Beware of Swearing and Oaths

“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5:12. ESV)

Near the end of his letter, James writes a brief but terse admonition about being careful of what one says and of taking oaths. James was warning of a practice of using God’s name to attest to the truth of a statement or the strength of a promise.

The Jews took such oaths by raising a hand toward heaven or placing the hand on the thigh. In Exodus 20:7 the third of the ten commandments states: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (NASV). When Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount about taking oaths, He said: “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven for it is the throne of God, or by the 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; and anything beyond these is evil.” (Matthew 5:33-37).

How often have I heard persons exclaim: “I swear!” to indicate they are telling the truth. Some say, evidently to make their emphasis clearer, “I swear to (or by) God!” Both Jesus and James say this habit of speech is sinful. All one needs to say (and mean) is ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Christ prohibited such oath-taking in talking. Look at some of the examples of consequences of oath-taking: Herod swore to his step-daughter that he would give her whatever she asked. That resulted in the head of John the Baptist on a tray (Matthew 14:7-9). Peter swore on the night of Jesus’ trial that he did not know Him and denied the Lord three times. Realizing what he had done, and also that Jesus had predicted Peter would do this before the cock crew, Peter went out and wept bitterly (see Matthew 27:69-75).

Are Christians then, not to be a witness in court when called, a duty that requires taking an oath to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?” This is a citizenship responsibility, and certainly one that should be taken seriously and with honesty. Such an oath is different from the everyday careless speech patterns into which a person can so easily fall. These dishonor God by meaningless swearing and oaths. In James 5:12 and in Jesus’ teaching about oaths in the Sermon on the Mount, they were both pleading for simple integrity in speech. They did not condemn oaths when they needed to be made in legal and other procedures, but pled for honesty. We are not to abuse God’s name in taking oaths.

Prayer: God, help us to guard our tongues, to speak with honesty and integrity, that even our manner of speaking may bring glory to You. Amen.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, October 27, 2010