Swearing Oaths

Introduction:

Connection:

Words are powerful. Oaths are solemn. Vows are serious. Covenants are binding. And yet, we are sinners. We break our word. We break oaths. We break vows. We break covenants. And I don’t stand up here today as a perfect man who has kept every one of my words. And for that, I am ashamed. And what we’re going to learn this morning, from the words of Jesus Christ, is that God desires of us to be men and women of faithful-integrity. He is going to explain the true meaning of sworn oaths, and how we relate to them in the NT era. And so this morning, by the grace of our covenant-keeping God, who never fails, we come to sit at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Faithful and True.

Theme:

Swearing Oaths

Need:

We need to have a deeper sense of the weightiness of oaths and vows—because they are directly related to the third commandment: you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; and the ninth commandment: you shall not bear false witness.

Purpose:

To rebuke the flippant view of the Pharisees regarding sworn oaths; to exhort the saints to reject foolish and irreverent oaths; to remind the church that they don’t control the future; and to call us to be disciples of faithful-integrity.

Recap:

Two Sundays ago we looked at what Jesus had to say in regards to marriage & divorce, how he understood the OT law, how he spoke into the Pharisaical debate, how he gave a high and holy view of marriage, and how he called us who are married to covenant-keeping and faithfulness. This week we continue looking at Jesus’ understanding of God’s law, which he came not to abolish, but to fulfill and confirm, in regards to swearing oaths. This is an often abused and misunderstood passage. So let me read it, and then lets pray for the Spirit’s help this AM.

Read Text:

Matt. 5:33-37 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) The Pharisees turned Solemn Oaths into Flippant Words - v. 33

Matthew 5:33 ESV

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’

(1) The Pharisees turned Solemn Oaths into Flippant Words - v. 33

First of all, what is an oath? What does it mean to swear an oath? It’s not swearing like cursing, or a dirty word—it’s a solemn promise.

VanDix: Oaths are promises that we make in God’s presence.

WCF: A lawful oath is a part of religious worship, wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calls God to witness what he asserts or promises; and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he swears.

With this in mind—Jesus is referring to how the Pharisees understood a combination of some passages in the Law of God, from Ex-Deut:

Exodus 20:7 ESV

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Leviticus 19:12 ESV

You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

Numbers 30:2 ESV

If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Deuteronomy 6:13 ESV

It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

Deuteronomy 10:20 ESV

You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.

Deuteronomy 23:21 ESV

“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

This is the OT backdrop of our text. But we also need to understand the cultural backdrop of what Jesus is addressing here. He is addressing the Pharisee’s abuse and relaxing of the commandments of God. He is referencing the Scribal teaching and practice of the day. He is not pitting himself against the OT, which he came to fulfill, confirm, and establish. So in order to understand how the Jews were abusing oaths, we need to go to Matthew 23. Turn with me to Matthew 23:16-22:

Matthew 23:16–22 ESV

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Doriani: [The] rabbis created a convoluted system that defeated the very purpose of oaths. They said that oaths might or might not be binding, depending on what one swore by.

So, what was the problem? What was the error? What was the fault in the Pharisees and Scribes, in relation to swearing oaths? They made arbitrary & strange distinctions between when an oath was binding and when it wasn’t. If someone solemnly swore by the temple, it doesn’t matter and he can disregard his oath. But if he swears by the gold he is bound to it. And the same thing with the altar, and the gift on the altar. And Jesus says: you fools! A solemn oath, sworn and vowed (which is more than a commitment, it’s a serious thing, it’s like a marriage vow)—if you swear an oath, you are bound by it! You can’t escape it by making different levels of oaths. If you swear by the temple, is not God the one who dwells in it? Thus you are bound to God. If you swear by heaven, is it not God who reigns above in heaven? Thus you are bound to God. Do you see what Jesus is doing? He is rebuking the flippant oaths of the Pharisees, and this I believe is what he is referencing in our text, which says:

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’

The Pharisees were saying: you shall not swear falsely. But if you swear by a lesser thing, then you don’t need to perform to the Lord what you have sworn. They required faithfulness for higher-level oaths, but disregarded it for lesser-level oaths. And this isn’t about a commitment to go to the grocery store on Friday with Grandma Rose. This is a solemn oath, invoking God’s presence, calling on him as witness, to judge us if we are faithless. And in so doing, we’re going to see that God requires faithfulness for oaths, and if an oath is going to be flippantly sworn, or flimsily broken, then it’s better to not swear at all. This is the context for our passage this morning.

