Reverence for Spiritual Values

Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; Matthew 5:33-37

GOLDEN TEXT: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and alt these things shall be added unto you.”—Matthew 6:33

REFRAINING from the use of profanity is but a very limited fulfillment of the commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” This is important, and surely no Christian would knowingly be guilty of thus using God’s name lightly and disrespectfully. But in addition to this is the importance of discharging faithfully every obligation we have assumed in becoming the servants of God. Having accepted the invitation to follow In the footsteps of Jesus, and professing to be children of God and thus taking his name, we should see to it that we have not taken that name in vain.

There is another sense in which some use the Lord’s name, and that is in the matter of taking oaths. This was apparently quite customary in Jesus’ day, and having become common, was looked upon lightly by those who practiced it. Concerning persons of known integrity we have a saying today that “their word is as good as their oath.” This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay.”—James 5:12

One who is honest and sincere at heart will fulfill his obligations just as faithfully without an oath as he will with one. To swear by God does not change one’s heart condition. In the minds of the ignorant and superstitious the fact of an oath in the name of God might serve somewhat as a deterrent from wrong-doing, but the heart condition of one thus restrained is not improved by the oath.

In Mark 8:34-36 Jesus contrasts the value of earthly possessions with heavenly or spiritual treasures. He extends the invitation to follow him in cross-bearing. Cross-bearing is often given the very limited meaning of enduring that which is unpleasant. But this would seem to be an accommodated use of the symbol, and not what Jesus had in mind when extending the invitation to take up our cross and follow him.

In Jesus’ case cross-bearing meant walking in the way which leads to death. The symbol is based upon the ancient custom of having criminals who were condemned to death carry their cross from the judgment hall to the place of crucifixion. The invitation, “Take up the cross and follow me” would therefore be the equivalent of saying, “Follow me into death.” (Mark 10:21) It is of those who accept this invitation, and start walking in the narrow way of sacrifice, that Jesus speaks when he says, “whosoever will save his life, shall lose it.” This simply means that once we enter into a covenant with the Lord by sacrifice, and then draw back, or endeavor to sidestep our privilege of sacrifice, we lose everything.

And this, Jesus reminds us, would mean a great loss indeed. “What shall it profit a man,” he asks, “if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul [life]?” There would, of course, be no profit at all in such a calamity. And here we have a hint of what Jesus meant by endeavoring to save one’s life, and losing it as a result. It is that of seeking after earthly gain of one kind or another, rather than going forward in the narrow way of sacrifice. It is to permit the cares of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches, to lure us away from faithful obedience to the terms of our consecration, our “covenant … by sacrifice.”—Psalm 50:5

One of the most important admonitions of the Scriptures having to do with the Christian life is that found in our Golden Text—“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” How easy it is to put other things—indeed, almost everything else—first, and God last! Probably one of the principal reasons for this is lack of faith in God’s promises that our earthly interests will be cared for by him, that “all these things shall be added” unto us.

Another reason so few are willing to seek “first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” is that they have not yet learned that a man’s life does not consist “in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15) The mere possession of earthly riches, or material good things—whether it be a comfortable home, good clothes, or a fat bank account—does not assure peace and joy. Some of the most unhappy people in the world possess all of these.

On the other hand, there are those who have little of this world’s goods. Economic security is a factor of life unknown to them, yet they enjoy a peace of heart and mind which the world can neither give nor take away. This is because they have learned to put their trust in the God of their salvation. Their first thought in life, and their chief joy, is to know God and his will for them and to be faithful in the doing of that will. His righteousness, his standard of life for those who walk in the narrow way of sacrifice, is of real concern to them. They strive to reach up to that standard, at the cost of sacrifice; and they have found, even as Jesus promised, that the really essential material needs are added to the rich spiritual blessings which they enjoy.

QUESTIONS:

What does it mean to take the Lord’s name in vain?

What is the symbolic meaning of cross-bearing?

What does it mean to “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness”?

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