“You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.”

Exodus 20:7 (NLT)

TREASURE HIS NAME

Have you ever given much thought to the significance of your name? Your parents likely spent a great deal of time, prayer, and debate coming up with the two or three words that precede your surname.

While you know me as C.A., my full name is Charles Alfred Phillips III. I was named after my dad, who was named after his dad—a man he never met because his father passed away in a chemical explosion two months before he was born. It was my grandmother who suggested to my parents that I be called “C.A.” And what do you know? It stuck!

Names tend to carry emotional weight for us—but only if we have a relationship with the person who bears that name. When you hear the name David, you likely know a David, and images and feelings enter your mind. If you have a close friend or relative named David, the name means even more to you. Names aren’t just words—they create deep connections.

Now think about how you would feel if someone cursed the name of your child or a loved one. Perhaps they spoke with contempt or falsely accused them. That’s not something we can quickly move past. It lingers. It stings. Our defenses rise. Not because of the name itself, but because of our love and affection for that person.

In the Third Commandment, God is not talking about a loved one. He’s talking about Himself. It’s important to understand that God isn’t addressing these commandments to all people. He’s directing them to His children—the ones with whom He has the most intimate relationship.

Thousands of years later, Jesus echoed this sentiment when He taught His disciples how to pray. In Matthew 6:9, He said:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.”

This is how Jesus began the prayer—by emphasizing the holiness of His Father’s name.

We only treasure a name when we have a close bond with the person. If there’s a lesson for us today, it’s that we need to cultivate our relationship with our Heavenly Father by spending time with Him, reading His Word, and listening as He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.

When we do this consistently, we develop a deep and meaningful relationship, one that cannot be broken and one that we will honor through our words and actions.

C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy.