Never Profane The Name Of God

Daily Bread Devotions by Chuck Myer  Daily Bread Archive | Sign up for our resources

May the Lord awaken you to the knowledge of your redemption. May it be in your mind that you are able to raise up with the wonderful assurance that in Christ you have been saved from the wrath to come. And may that bring to your mind that the Lord is worthy of our first thought as we awake from our slumber, and for that matter, of every thought from thereon.
 
I have prayed on numerous occasions, “Lord, may I not profane Thy name or bring reproach to Your name.”
 
Can we profane God’s name, can we bring reproach to it? One thing is for certain, it is certainly not something we want to do, for He has great concern for His name. From the Scriptures we learn He will sovereignly chastise any who would act in such a way as to bring dishonor to His name, who would, by their actions, profane His name. 
 
Note our example of this from the book of Ezekiel, chapter 20. Here in this chapter the prophet Ezekiel gives a brief history of God’s dealings with Israel. And from verse one to verse twenty-two we learn how, when His people rebel, God acts for the very sake of His name.

“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel . . . I chose Israel . . . but they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me . . . Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them . . . But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations . . .”

“So I took them out of the land of Egypt . . . And I gave them My statutes . . . But the house of Israel rebelled against Me . . . They did not walk in My statutes . . . Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them . . . But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations . . .”

“And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers . . . I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and observe them’ . . . But the children rebelled against Me . . . So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them . . . But I withdrew My hand and acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations . . .” (Ezekiel 20:1-22 – NASB)

 
We are told in the New Testament that the things that happened to Israel in the Old Testament were written for an example, that we, who are the redeemed in Christ, should not make the same mistakes (I Corinthians 10). 
 
As we look at the aforementioned texts I am of the mind that they give us great insight to what God desired of Israel, what they failed to do, and why that is a most serious matter.
 
Personally, from these texts, I have learned to pray, “Lord, may I not profane Thy name or bring reproach to Your name.” May I, by the power You have given me, “listen to” You. May I, who has Your “statutes . . . walk in” them. May I, who has Your “ordinances . . . observe them.” May I not be found to be one who, by my disobedience, would bring dishonor to Your name, would actually cause You to have to act toward me in a stern and corrective manner because of concern for Your name. 
 
Sensitive issues for me; how about you? I struggle with the flesh and its desires, but oh how I deeply desire never to profane the name of my God.
 
Pray for me if you would. And pray for yourself. Pray that we would never profane His name or bring reproach to His name — but that we be found faithful in bringing honor to  His name, glorifying Him in all things.