Oaths
“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.”
Matthew 5:33-36
Those looking for a reason to disregard the claims of Christ have, sometimes, pointed to these verses. “Look!” they say. “Jesus contradicts the Bible! And if He can be shown to be wrong in one respect, then we are free to ignore Him.” At first, they appear to have a point. The Law allows the use of oaths, under certain circumstances.[1] God Himself confirmed a promise with an oath.[2] Indeed, there is even an instance of Jesus using an oath.[3] Is this just another example of the age-old problem – a teacher who says one thing then does exactly the opposite?
Whenever you encounter a problem like this, it is wise to remember that any text should be interpreted against the witness of the Bible as a whole. So, we must ask, is there any indication that Jesus was ever anything other than honest? The answer is, “No!” Therefore, the problem is not with the author of the words, but with our understanding of them.
Once again, Jesus is speaking out against self-serving interpretations of the Law. Leviticus teaches that God’s people are not to swear falsely.[4] This was understood to mean that, when invoking the name of the Lord, an oath must be true and a promise must be kept. Unfortunately, those who made a living out of inventing loopholes in the Law taught that an oath which did not invoke the Lord’s name did not need to be kept. As a result, Jews got into the habit of swearing by heaven, or earth, or God’s footstool, or Jerusalem, or even by their own heads. Sometimes these oaths were made falsely, that is, they were calculated to deceive. This is the misuse of oaths that is condemned by Jesus. God’s people are to live with integrity, they must not swear oaths that are flippant or deceptive. Effectively, these are still taking the Lord’s name in vain, since He is the author of all things. So, don’t try to make your words sound more authoritative by swearing on the Bible, or your Mother’s grave, or your child’s life. Just be honest. That is what the Lord requires.
Father God,
Forgive my too-familiar use of Your name,
my words that are too-easily spoken,
but which I can never take back.
Teach me to be silent when I have nothing to say.
Teach me to measure my words whenever I must speak.
Amen.
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