God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers-- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob-- has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. (Exodus 3:14-15, NIV)
Recenlty, I heard a song - a contemporary one, be that as it may - that struck my ears, as it referred to YHWH in the lyrics. While I am thankful that many have come to realize that the correct pronunciation of God's name was probably closer to "Yahweh" than "Jehovah" I am concerned that Christians have so quickly come to incorporate the name of God in our praise and worship lyrics.
First of all, in response to the Third Commandment, the post-exilic Jewish people took great care as to reverence the name of God. They would not pronounce his name publically, which is why there remains some uncertainty as to how YHWH is to be pronounced. When reading scripture, instead of pronouncing the name of God, they would read adonai, which is translated "my Lord." In English translations YHWH is translated "LORD" in the text, written in all caps to identify it with the name of God. In the later Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, scribes added vowels to words to help preserve their pronunciation. However, for YHWH, the vowel points were not those of God's name, but those of adonai, reminding future generations to the read the name of God as "Lord" and not "Yahweh". In college Hebrew classes, our professor instructed us to read adonai when we came across YHWH in the Hebrew text. Out of respect for the name of God, let us acknowledge the name of God is YHWH, but let us follow their great care and use LORD when we refer to God.
Furthermore, even today's adherants to Judaism, whether nominal or as believers, refer to the Divine in writing, they remove the vowels in reverence to God. You may see "God" written as "G-d". Their respect for the name of God reminds us that God is never to be taken lightly or flippantly. I feel like using the name of YHWH is a disrespect to Jewish people, who took and continue to take great care when using the name of God. Paul stressed that Christians are to remember we are branches grafted onto the tree. It was through Israel that God began his great plan to redeem a lost world. Therefore, out of respect to our Jewish cousins in the faith, we ought to refuse to pronounce the name of God in our worship.
Finally, taking the name of God in vain is more than merely saying God's name as a part of a curse word. Rather, it is taking God's name as a blessing to our goals and endeavors. We need to take great care when we say "God bless (you fill in the blank)." We are not to ask God to bless our endeavors. Rather, we must ask if our endeavors match those he considered to be priority in scripture - namely, His Kingdom.
I would ask that we take great care when we tack God's name onto anything that is not a part of His Kingdom project to bring all things under his rule. I would ask that we remember our Jewish neighbors around the globe who took great care when using and refusing to pronounce the name of the God who initiated a relationship with their people to begin his great redemption project. And, I would ask that we follow traditional patterns of worship and substitute "Lord" or "God" in place of the name of God when reading scripture, when singing or addressing God in prayer, or in any public or private venue.
May we say His name in our hearts as we submit our lives to his kingdom project to redeem this world. "From the rising of the sun, to the going down of the same, may the name of the LORD be praised!"
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