Keeping your Word.
"You have also heard that people were told in the past, 'Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.' But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. Just say 'Yes' or 'No'---anything else you say comes from the Evil One. Matthew 5:33-37 Good News Bible.
"How terrible for you, blind guides! You teach, 'If someone swears by the Temple, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound.' Blind fools! Which is more important, the gold or the Temple which makes the gold holy? You also teach, 'If someone swears by the altar, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound.' How blind you are! Which is the more important, the gift or the altar which makes the gift holy? So then, when a person swears by the altar, he is swearing by it and by all the gifts on it; and when he swears by the Temple, he is swearing by it and by God, who lives there; and when someone swears by heaven, he is swearing by God's throne and by him who sits on it. Matthew 23:16-22 Good News Bible.
“It appears, however, from this passage, as well as from the ancient writings of the Jewish rabbins, that while the Jews professedly adhered to the law, they had introduced a number of oaths in common conversation, and oaths which they by no means considered to be binding. For example, they would swear by the temple, by the head, by heaven, by the earth. So long as they kept from swearing by the name Yahweh, and so long as they observed the oaths publicly taken, they seemed to consider all others as allowable, and allowedly broken.”i
Jesus is teaching that every oath carries an appeal to God, whether He is named in it or not.ii
"Never steal, lie, or deceive your neighbor. "Never swear by my name in order to deceive anyone. This dishonors the name of your God. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:11-12, God's Word translation of the Bible.
"Do not use my name for evil purposes, for I, the LORD your God, will punish anyone who misuses my name. Exodus 20:7, Good News Bible.
It appears that any commitment that one intends not to fulfil is misusing the name of God.
If you didn't make a vow, you would not be guilty. Make sure you do what you said you would do in your vow. You freely chose to make your vow to the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 23:22-23, God's Word translation of the Bible.
I have referred to several English translations of the Bible and commentaries in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.
© Ken Glasgow 2013 Last edited 14 March 2021
This page was written using Open Office 3.3.0, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.
iAlbert Barnes' notes on the Bible for Matthew 5:33
iiJamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary notes on Matthew 5:33-37
