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VOWS
The third commandment and Mat. 5:33-37
MATTHEW
5:33-37 The Making of False Vows
I. Background: This refers to making a promise (a vow) and
giving it credibility by attaching some kind of "respected" or authoritative
support to it. This is what the third commandment is talking about. Most
people think that the third commandment prohibits using God's name as some
kind of expletive, which has been labeled as "swearing" or "cursing," but
although it can apply to that, that is not the main issue. This is primarily
talking about using the Name of the Lord (Yahweh) IN SUPPORT of something
you claim for yourself. It does not matter whether your promise or your
claim is valid or not, it should not be SUPPORTED by attaching God's name to
it. Such a practice tends to deceive people into thinking that your claims
or your promise has merit and validity BECAUSE you said something like, "as
God is my witness," or "I swear on a stack of Bibles," or even so bold a
statement as, "God told me." The real issue is that your promises and vows
should be based on your own character and should be simply stated as "yes"
or "no." Commandment #3, the Misuse of God's Name 1. Exodus 20:7, You shall not take: nAsA means to lift up.
In this case, it means to lift up someone's reputation as standing behind
(supportive of) your words or actions.
2. The name of YAhweh your God: Do not use God's name to put a stamp
of approval on your actions (name indicates God's reputation). Let the words
and actions stand on their own merit.
3. In vain:
A. in: This is the preposition, le, which indicates the idea of "for"
or "in support of."
B. vanity: This word is shAwe and means emptiness, uselessness, worthlessness
and anything that is not perfectly in line with Divine viewpoint.
C. It means to use God's name/reputation in some formula that assures
the hearers that you are genuine and telling the truth. "As God is
my witness; So help me God; May God strike me dead."
D. It also includes using God's name to force others to comply with
you. "God told me to do this" or "I know its God's will."
This often times intimidates or even bullies others into a particular course
of action with which they are not comfortable. (marriage, family, church,
job, location)
E. It includes false teachers, who use the name of God and Jesus to
validate their claims.
As at Mat. 7:15, 22-23,
"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons,
and in Your name perform many miracles?'
"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;
DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
And at Luke 21:8, And He said,
"See to it that you be not misled; for many will come in My name,
saying, 'I am {He,'} and, 'The time is at hand'; do not go after them.
F. It includes profanity, imprecation and expletives because in each
case, it is using (lifting up) God's name to somehow, validate, what you
are doing or saying.
G. What you say or do may be right and proper, but don't use God's name
to demonstrate it. Let it stand on its own merits.
H. It also includes hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is when a person claims to
be a Christian (which they may or may not be), using the "name"
of God, but living contrary to Christian standards.
The principle is found at Rom. 2:21-24.
"You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?
You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal?
You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?
You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor
God?
For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED
AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written."
And - Ezekiel 36:17-20,
"Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land,
they defiled it by their ways and their deeds;
their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.
"Therefore, I poured out My wrath on them
for the blood which they had shed on the land,
because they had defiled it with their idols.
"Also I scattered them among the nations,
and they were dispersed throughout the lands.
According to their ways and their deeds I judged them.
"When they came to the nations where they went,
they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them,
'These are the people of the LORD;
yet they have come out of His land.'
4. God's name is properly used in prayer, praise, thanksgiving and Bible
teaching, but it can be misused even when someone thinks they may be right.
5. New Testament teaching on oaths: James 5:12; Mt. 5:33-37
These two passages need to be balanced with a variety of factors.
A. Making an oath in the name of Yahweh WAS permitted.
Deut. 6:13 (10:20), "You shall fear {only} the LORD your God;
and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name."
The word, "swear," here, is shAbha, which means to "seven"
oneself.
Seven, as the number of completion was the token of truth and faithfulness
when someone gave a promise. Thus the word means to swear or take an oath.
1. See Abraham: Gen. 21:23-24
2. Joseph: Gen.47:31
3. David: 1 Sam. 24:21-22
4. A false vow: Lev. 19:12, "And you shall not swear falsely by My
name,
so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD."
B. The Law of vows: Numbers 30:1-16
General principle is at v. 2, "If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or
takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate
his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth."
C. Notice the integrity of one who makes a promise (Ps. 15:4).
"He swears to his own hurt, and does not change."
The word, "swear," is once again, shAbha, and indicates that
a solemn promise has been made. This is when someone "gives their
word" concerning something.
D. A believer makes an oath to God concerning devotion to His word.
Ps. 119:106
E. With Paul we find some interesting examples of oaths.
1. Phil. 1:8, "For God is my witness, how I long for you all with
the affection of Christ Jesus."
2. Rom. 9:1, I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience
bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit."
3. 2Cor. 11:10, "As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting
of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia."
4. Gal. 1:20, "Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before
God that I am not lying."
5. But it appears that in each case, Paul is simply asseverating his
personal truthfulness,
by appealing to God and nothing else.
6. And neither Jesus nor James actually prohibited the oath "in
the name of the Lord," as was permitted by Numbers 30:2.
F. What then was the concern of Jesus at Mat. 5:33-37?
The Pharisees had developed a system in still another area, to bend
the rules and "in their own minds" protect themselves from the
more serious violations of the law. In this case, it was to protect them
from the possibility of swearing falsely in the name of the Lord.
To avoid this, they swore by something other than the Lord, but which
would make as big an impact on the person receiving the promise. Thus,
they swore by heaven, earth, Jerusalem, by their own head (Mat. 5:34-36);
and by the temple, and by the altar (Mat. 23:16-18). And in each of these
cases, they could comfortably break their oath and not be guilty of Lev.
19:12.
But Jesus made it clear to them, that when you swear by ANYTHING, you
are still swearing to God (Mat. 23:21-22). The issue is NOT the person
or thing you use to "seal" your oath. The issue is truth vs.
lying. That is why Jesus said, "Let your statement be, Yes, Yes or
No, No, and anything beyond these is out from evil." It was given
in the context of naming some "valuable" item to seal an oath
(promise), and then not feeling really obligated by the oath because it
was not in God's name.
This is also the context for what James wrote at 5:12, "But above
all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any
other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no, no; so that you may not
fall under judgment."
G. CONCLUSION
So by comparing scripture with scripture, we discover that ANY promise
or oath is a promise "in the name of God" and any attempt to
"embellish" that oath by adding some additional factor as a "seal"
or guarantee that you will deliver as promised, is a smoke screen that
may indeed impress the person being promised, but leaves a "way of
escape" at least in the mind of the one who promises.
Thus, the safest and surest course of action is simply to stand on your
own word.
Concerning giving oaths in reference to public affairs, courtrooms,
etc., to what degree would the "world" really be convinced simply
because I say "as God is my witness?"
I am believed because of who I am, not because I "name drop"
as I state my facts or make my promises.
6. God's response to the violator:
A. God will not leave him unpunished.
Specific direct discipline for the believer (or the citizen or sojourner
of Israel) who does this.
B. In application to the church, there are no instructions for "overt"
disciplinary action to be taken on offenders.
1. The closest we get is the rule for disassociation or "excommunication"
found at Titus 3:10-11 and 2 Thes. 3:14-15.
2. Unbelievers do not fall under this principle for they are not under
the jurisdiction of the church.
3. Ultimately all violators are judged by being delivered over to natural
consequences. Rom. 1:24, 26, 28
7. The first recorded violation of this is found at Lev. 24:10-16.
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