(1) The Pharisees turned Solemn Oaths into Flippant Words - v. 33

And so let’s see how Jesus rebukes them in their oath-breaking:

(2) Jesus rebukes Flippant Oaths by Forbidding Them - v. 34-36

Matthew 5:34–36 ESV

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

(2) Jesus rebukes Flippant Oaths by Forbidding Them - v. 34-36

Did you notice how in these verses there is a direct correlation to what we read earlier from Matthew 23? Swearing by heaven, by the throne, by the city of God. Jesus is speaking into their abuse of solemn oaths. So how does he do it?

34 But I say to you!

He speaks as the only Lawgiver and Judge, as the true and better Moses, as the King of His Church, as Immanuel, God with us—speaking with an authoritative judgment on the matter. And what does he say? In the context of this wild abuse, he says:

Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

If you’re going to flippantly swear, and introduce different levels of binding oaths, thinking you can escape God’s sight—then don’t take an oath at all—STOP SWEARING ENTIRELY. Don’t swear by heaven and think you can get away with it, because it is the throne of God! Don’t swear by the earth and think you can get away with it, because it is the footstool of God. Don’t swear by Jerusalem and think you can get away with it, for it is the city of the great King! You can’t swear by creation, and think you can run from the Creator. All the earth is the Lords, and the fullness thereof. Even to swear indirectly, is to invoke God’s witness as the Lord of heaven and earth, who searches mind and heart.

Psalm 11:4 ESV

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

Ecclesiastes 5:1–3 ESV

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

Revelation 2:23 (ESV)

And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

God requires us to be faithful to our oaths and vows. We are to swear in God’s name alone. And we are to be faithful in it. But if we are being flippant, if we are being faithless, it’s better to not swear at all. Jesus says into this context: do not take an oath at all! And Jesus adds one more thing, saying with authority:

36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

What does this mean? Well, when you swear by something, you are implying that it is stable enough to witness for or against you. It’s not going to shift, or change and give false-witness. But Jesus says: your head isn’t unchanging. You don’t even have power over your hair! You can’t stop your hair from going white, or staying black. Why would you swear by something that doesn’t remain stable, steadfast, and steady. Why would you swear by something that could change tomorrow? Do you know the future? Do you know what is coming your way? True oaths are only valid when made in the name of the Lord, who changes not—not when they are made by created things which constantly shift and are changing day by day.

And so Jesus rebukes the sinful approach to oaths and vows, forbids them, and restores the law to its purity and true meaning. But I’m sure it remains a question in your mind: when Jesus says do not take an oath at all, is he forbidding all oaths and vows in general?

That would mean our marriage vows were sinful, our citizenship vows were sinful, our membership covenant was sinful, and any and all oaths and vows made, ever, were sinful.

Is this what Jesus is saying here? NO. I don’t think so at all. Scripture interprets Scripture. And to argue that Jesus is forbidding all oaths is to forget the context he is speaking into. He’s not referencing proper oaths and vows—he’s speaking into the abuse thereof.

A view of the whole counsel of God would show us that there is indeed a time and a place for proper oaths and vows in the name of the Lord, calling on God as our witness, as we make solemn promises, which bring blessings or curses upon us for faithfulness or unfaithfulness. For various biblical reasons, there is time for solemn oaths:

John Murray gives four reasons:

(1) The oath is sanctioned and even commanded in Scripture:

Deuteronomy 6:13 ESV

It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

(2) If Jesus condemned all oath taking we should have to regard NT examples of oaths as wrong:

1 Thessalonians 5:27 ESV

I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

(3) God himself is represented as having sworn oaths and covenant promises:

Hebrews 6:13–18 ESV

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Did you know that, brothers and sisters? That your salvation rests upon a sworn oath, upon a solemn promise? This is the covenant of grace. It is sealed and ratified by the blood of Jesus Christ. That is what we are going to remember later this morning at the Lord’s Table! Our salvation rests upon God’s oath, God’s covenant, God’s promise—which cannot fail! His promise to you who believe is eternal life! I will be your God, and you will be my people. He takes our sin upon himself, and he gives us his righteousness—he brings us into the family of God, he gives us of His Holy Spirit—and he promises to hold us, keep us, preserve us, and bring us all the way home. So trust in Jesus, and his Gospel of Grace. In Jesus we have a refuge—an anchor for our souls—because He died, was buried, and is risen again; and he always lives to pray for us as our Advocate, and to fulfill to promises to us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever—therefore we are not consumed. Oh rest in his everlasting promises of salvation. In his sworn oath which cannot fail. Jesus will never let you down. Repent, believe, and follow Him all of your days.

