Radical Ideas: Why We Don’t Say, “God Told Me…”

You shall 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)

I often wonder how much we pay attention to the Ten Commandments. Do Christian parents still teach them to their children? Are they memorized or even familiar in Christian homes. Is this one of those things we’re assuming our kids learn in church and so it is absent in the home? I’m sure the answers vary across families and churches, but I would like to encourage parents to go ahead and take on the task of teaching their own children the Ten Commandments!

The first four teach us our God-given responsibilities to Him. The last six teach us our responsibilities to each other. Because the last six are about how we ourselves are to be treated, we tend to be quicker to enforce the keeping of these commandments. I want my children to honor me, I do not want to be killed, I do not want my husband to commit adultery, I do not want my stuff stolen, I don’t want people telling lies about me, and I suppose I really don’t want someone bitter because of something I have. These are actually so important to us as a society that we even have laws enforcing several. And truly, how much better would life on earth be if every pagan and Christian alike would adhere to these commandments. These are important.

The first four, though: these commandments seemed to have fallen by the wayside. We are not very concerned with our behavior toward God. “Love your neighbor” - absolutely! But that is second to loving God! And how do we love God? Jesus tells us in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

We should love God more than our neighbor! Yes, even more than our spouse and our own children. We must keep things in the right order. And I assure you, loving God more will only serve our neighbor better. They will not be abandoned.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:2–3)

So now that we’re prioritizing God, let’s look at the first four commandments and get back to my radical idea!

It’s absolutely worth studying and understanding all four of the first commandments and learning what proper application looks like in our time and place in history. Today, let me dive into the third one: You shall 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)

My understanding of this was that we should never say “Oh my G**.” That’s a rule I grew up with and that’s the rule my kids are still under. We have even gone so far as to deem it the worst of the bad words! I tell them that we need to be more aware of how we speak of God. Even if “God” isn’t His name, we cannot speak of Him flippantly - without regard or reverence. That would be “in vain.” I also want to impress upon them the priority of God in our lives; His name in vain is the worst of the worst!

But that’s pretty basic and I don’t believe it fully covers the third commandment.

Consider the statement, “God told me…” I’ve noticed more and more people saying it these days. It seems to come with some sort of holy confidence. Growing up in Southern Baptist churches, this wasn’t something I often heard, but it was becoming common in my adulthood, and I wanted in on it. There was certainly a desire to know God’s direction for my own life as a young wife and mother, and TWICE I lead a women’s group through a study called “Discerning the Voice of God.” In hindsight, I wish someone would have slapped me in the face with a Bible! It’s all there - in the Bible! There are no new revelations to be had. Deuteronomy 4:2 says, “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.” And Revelation 22:18, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.”

“Listen more than you pray” was what I learned from that study and, “Listen more than you pray” was what I repeated to others! Again - someone go back and slap me with a Bible, please! Instead of looking for divine answers from a voice in my head, I should have been reading God’s Word with the intention of knowing Him. The difference in my life, then verses now, reading verses “listening,” is profound. It’s the difference between confusion and confident direction. Then I “listened” but had no idea what God wanted me to do. Now I have his direction, His promises, and His purpose for me, all in black and white.

When we say, “God told me…” I think what we often mean to express is the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. He indeed is God and He indeed does teach us (John 14:26) and gives us understanding through God’s Word. But we are warned to discern the spirits and that must be done through a knowledge of God and Truth and that is through His Word.

So here’s a radical idea: Use reverence and careful consideration before you attribute something to God!

For one, every time we say, “God told me…” we are potentially positioning God to be a liar. In fact we are then the liars. Consider all the times God has supposedly told someone they were going to do something and it didn’t happen. Did God lie?

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5–6)

For two, it keeps us from searching the Scriptures. Christians are not taught the sufficiency of scripture and that is a great tragedy! Instead, we are taught to close our eyes and listen, Bibles closed in our laps. If we really knew how relevant God’s Word is to every aspect of our lives, we would read it and be able to make informed decisions based on what God really did say. The Holy Spirit gives us understanding through His Word.

Pray. Read your Bible. Be counseled by the Holy Spirit. And do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.