Does God pursue those who don’t keep their vows?

Answer:

"When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the LORD your God will surely require it of you. However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you have promised" (Deuteronomy 23:21-23).

God is the giver of the covenants. It is not our duty to put laws from one covenant into another. See "Why We Don't Follow the Old Testament." It isn't that the Old Testament is useless. We have the Old Testament in our Bible so that we can learn from it (Romans 4:23-24; I Corinthians 9:9-10; 10:11). It illustrates the teachings in the New Testament and reinforces the message of God (II Timothy 3:16-17). We have examples of patience. We find hope that, through trials, promises are kept, and rewards are given. It is also true in the New Testament (II Corinthians 1:3-11). The prophecy about Christ wasn’t just for him alone; we learn from His example as well (I Thessalonians 1:3). In other words, we don't follow something from the Old Law directly. If we find something in the New Law, we can look back at the Old Law to illustrate the command.

In the New Law, we are taught to avoid oaths or vows. "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'; anything beyond these is of evil" (Matthew 5:33-37).

Whether a person is giving an oath, swearing to tell the truth, making a promise, or taking a vow, all involve making a commitment bound by something else. Through the ages, people have used various things to bind their words, such as their possessions, their reputation, their religion, or their life. Anything that another person would accept can be offered to bind a person’s commitment.

We use oaths frequently in modern life and often don’t think about it. When purchasing a car with money loaned to us by the bank, we sign a statement promising to repay the loan and offering the car as collateral. The bank doesn’t just take our word that we will pay what we owe. Our word is bound by a physical possession that the bank can take possession of if we do not keep our promise. Legal documents, such as our tax forms, contain statements above the signature line stating that we promise what we have submitted is accurate to the best of our knowledge and that the government may impose penalties on us if we provide false or misleading information.

In Matthew 5:34-36, Jesus lists things not to swear by: heaven, God’s throne, the earth, Jerusalem, or the hair on your head. Each example would be an oath that Jews would have considered non-binding. According to the Mishna, a Jewish commentary on the Law, “Oaths may only be taken about what can be defined according to size, weight, or number.” In other words, a promise is not considered binding unless it was bound by something tangible that could be, at least in theory, redeemed if a person broke his oath. “If a claim concerns these, no oath is imposed: bondsmen, written documents, immovable property, and the property of the Temple.” In other words, the claimant against a broken oath must have at least a remote chance of collecting on the broken promise if the promise is to be considered valid. Further, the Mishna states that oaths sworn with the phrase “I adjure you,” “I command you,” or “I bind you” were binding, whereas a vow sworn with phrases such as “by heaven and earth” was not binding. Thus, it mattered to a Jew how an oath was worded as to whether it was binding or not. Thus, Jesus is forbidding the making of non-binding oaths, or hypocritical oaths if you will.

When Jesus said, “swear not at all,” he was not forbidding all oaths. The Bible contains several examples of proper oaths. God swore an oath to Abraham based on Himself (Hebrews 6:13-17). God didn’t do this because His word wasn’t trustworthy, but He placed His reputation on the line to prove to the world His faithfulness. Jesus was under oath during his trial (Matthew 26:62-64). Paul took a vow while in Antioch (Acts 18:18). These oaths were acceptable because those who took them intended to keep their promises. Making an oath with no intention of carrying it out would be lying.

Instead, Jesus states that Christians need not take oaths. The reason people feel the need for an oath is because of Satan’s activity in the world. Satan is the father of lies and liars (John 8:44). It is because worldly people lie that those in the world insist on having something more than a simple “yes” or “no.”

We see this in the Old Law: "If you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you" (Deuteronomy 21:22). Does God expect Christians to keep their word? Absolutely! Lying is forbidden, and the Lord will hold us responsible for our words (Revelation 21:8; Matthew 12:36). Putting a lie in the form of an oath doesn't make the situation better. Therefore, say what you mean and mean what you say.