Blasphemy

Dishonoring God's Name

God takes His name very seriously, as the incident with Shelomith's son reveals (Lev. 24:10–23). When the young man “went out among the children of Israel”.perhaps he was taunted by racial insults because of his Egyptian roots. That would help to explain his fight with one of the Israelites (24:10). It might also explain why he ended up reviling the name of Israel's God. Perhaps he felt that one insult deserved another. But in dishonoring God, he was committing the sin of blasphemy.

God had warned His people in the Ten Commandments that He would “not hold him guiltless who takes [My] name in vain” (Ex. 20:7). In this landmark case involving Shelomith's son, God followed through on His Word. First He told Moses to remind the people that there would be a death penalty for blasphemy (Lev. 24:15–16). Then the horrible sentence—execution by stoning—was carried out (24:23).

In light of this sobering incident, it's worth considering ways that we today may dishonor God's name. Here are three possibilities:

Blaming God for evil. It is common to call floods, tornados, and other natural disasters “acts of God.” There may be nothing wrong in such a euphemism. But if we impute to God responsibility for things that are actually the result of sin and evil, that amounts to blasphemy.

God cannot be the author of evil (James 1:13, 17). He gives only good gifts. Therefore, we are out of line whenever we assign to Him acts that are unworthy of Him.

Dishonoring another person. Some people who would never curse God somehow think it's all right to curse another human being. Again, James 3:9–10 strongly warns us against that practice, for every person is created in the image of God. Therefore, to dishonor another human being is to dishonor the Creator—a sin amounting to blasphemy.

Willful, persistent rebellion and unbelief. It is bad enough if we demean the character of God by what we say. But the ultimate insult to God is to turn our backs on His clearly revealed will—especially in regard to Christ's work on our behalf and the spiritual growth that ought to result from faith in Him.

Jesus was accused of blasphemy by the religious leaders of His day, but He warned them that it was they who were blaspheming, because they were resisting the Holy Spirit. In a similar way, the New Testament strongly cautions believers against “falling away” from a vital relationship with God into unbelief and disobedience.