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Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
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37. Ten Commandments: Remembering His Name—Representing Him in Love

God’s Image Study • Commandment 3: God’s Name

God’s declaration in Exodus 3:15 gives us a foundation for this study. After identifying Himself to Moses, He says:

“this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”

— Exodus 3:15, ASV, excerpt

YHWH (יהוה) is the name given in the Hebrew text. The ASV renders it Jehovah.

The instruction reaches beyond Moses’ generation. Remembering His name belongs to the generations that follow. As we examine the third commandment, we must keep both the name and the One it identifies before us.

Jeremiah brings a serious warning into this discussion.

God describes prophets who speak lies in His name and recount dreams arising from the deception of their own hearts. He identifies their intention to make His people forget His name, comparing it with their fathers forgetting His name because of Baal. Read Jeremiah 23:25–27, LSB.

Notice the details together: they claim His name while leading people away from remembering Him.

The surrounding passage explains the problem further. God had not sent these prophets, yet they ran; He had not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. Those who had stood in His council would have made His words heard and turned people from evil. Read Jeremiah 23:21–22, LSB.

This means we must examine what is being attached to God’s name. A person can claim divine authority while delivering a message that does not come from Him.

What am I teaching people to associate with God? Am I faithfully sharing His instruction, or giving my own desires and conclusions His authority?

These questions apply to anyone claiming to represent Him—including me.

Love must remain central

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:1–3 bring that examination into sharp focus. He considers extraordinary speech, prophecy, knowledge, faith capable of moving mountains, the giving away of possessions, and even the surrender of one’s body.

Without love, those accomplishments do not establish the value a person might assume they do. Paul describes speech becoming noise, himself amounting to nothing, and sacrifice bringing him no benefit. Read 1 Corinthians 13:1–3, LSB.

That should stop us from treating knowledge or religious activity as sufficient evidence that we represent God faithfully.

I may know how to identify His name. I may explain passages, challenge teachings, and speak with conviction. But how do I treat the person before me?

Do I listen carefully? Do I speak truthfully about what they believe? Do I give them room to explain? Am I seeking their good, or trying to establish my superiority?

John gives the reason love belongs at the center:

“God is love.”

— 1 John 4:8, LSB, excerpt

The same verse connects the absence of love with not knowing God. Later, John challenges the claim to love God while hating one’s brother. Our treatment of others belongs within the examination of whether our claim is true. Read 1 John 4:7–12, 20–21, LSB.

Putting God first therefore requires love to govern how we represent Him.

Paul also explains what that love looks like: patience, kindness, freedom from arrogance and self-seeking, and rejoicing with truth rather than unrighteousness. Love gives us a way to examine both our manner and our purpose. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, LSB.

Correction can be necessary. Disagreement can be honest. Yet neither gives us permission to humiliate someone, distort their words, or refuse the same examination we require of them.

Remembering God’s name and representing Him faithfully belong together. We must attend to the name He gives us while allowing His instruction to examine what we do in connection with it.

Knowing His name does not replace love. Love does not make His name unimportant. Both belong in our response to the God we claim to know.

Threads to Follow

  • A name and a title: What becomes less visible when a translation prints LORD where the Hebrew text contains YHWH (יהוה)?

  • Carrying His name: What responsibility does Exodus 20:7 place upon those who invoke or bear it?

  • Faithful representation: How does our conduct affect what others understand about the God we claim to serve?

The books were opened…

🌿 By Maria Emilia

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