James 5:12—Do not swear
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. James 5:12
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath…
Jesus said something very similar to this in the Sermon on the Mount: “…I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the comprar sildenafil en espana earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil” (Matthew 5:34-37).
The Lord said, “Make no oath.” James said, “Do not swear.” Both of these words, “oath” and “swear”, are the same Greek word, omnyō, which means “to affirm, promise, threaten, with an oath” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Jam&c=5&t=KJV&ss=1#s=1151012).
Why would this be such a big deal to the Lord and aiobooking.it costo viagra spagna other writers of the Holy Scriptures? Does He not want us to make promises or enter into covenant with others?
I believe the central issue here is integrity. People often “swear to God” or “on a stack of Bibles” or make oaths of outrageous declarations such as I swear on the life of my firstborn. If you swear to God and do not fulfill your promise, your oath is meaningless—you can’t make God do a thing about your ill-conceived oath. He doesn’t answer to you! If you swear on a stack of Bibles and don’t follow through, your oath does not change one letter in the Word—your oath is meaningless. I swear on the life of my firstborn. Oh, really? So you’re ready to lose the life of your kid if you don’t follow through? If anyone falls for that, I have oceanfront property near Ferguson to sell them. And how about my personal favorite, Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye? That was an oath I often swore throughout my childhood. I broke most of those oaths but never stuck a needle in my eye—and I’m still alive to this day. Lord, help us!
…but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no…
James started this verse with the words, Above all. Above all, have integrity in yourself. Don’t enter into a pattern of outrageous swearing by or on anything. Instead, let your “yes” mean “yes” and your “no” mean “no”. And then follow through. Others will start seeing you as reliable and trustworthy, and you will earn the sale ca viagra online reputation as a man or woman of your word. You won’t need to swear extreme oaths to gain someone’s trust.
…so that you may not fall under judgment.
Again, why is the prohibition against swearing or making oaths such a big deal in the Bible? James answers it this way: so that you may not fall under judgment. I know from my vast history of crossing my heart, hoping to die, etc., that I rarely kept my promise. And if I was so quick to break my promises, I surely wouldn’t keep my flamboyant oaths any better. I may have promised to keep your secret about who you liked; I may have uttered cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye; but if I felt like telling your secret to someone else the next day, all bets were off—I told. And then I made them swear to secrecy. I no more hoped to die than the man in the moon! And forget sticking a needle in my eye! Without knowing it, I put my little blonde girly self under judgment.
Do you realize that adults are very often no better? We may not use the same juvenile terminology, but we are capable of swearing and making oaths, nonetheless. Oh, but the Lord knows my heart, we think flippantly; and then we spill the beans on someone who had entrusted us with their deepest concerns. Ouch! This pains me to write; but I get the feeling that so much of the stuff that we brush off as innocent conversation is—in reality—quite destructive. I include myself in that assessment.
What should you do if you’ve ignored the warnings of Jesus and James and find yourself in a bind with something you’ve unwisely sworn or promised? Psalm 15:4b says this about the man of integrity: “He swears to his own hurt and http://travelpugs.com/walmart-generic-viagra/ does not change.” You swore it; you stick with it—even if it hurts. That’s a big reason I believe the Lord is so adamant about oaths—He knows they are typically extreme, often hasty, and He wants to protect you from having to face the painful outcome. Whether it’s the agony of following through with a nearly impossible oath or the prospect of being judged for your lack of integrity—it’s best to avoid swearing and making oaths altogether.
What do we do? We practice integrity. We practice being slow to speak. We check with the Lord before answering. We listen carefully to Him and develop the ability to recognize when we’re starting to run off at the mouth. We practice saying “yes” or “no”, period—no oaths; and we back our yeses and nos with action.
The Lord takes us seriously. May we take His concerns seriously, as well.
Dorothy
O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
- He who walks with integrity
- and works righteousness
- and speaks truth in his heart.
- He does not slander with his tongue
- nor does evil to his neighbor
- nor takes up a reproach against his friend
- in whose eyes a reprobate is despised
- but who honors those who fear the Lord
- he swears to his own hurt and does not change
…He who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15:1-4, 5b