Taking Oaths and Making Vows
Matthew 5:33-37
Introduction.
There is a certain kind of legal document where you must promise to do something.
They always give you two options: I swear or affirm.
Some consider swearing as sinful, citing Matt. 5:33-37.
My parents urged me not to join a fraternity because of an oath I would have to take.
Yet when joining the military or holding public office, one is required to take an oath.
On the opposite extreme, kids in school will often say, “Swear to God.”
They have no conception of what they are saying.
Yet they will lie through their teeth even using this phrase.
They use the phrase to convince you of a lie (sometimes a joke).
What did Jesus teach here concerning oaths?
Consider oaths in the OT.
Consider oaths in the NT.
Consider oaths today.
Body.
Oaths in the OT (Matt. 5:33).
Jesus is alluding to Leviticus 19:11-12.
“You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.”
This is an extension of several of the Ten Commandments.
Do not steal.
Do not bear false witness.
Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
This also alludes to Numbers 30:2.
“If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”
Jephthah regretted having made a vow to the Lord (Judg. 11:29-40).
Saul nearly regretted making a hasty vow himself (1 Sam. 14:24-46).
Another law Jesus alludes to is Deuteronomy 23:21-23.
“When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.”
Solomon offers some wisdom on making oaths along these lines (Eccl. 5:2-7).
Do not be hasty with your vows.
It is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
A vow brings calamity upon yourself if not kept—so why make them?
These are the lessons that the OT tells us about making oaths—how was this applied in Jesus’ day?
Oaths in the NT (Matt. 5:34-36).
By that time, the Jews had become rather legalistic when it came to oaths.
They believed that if one were to swear by some things, then it was binding.
If one were to swear by other things, then it was not binding.
This is evident in one of Jesus’ woes to the Pharisees (Matt. 23:16-22).
They had justified meaningless oaths—Jesus was teaching against that!
Faithful men in the NT made vows and oaths.
Jesus frequently used the phrase, “most assuredly” in His discourses (“verily verily” – Gk. αμην αμην).
Paul made oaths in his epistles (2 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 1:20).
Paul had made a vow (Acts 18:18).
An angel swore an oath (Rev. 10:5-7).
Even God swore by two immutable things (Heb. 6:17-18).
Does this mean that at every other time, these men (and God) were possibly lying? No!
God cannot lie (Tit. 1:2).
Paul taught against lying (Eph. 4:25).
Liars have no place in heaven (Rev. 21:8).
The reason men swear oaths is “for confirmation [to put] an end of all dispute” (Heb. 6:16).
People make idle statements often—an oath forces one to think about it first, then commit to it.
Oaths today (Matt. 5:37).
Do people make frivolous oaths today? – Frequently! “Swear to God.”
The Lord condemns these things.
Such things come from the evil one—Satan.
Satan is the Father of Lies! (John 8:44).
In this country we have freedom of speech.
This is both a blessing and a curse.
We are blessed to be able to preach the gospel without interference from the gov’t.
However, this allows others to use vulgarities, profanities without thought.
This has eventually produced a culture where we have become careless with our words.
The Bible teaches us to be very careful with what we say and how we say it.
A word fitly spoken (Prov. 25:11).
Recall Solomon’s words on the subject (Eccl. 5:2).
James calls the tongue (our speech) an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (3:8).
Despite this, our speech must always be with grace, seasoned with salt (Col. 4:6).
This is not limited to cussing, but to lying, suggestive language, cutting sarcasm, insults, and back-handed compliments.
One vow many of us has taken is our marriage vow.
This is a serious thing.
That vow is “’til death do us part.”
So many enter into that oath without fully realizing what that means.
This is evident with the divorce rate.
Of course many only play at marriage today without making that commitment, which is also bad – off topic.
We must take that oath seriously.
If we do not, we are in danger of committing further sins such as adultery, even getting into marriages we have no right to be in.
Jesus is teaching us that we must not make an excuse to lie.
As stated, such comes from the evil one.
These are lies, and the devil is the father of lies.
In fact, Zechariah writes about this (8:16-17).
Conclusion.
Whenever we look at these passages, we must always look at the overall point.
Jesus does not forbid all oaths, as seems to be the case.
He forbids frivolous oaths, oaths that are made without thought or care.
He urges us to take greater care with what we say.
So let us take care what we say.
It’s more difficult if we grew up with it.
It’s difficult if we are around those who use foul language consistently.
Let us make every effort to be around those who control their speech.
“For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
If we pump our minds full of garbage in secret, we’ll be thinking about it, and it will be made known with our speech in public.
Let us use good speech, perhaps even influencing men for the gospel …