duty. What was supposed to be a romantic, exciting,
passionate embrace has become a mindless, punch-the-clock system of dos and
don’ts. In short religion has replaced
relationship. It was never supposed to
be this way.
Recognizing the name of YHWH is much more than simply
being accurate to the original translation.
What’s truly important is that we acknowledge what God wanted to reveal
to us and that we refuse to accept what man has substituted in its place. It’s important to acknowledge how the
mistakes and too-often intentional errors of man have altered our perception of
who God really is, so that, once understanding has taken place, we can move in
YHWH’s real will for us rather than a watered down version of it. And most importantly, we need to acknowledge
that YHWH is much more personal and intimate than what religion would have us
believe. Saying that we are free indeed
is meaningless if we’re wrapping ourselves in chains as we do it.
The terms “God” and “Lord” are not inaccurate in
describing YHWH. Indeed, YHWH is God and
Lord of the universe whether you acknowledge Him as such or not. And hopefully you have or will make Him your
personal God and Lord. But the terms “god”
and “lord” can apply to almost anything.
When some say “god” they mean Allah.
When it gets right down to it, others mean family, and still others mean
money. “Blessed be the name of the
Lord,” can be said by members of any faith, even atheists as they’d be
referring to themselves. “Blessed be the
name of YHWH,” cannot be owned by a lie.
I bring this up here because in our comic, Martin (and
others as the comic goes on) is striving for that intimacy with God. And so you will see the name “YHWH” used from
time to time. “God” and “Lord” carry
connotations of the Almighty, Supreme Being Ruling On High And Surveying All He
Sees With INCREASINGLY CAPITAL LETTERS!!!!
(INSERT BOOMING, THUNDEROUS SOUNDS HERE!!!) And, of course, He is the Lord of lords and
the King of kings, the Great I Am who created everything and upholds the
universe with the power of His Word and
we should never forget that. But He is
also the greatest friend and lover you could ever know. And more than that, He actually wants you to
seek Him in that way. Martin and
Spiritman use the name YHWH as they would a close friend, someone they’re
familiar with on a very personal level.
My hope for you is that you won’t be afraid to seek him
in the same way.
Scott
Edgiscript3@yahoo.com
