#1229 Matthew 5 Part 14 Under Oath

 

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.’ 34 But I say to you, 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. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. Matthew 5: 33-37 ESV

Matthew 5: 33-37 Oaths

…22Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. 23By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance. 24Surely they will say of Me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’ ” All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.… Isaiah 45: 22-24

It's interesting when you think about oaths, swearing, it's all based upon the problem that people don't tell the truth, so we have to call attention to the truth because it's rare, and so now we move from interesting to depressing. God always tells the truth, but He even swears by Himself, not to say, "I am going to tell the truth this time", but to set the example, that you swear by the greater, and for Him there is no one greater than Himself. When He makes a covenant it is sworn against His own word, own honor and integrity. It's not, "look, here is the truth this time, but look, this is important so take it to heart, I have said, and so shall I do." 

…10If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to be cared for by his neighbor, but it dies or is injured or stolen while no one is watching, 11an oath before the LORD shall be made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has taken his neighbor’s property. The owner must accept the oath and require no restitution. 12But if the animal was actually stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner.… Exodus 22: 10-12

I remember being pulled out of a meeting one time and driven to a VP's office, and on the way there, the man who was taking me said, "whatever you do just tell the truth." Now I found this a little funny and awkward at the time, because the man he was taking me to see was someone who talked about honesty and integrity, those were words in his vocabulary, but my interactions with him suggested that these were only words. He started asking me questions, and I told him the truth, but he seemed to get more and more frustrated with it, so I finally said, "You are watching it on video, and so you tell me, is what I'm saying true or not?" The person's testimony that started this whole investigation turned out not to be true, not honest, but he was passionate about what he said, and I was just thankful there was video to support what I was saying. Now God's standard is higher than any, and even knowing that someone else is dishonest doesn't give me the right to be, that's a human justification that God does not teach.

You shall not swear falsely - This was true, God said this, and He also said, "thou shalt not lie." So now, when you look at Exodus 22 above, this would only work on someone who feared God. When they swear you in with your hand on the Bible, guess what, most people don't take that seriously. If I was an atheist I would be like, "that's it, put my hand on this book." God puts His word up with His name, and He is the highest thing to swear by, and so the scribes needed another work around. 

…15But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land. 16And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’— just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal— then they will be established among My people. 17But if they will not obey, then I will uproot that nation; I will uproot it and destroy it, declares the LORD.”… Jeremiah 12: 15-17

…15But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land. 16And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’— just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal— then they will be established among My people. 17But if they will not obey, then I will uproot that nation; I will uproot it and destroy it, declares the LORD.”… Jeremiah 12: 15-17

…3Surely now they will say, “We have no king, for we do not revere the LORD. What can a king do for us?” 4They speak mere words; with false oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of a field. 5The people of Samaria will fear for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn with its idolatrous priests—those who rejoiced in its glory—for it has been taken from them into exile.… Hosea 10: 3-5

You shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn - Don't take God's name in vain, don't use His name to gain leverage with men, He will hold you accountable. You may slide through this life in your mind, but you are choosing it over eternity.

…6but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain. 8Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.… Exodus 20: 6-8

By heaven, by earth or by Jerusalem - People are quick to swear, "do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Yeah, sure, I do, so help me God, whoever that is. They believed there was a God, but the Scribes also believed that they were good, that they had achieved a superior morality, one that even God would be impressed with. But realistically everything was outward, "I am honest if you don't catch me in the lie, I am honest if I find someone less honest than me," so by default or comparison. They were actually lowering the bar that God had set, and His is perfection, and so Jesus now swoops in to destroy their system, crush the argument. "By heaven", that is not a lesser offense, that is God's throne. The earth, well He made that and it is His foot stool that man has corrupted. Jerusalem then, no, that is the city of the great King, and they didn't understand that He was standing before them. How about by my own head, no again, it's not yours, God made it, you didn't make it, and you can't cause one hair to go white or black by your will. You would have to get some hair dye for that, but it would still be manufactured, not your real color. 

Let what you say, simply be 'yes' or 'no' - In other words, no grand standing, "look at me I told the truth", but rather, let it be this simple, yes or no, honesty no matter the occasion or the fear of backlash. Are you an honest person by God's standard, what would He say? Truth is not a moment, an occasion, it is a pattern of life style. Someone who lies may like to hear people call him honest, a man of integrity, but in the end you will not stand before them, and some of them are being dishonest in calling you that, because they know it not to be true by God's standard. Don't settle for what men think about you.

…3who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend, 4who despises the vile but honors those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath, 5who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.… Psalm 15: 3-5