Article 22: Lawful Oaths and Vows.
“Let Your Yes mean Yes and Your No mean No.”
1. Firstly what is a vow? A vow is a solemn and promise made to God.
We see marriage couples on their wedding day making their vows to love and cherish one another these aren’t simply vows made to each over and the congregation but they are solemn vows made to God Himself. I believe the same is true when we give our hearts and lives in repentance and faith to Him we make solemn vows to Give Him our lives for His glory.
Num 30:1-2 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the LORD commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.. Simply put , if we vow before God to do something or pledge something we must fulfil it, keeping to our word our Yes is Yes and our No is No.
We must not be like ... The wealthy oil tycoon lay on his death bed, his pastor talked of God’s healing power. “Pastor,” he gasped, “if God heals me, I’ll give the church a million dollars.” Miraculously, the man revived and within a few short weeks was out of the hospital.
One day, several months later, he and the pastor chatted on the sidewalk in front of a hardware store. “You know,” the pastor said, “when you were in the hospital dying, you d promised to give the church a million dollars if you got well. We haven’t got it yet.”
“Did I say that?” the tycoon asked. “I guess that goes to show how sick I really was!” Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 34
Now that’s funny, but that’s so often the case isn’t it, that people make rash promises – vows before God and others and fail to keep it whether that’s in marriage, in business, in service to God and in the whole of life. Vows are often revoked. Brothers and sisters this should not be for the people of God.
Section 5. States A vow, which is not to be made to any creature but to God alone, is to be made and performed with all the utmost care and faithfulness. But monastically vows (as in the Church of Rome) of a perpetual single life, professed poverty, and regular obedience, so far from being degrees of higher perfection, are superstitious and sinful snares, in which no Christian may entangle himself.
2. Secondly what is a lawful Oath?
In (Duet 10:20). We see a call to, fear the Lord, hold fast, and by His name swear. A lawful oath is a solemn affirmation of something, or a promise to perform, which is made to or between two people, while God is invoked as a witness. And only in the name of God can a righteous oath be sworn and must be used with reverence and fear towards God. That’s why in (Exdus20: 7) The commandment states. You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. This was a very serious matter!
In the Old Testament we see that a lawful oath was an act of religious worship, in which the person swearing in truth, righteousness, and judgement, solemnly calls God to witness what he swears, and to judge him according to the truth or falsity of it
We still often see this lawful Oaths taking place in a court of law in our country whereby a defendant gives a lawful Oath before the court, as he/she raises the Bible in his right hand and he/she invokes Gods name and says, “I promise to say the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.” This is a lawful Oath.
Section 2 states. In matters of weight and moment, for the confirmation of truth, and for the ending of strife, an oath is sanctioned by the word of God (heb.6:16, 1Cor1:23 legal context or Church context), therefore a lawful oath imposed by a lawful authority, can rightly be taken in such circumstances.
a) 0ath taking within the sanctuary. (O.T. practice)
(2 Chro 6:22-23) 22 "When a man wrongs his neighbour and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple, 23 then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty and so establish his innocence.
In the Law of Moses it was provided for oaths to be taken in the sanctuary to determine guilt or innocence if there were no witnesses. In this legal case a priestly ritual is taken place whereby God Himself is invoked to judge to condemn the guilty and clear the righteous individual.
b) Oath taking within the temple (1st Century AD)
It appears Oath taking was still common practice in the times of Jesus also and it had become much perverted, with huge legalistic distinctions.
3. Thirdly what does Jesus teach? (Matt23.16 – 22).
Here is Jesus’ third woe of seven which he gives, this one looks at Oaths they were making in the temple, where they distinguished between the more or less important oaths, whether an oath was made against, temple, gold in the temple, by the alter or through the gift which was brought these things they would swear by.
16"Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ’If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, ’If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
Jesus here explains these Pharisees are misguided with their superficial distinctions bringing in the idea of levels of seriousness in their oath taking, depending upon what you swear upon. The fact is that all Oaths ultimately go back to God as the one whose name is invoked with their many oaths. They had overlooked the higher principles of the Law that God had always intended.
Again the practice of Oaths and vows involved invoking the name of God or substitutes as was the case with these Pharisees in so doing it substantiated the claims of the person giving the oath but what Jesus is saying Gods people are to be people who continual live a life under oath. Men and women who have vowed before God a life of truth , faithfulness, justice and righteousness before God and men so our Yes should mean Yes and our No should mean No, as Christians are to be those with true integrity.
In OT (Jer 4:2) 2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ’As surely as the LORD lives,’
then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory." We see even here the heart of the matter that God’s people are to be people who have truly repented (turned to God) this in itself includes swearing an oath that the Lord lives alone, and in doing so with a commitment to live a life of truth, faithfulness, justice and in righteousness with God and our neighbour everyday of our lives.
