The Ten Commandments #3 & #7

"Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain..." Exodus 20:7a (NKJV)

"You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14 (NKJV)

I know what you’re thinking: Shouldn’t we be learning 3 & 4?  Well, I was educated in Arkansas, and that’s how we count! Ha!

In reality, I teach 3 & 7 because they are closely alike. They both deal with infidelity, or “adultery.” Also, because 3 & 7 are Biblical numbers associated with God.

The number 3 reminds us of the Trinity (or tri-unity) of God: Father, Son, Spirit.

The number 7, as we learned in the book of Revelation, is the Biblical number of “completion.”

That being said, the Third Commandment deals with SPIRITUAL infidelity, and the 7th deals with RELATIONAL infidelity.

3rd COMMANDMENT: Hold up three fingers (like a “W” for Wiggins). Say to yourself, “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain.”

“Do 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.” Exodus 20:7 (NKJV)

Remember how the Bible says Jesus is the Bridegroom and WE (the Church) are the Bride? Imagine a man & woman marrying. In a wedding ceremony, the woman takes the man’s name for her own. The two become “one.” But what if, afterward, she decides to cheat on the man, leave him, and live with another man while claiming to be the first man’s wife? She would have taken that man’s name in vain. Her life did not match up with her vow.

God is telling us that it is a sin to receive His Name, claim to be His “Bride,” and then live our lives devoted to the World. It is SPIRITUAL ADULTERY. He is saying to Israel, in a sense, “If you are going to be a people, called by My name, you had better live like it!”

7th COMMANDMENT: Hold up a “High Five” in one hand and a “Peace sign” in the other. Say to yourself, “Don’t commit adultery.”

“You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14 (NKJV)

Number 7 is pretty cut & dried. Be faithful to your spouse. Sadly, this is a hard one for our culture. Again, just as Commandment #3 dealt with SPIRITUAL infidelity, #7 deals with RELATIONAL infidelity. That’s why we teach them together.

So, review for yourself: #1….#2….#3….#7.