Chapter 24:10-23 records a case of blasphemy against the name of God and the penalty in this given case is recorded as a guide for judges in the future should similar cases occur again. It should be noticed that the judge whose decision is here recorded is not Moses, but God, God himself was the author of law in Israel, not the king or some human authority as in Mesopotamian law. 

Here in this chapter, was a case of an Israelite woman's son, whose father was an Egyptian. And the Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, and the Israelite woman's son cursed the other using the name of God. This man was commanded by God to be brought out of the camp, have the people who heard him lay their hands on his head and let the entire people stone him to death. Verse 16 says:

“Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, 

when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.”

Anyone who blasphemes against the name of God, who used the name of the Lord in a curse that merited the death penalty. The name of God was Holy and the misuse of God’s name is condemned in the third commandment. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7) The mosaic law demanded the deepest reverence and awe for God, and while the level of punishment may be viewed as extreme in today’s society, it was of great importance to us that God deserves our utmost reverence and worship. Even the utter of His name was sacred.

The Jews took great effort to make sure that they do not use God’s name in vain and they avoided writing the name of God, so much so that even the scribes wrote the name of God as YHWH so that they will never be able to pronounce His name in vain.

One of the main reasons why Jesus was put to death by the pharisees and the scribes was because they accused Jesus of blasphemy. They tore their clothes when Jesus claimed Himself to be the Son of God. 

Dear brothers and sisters, are we treating the name of God with reverence and awe? In the world we live in, it is common to hear God’s name in vain and misused in movies and songs. We hear this lingo, “Oh my god” so commonly in our day to day, as if God’s name was just a cultural lingo. Yes, Christ calls us His friend, and we have access to Him but may we never be casual in our approach to the throne of the Holy God we worship. 

When I was young, I was imparted by my youth leader that any God related noun should be spelt with a capital letter. God. Jesus. Holy Spirit. When I was younger, I felt that it was legalistic and it did not meant anything whether these words were in small letter or capital letter. However, as I mature, the simple act of capitalising the name of God helped me to be reminded that God is great, and He deserves my honour even in the smallest thing. 

We do not stone someone for taking the name of God in vain in our time and age, because punishment is not the purpose. However, we pray that our worship and fear of God happens because He deserves the highest form of praise in all aspects of our lives. 

Pray: Lord God Almighty, teach us to honour You, to be in reverence and awe of You because that is exactly who you are in our daily walk. Help us be sensitive to you and to not to say your name in vain. Amen.