Section unpacked Jer4:2
I believe this section is saying to the people of Israel, you are to be a people who live out their lives before God, people who have repented and given over their lives to GOD. So now you must love God and love your neighbour with all your hearts, living for God’s glory. No longer is there any room for superficial oath taking as a means to an end. But Gods people are to be committed to truth, faithfulness, justice and righteousness as a result nations shall be blessed through them. (Micah 6:8):
4. Jesus unpacks the new way
I think this is what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 5: 33-37 key text.
33"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.’ 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your ’Yes’ be ’Yes,’ and your ’No,’ ’No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
The book of James actually echoes Jesus words (James 5:12) and builds on the prohibition Jesus placed upon them. The point is our word should be good enough as believers. Our Yes should mean Yes and our means No!
This prohibition does not mean all oaths are prohibited there are exceptions, official oaths before authorities for instance in a court of law. (Rom 13). Within the context of vows and oaths given in Church weddings and Church matters (Matt 15:15-18, 1Cor 6, law suits against believers. The Apostle Paul often wrote to others calling God as his witness to his actions and motives before others. (2 Cor 1:3 Rom 1:9 Phil 1:8)
• Life Application:
We are to be men and women of integrity. Men and women of our word, this will run counter culture – because it runs counter human nature – it’s only possible through the new nature.....
• We are to be unlike that wealthy business man who vowed so much before God and his pastor or unlike the Pharisees in Jesus day who had brought in superficial distinctions to the seriousness of oaths some had more weight than others, to get around their sins.
• Unlike so many in our society today (Some present day Footballers who live out a lie before a watching world (John Terry –Chelsea) Unlike the unscrupulous rich business people who defraud those who have saved in finance schemes (Ponzi schemes) Unlike the politicians who have spun and lie a web of deceit to the populace with their expenses, unlike everyday Joe Blogs who tells lies on his tax return, unlike the regular person who defrauds the state with false claims in benefits.
As Christians in whatever sphere of social standing we are to be men and women of integrity, who mean what we mean and do what we say, our Yes is to be Yes and our No is No, otherwise we are merely hypocrites before God and before others. Simply actors playing a fictitious existence in the drama of life, wearing the mask of Christianity to cover up our real true identity just like the Pharisees before us. Friends we have been given a New Nature!
5. Finally taking His name and using it in vain (Exodus20: 7)
This particular commandment is in reference to someone taking a deceptive oath in God’s name or invoking Gods name to sanction an act in which the person is being dishonest (Lev 19:2) .
• (Exodus20: 7). You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.
But it is also using his name in divination or irreverently or disrespectfully. And this is serious point I want to get over today. . I think this has to be the most common thing you see happening all around us every day of our lives people who are taking the name of the Lord in vain. Using his name as a mere expletive, a word of surprise, a word that shocks in all its forms its taking the name of our Mighty God in vain and will have serious consequences.
In the OT this had serious consequences. (Lev 24:10-16 read ) A Blasphemer Stoned
13 Then the LORD said to Moses: 14 "Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him. 15 Say to the Israelites: ’If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; 16 anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
How serious is this today?
• I was In the Newsagents in Wigston this week and the Asian shop keeper was talking to her daughter and her friend, the daughter was explaining her recent visit to the university she hopes to go to, she was sharing with them the vastness of the facilities, the grounds and buildings and her mother exclaimed “Jesus!” in front of the customers and one of them was me. For some reason I retorted back, “ Jesus is my Saviour.” Silence, nothing was said, She simply used His name irreverently.
• We live in view of God’s grace of course, and this women’s irreverently and disrespectful use of the Lords name gave me a wonderful opportunity to witness to Jesus as Saviour, but all irreverent words will be held accountable ultimately – just like OT principle (16) of death there will be serious consequences for all those who have spoken rash words and have never sought forgiveness, they will die in their sins, with eternal spiritual condemnation.
• (Rev 21:8). 8But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
Section 2 states. to swear vainly or rashly by the glorious and awesome name of God, or to swear by any other name or thing, is sinful, and to be regarded with disgust and detestation.
Let us take every opportunity to use this common action of taking the name of the Lord in vain by those around us as an opportunity to honour God and witness to His grace in our lives and the hope we have even for theirs, before its to late! You have the power, you have the new nature, let your Yes be Yes and your No be No.
Recap:
a) So we have seen that a vow is a solemn promise made to God involving the individual and God and should be made with the utmost care and seriousness.
b) A lawful oath was an act of religious worship, in which the person swearing in truth, righteousness, and judgement, solemnly calls God to witness what he swears, and to judge him according to the truth or falsity of it. We saw that in some cases the need to swear an oath may be necessary as in a court of law (legal purposes)
c) Jesus expands in the New Testament that His disciples are not to swear at all; instead they should be men and women of integrity that their words can be believed without an oath because their whole lives are lived out before God.
d) Lets us Honour our Lord before others and witness to the magnitude of their words and the consequences without repentance and faith.