(4) Jesus himself consented to an oath as he was adjured and called upon to speak with God as his solemn witness:

Matthew 26:63–64 ESV

But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

(C) Therefore, Jesus forbids profane and false swearing! He is condemning all irreverent, needless, and disguised swearing. He was dealing with the Pharisaical abuse.

King Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 5, summarizes this exact principle very well:

Ecclesiastes 5:5–7 ESV

It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.

(2) Jesus rebukes Flippant Oaths by Forbidding Them - v. 34-36

But Jesus has one more word for us this morning, for me, and for you, on the subject of oaths and vows:

(3) Christ’s Disciples must be People of Faithful Integrity - v. 37

Matthew 5:37 ESV

Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

(3) Christ’s Disciples must be People of Faithful Integrity - v. 37

In some senses this is the climax of the text. This is the piercing application. This is the call of Jesus Christ for us, his people:

37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

What is the point? Don’t run around flippantly swear oaths and solemn vows, taking the name of the Lord in vain. How can we fight against this tendency to swear and break our vows?

Calvin: Christ now prescribes a remedy; which is, that men [ought to ]act toward each other sincerely and honestly: for then simplicity of speech will have quite as much weight as an oath has among those who are not sincere … Fairness and honesty in our words are, therefore, demanded by Christ, that there may be no longer any occasion for an oath.

Faithfulness means that oaths will be rare, not regular. When you go around saying: “I swear” after everything you say, you are proving to be unreliable and untruthful, as if you need to establish all your commitments by a solemn oath. That is exactly what Jesus is forbidding here. We should be true to our word. And we should always qualify our commitments with: Lord willing. We don’t know the future. We don’t know what God has in store for us. We don’t know. We ought to be very very slow to swear oaths—quick to say yes or no—and constant in recognizing that we are not Lord of the future. There is one Lord, and he has decreed the end from the beginning. Therefore, all that we say, do, and commit to, must recognize God’s sovereignty:

Daniel 4:34–35 ESV

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Psalm 115:3 ESV

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Proverbs 19:21 ESV

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

James 4:13–17 ESV

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

And Calvary, if you haven’t heard me say it yet: I want to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry that my 5-year commitment and original plan wasn’t what I thought it would be. I didn’t swear an oath—but I’m still sorry that my yes became a no. I never intended, for a moment, that the trajectory of our life and ministry would adjust in this way. And I pray that, to the best of my ability, I can serve you all faithfully, as long as God has us here. And in all of this, no matter what may come our way, we must trust our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns over all things, and who has given us such great and precious promises:

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Matthew 6:33–34 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Hebrews 13:5–6 (ESV)

For he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

what can man do to me?”

(3) Christ’s Disciples must be People of Faithful Integrity - v. 37

May the Lord give us grace to be faithful and true, as we follow Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, our Chief Example:

(C) Flippant Oaths are Faithless Oaths—So don’t be Foolish but Faithful.

Hebrews 10:23–24 ESV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

Doriani: The Father also made a sweet promise to send a Redeemer, to deliver us from sin. He kept that promise, though it was painful to him. If God is your Father, you now belong to a family that tells the truth in love. He is building a new society, where we tell hard truths in love. We are children of the Father, who tells us the truth about himself, about us, and about our relationship with him. [So trust in Jesus Christ, and his promise of salvation, which is yes and amen, sealed by the blood of the everlasting covenant—and then let us follow Him in newness of life! Forgiven and ready to be faithful.

Psalm 24:3–6 ESV

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

(C) Flippant Oaths are Faithless Oaths—So don’t be Foolish but Faithful.

Because the Lord our God, is Faithful to all of HIs promises, which are all yes and amen in Jesus Christ. Amen? Let’s pray.

Discussion Questions:

(1) Read Matthew 23:16-22 and then Read Matthew 5:33-37. What is the context of hypocrisy that Jesus is speaking into? How were the Pharisees abusing sworn oaths and vows?

(2) Why does Jesus forbid the taking of oaths, in light of how the Pharisees were flippantly swearing, left, right, and centre?

(3) How does verse 36 remind us that we are not in control of the future, and that we must say: Lord willing in regard to our commitments?

(4) What is Jesus requiring of us when he says: let your yes be yes and your no be no? How does anything more than this come from the evil one?

(5) How can we apply this passage to our lives? How should it affect the way we view our oaths, vows, commitments, and conduct?

[Bonus question]: How can we know that Jesus isn’t forbidding all oaths, but only sinful and foolish ones? Prove from Scripture.