February 13
A Young Blasphemer
“And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD and cursed.” —Leviticus 24:11
Read Leviticus 24:10-16
Two youths quarreled with each other, and in the heat of the moment, one became so angry that he started to swear. Maybe you understand, having done the same thing. To our shame, we might have spewed foul language out of our mouth when we were angry. But we are forbidden to do so and should not think lightly of it. When we take the name of the Lord in vain, we pierce the heart of God, as expressed in the original Hebrew. Let this thought weigh on your heart: When you use offensive language, you are piercing the Lord.
You cause Him much grief and offend Him for no reason.
You do this not only when you use well-known swear words, but also when using terms that border on swearing. Such borderline curses are commonplace in our society. If you point this out, you may be ridiculed, held with contempt, and considered a nitpicker. But remember that the Lord never gets used to swearing; He will punish it, as in today’s Bible passage. The original actually speaks of being stoned with stones, which means that this young man was buried by stoning. The Lord will not hold anyone guiltless that takes His name in vain, who uses it loosely and flippantly.
What would you consider borderline swear words?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.