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Vows and Swearing
Vows and Swearing
Under the Mosaic covenant, a vow was a commitment to do something beyond the requirements of the law. A devout Israelite, who wanted to show his special devotion to God, might vow to give more than his tithe of 10 percent. Or he might, as in the Nazarite vow, abstain from wine and not cut his hair, etc. And when an Israelite took an oath, or swore to something, he was calling witnesses to the statement he was making, that what he said was sure and true, and could be counted on.
In Jesus’ day, it was apparently common among the Jews to make vows lightly, and then to fail to keep them. They were trifling with God, and not holding Him in reverence or His name as Holy. And it was common for them to swear by different things – the temple, the gold, etc., with a false heart. They thought that some of these bound an obligation on them, while others gave them a loophole [Mt. 23:16].
Jesus’ drove right to the heart – stand upright before God and speak truth - ALWAYS. If you make a vow, follow through with it. If you make an oath by anything in heaven or in earth, realize that it all belongs to Him, and so you are calling God as your witness. You are speaking words and calling on Him to vouch for them. Why should you need to speak that way? He is our witness in every word we say, whether we “swear” or not. Jesus said, “If you say something, mean it.” Let your “yes” mean yes, or your “no” mean no. Anything else comes from the evil one.
Are we people of our word? Do we see our tongues as instruments of God, or do we speak rashly, saying whatever is flattering or convenient or funny or useful to us at the moment? Do we speak with the awareness that He is witness to it all? Do we remember that one day, we will give account for “every idle word”? It should make us tremble, measure our words carefully, and always speak the truth in humility and love!
Larry Walker
Aug 2009
- Vows_and_Swearing.doc (36.86 kB)
