2. _"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain."_ Because we fear and love God, we must not take His name in vain. God has a name, just as you and everybody has a name by which he is known and called; indeed, God has many names. You already learned several of His names. _(God, Lord, Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost, the Almighty, Creator, Savior,_ etc.) These names God has given Himself in His Word. Through His names He shows us who and what He is, what He has done and still is doing for His children. God is called Savior, and He really is the Savior; He is called Creator because He has created heaven and earth; He is called the Almighty, for with Him nothing is impossible. _God's name is God Himself as He has revealed Himself to us._ 3. _We are not to take God's name in vain._ To take God's name in vain means to use His holy name _thoughtlessly_ and _without any need._ Many persons, it is sad to say, very often use the name of God, and especially that of Jesus Christ, in their speech without thinking of their Savior, without even knowing that they do so. They use it even when they talk of vile things. They take God's name in vain and mock God. _"Be not deceived; God is not mocked."_ Gal. 6,7. 4. Our Catechism shows us more plainly how God's name is taken in vain: _"We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name."_ We should not _curse._ To curse by God's name means _to call down upon oneself or another God's punishment. Peter_ cursed. Matt. 26,74. He said God should punish him if he knew "the man" Jesus. Christians should never curse. They bless and praise God, their Father; how, then, can they curse their fellow-men and wish them God's punishment? Blessing and cursing should not come out of the same mouth. Jas. 3,9.10. 5. _We should not swear by God's name._ We swear when we use God's name to affirm the truth of what we say, as we hear it done so often in daily life. Our Lord says to His disciples: _"I say unto you, Swear not at all. ... But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."_ Matt. 5,34,37. 6. _We should not use witchcraft by God's name._ We use witchcraft when we try to perform things which by natural means we cannot do, such as _fortune-telling, calling and asking the dead_ (as the Spiritualists claim to do), etc. Such works are in themselves grievous sins, works of the devil. But such sins are much greater when God's holy name is used in performing them. Christians should have nothing to do with these works of darkness, these works of the devil. (Read Deut. 18,10-12.)