Text: Matthew 23:16-22<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus refers to a old and seemingly popular statement –\nMatthew 5:33\n A. This and the other five quotes are introduced by the phrase “You have heard it was\nsaid to those of old”\n
1. This is not the usual way that Jesus quotes from the Old Testament. <\/p>\n a. He usually will say “It is written,” such as during his temptation by\nSatan – Matthew 4:10 is one example\n
b. Or, “have you not read” – Matthew 12:5 is one example<\/p>\n c. Or, he refers to the author – Mark 12:36, Note not just David, but\nDavid being told by the Holy Spirit.\n
d. These are firm, verifiable sources<\/p>\n 2. By “you have heard it said” refers to verbal traditions handed down from\ngeneration to generation.\n
a. The problem with verbal ideas is that they are easily garbled.<\/p>\n
b. Any one playing the old “telephone” game understands this.<\/p>\n c. It still happens today. There are statements that people just know\nare in the Bible because they heard them so often, but you can look\nhigh and low trying to find them.\n
(1) “Cleanliness is next to godliness”<\/p>\n (2) “We will speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where\nthe Bible is silent”\n (3) “Charity\n begins at home”\n 3. Some are actual Bible quotes, but it is apparent from Jesus’ comments that\nthose using the quotes had taken them out of context.\n
4. Others are mixture of quotes and traditions.<\/p>\n 5. And some just can’t be found, though they might vaguely resemble\nstatements in the Old Testament.\n
B. This quote appears to be a blend of tradition and verse<\/p>\n
1. It appears to be roughly based on Leviticus 19:12 and Numbers 30:2<\/p>\n 2. The statement correctly affirms that oaths made to God are binding –\nEcclesiastes 5:4-5\n 3. But it is subtly different from the Old Testament. It leaves the impression\nthat there are some oaths, not made to God, which need not be kept.\n
II. Oaths, Promises, Vows, and Swearing<\/p>\n
A. These are all synonyms for a statement binding a person to a task.<\/p>\n
1. Often something else is offered in pledge that the person will to the task<\/p>\n 2. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,\nso help you God?”\n 3. “Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this return and\naccompanying schedules and statements, and to the best of my knowledge\nand belief, they are true, correct, and complete.”\n 4. “I fully understand that it is a Federal crime punishable by fine or\nimprisonment, or both, to knowingly make any false statement concerning\nany of the above facts …”\n B. Oaths are bound by various things: rights to a possession, a person’s reputation, or\na person’s religion, or a person’s life.\n 1. For example, when buying a car with a loan, you give the bank a promise\nto make timely payments or the bank can take possession of the car and sue\nyou for what you still owe them.\n
2. The oaths in court are based upon one’s belief that God will punish the liar.<\/p>\n C. Unfortunately, our language uses oaths and swearing to refer to using God’s name\nin vain.\n
1. You can see how this came about from oaths made upon religious beliefs<\/p>\n
2. However, this is not the type of oaths or swearing under discussion.<\/p>\n 3. Such things as taking God’s name in vain, profanity, cursing, foul language\nand the like are covered in other passages.\n
III. Oaths are always binding<\/p>\n
A. Numbers 30 – Oaths are binding<\/p>\n 1. Provisions are made for a dependant’s oath. They had to be affirmed\ndirectly or by lack of contradiction.\n 2. In other words, one person could not bind another person fulfill a promise\nwhen that other person was responsible for family’s debt.\n 3. Notice especially Numbers 30:2, the rule doesn’t apply only to oaths made\nto God.\n B. Even when the oaths were detrimental to the swearer, it was to be kept – Psalm\n15:4\n
C. Oaths made to God were particularly important to keep – Ecclesiastes 5:4-6<\/p>\n
1. Not only because one should take God seriously<\/p>\n
2. But also because the fulfillment of oaths reflects God’s reputation<\/p>\n 3. And there this the problem that some have an “out of sight, out of mind”\nattitude.\n D. The Old Law did not require oaths to bind agreements. Israelites were expected to\ndeal honestly with each other\n 1. Leviticus\n 19:11 – No false deals and no lies\n
2. Proverbs 12:22 – God hates liars and loves honesty<\/p>\n
3. Zechariah 8:16-17 – Speak truth and do not give false oaths<\/p>\n E. It appears that by Jesus’ time, the Jews believed only certain kinds of oaths were\nbinding – Matthew 23:16-22\n
1. Swearing by the temple, the altar, or God’s throne not binding<\/p>\n 2. Swearing by temple’s treasury, a sacrifice on the altar, by God would be\nbinding\n 3. According to the Mishna, a Jewish commentary on the Law, “Oaths may\nonly be taken about what can be defined according to size, weight, or\nnumber.” In other words, it must be something tangible\n 4. “If a claim concerns these, no oath is imposed: bondsmen, written\ndocuments, immovable property, and the property of the Temple.” In other\nwords, it must be something redeemable.\n 5. In addition, the Mishna states that oaths made with the phrase “I adjure\nyou,” “I command you,” or “I bind you” were binding, but a claim made\nwith phrases such as “by heaven and earth” were not binding. In other\nwords, it mattered how the oath was bound to the person.\n 6. Hence, an oath sworn against the temple was not binding since it was not\nmovable property, but the gold in the treasury was binding since in theory,\na person could collect on the debt.\n
7. Is it any wonder that few Gentiles trusted the word of a Jew?<\/p>\n F. In Matthew 5:34-36, Jesus gives a list of things not to swear by: heaven, God’s\nthrone, the earth, Jerusalem, or the hair on your head.\n
1. All of these are examples of oaths that a Jew would consider non-binding.<\/p>\n 2. Jesus is forbidding his followers from making non-binding oaths, or\nhypocritical oaths if you would.\n
IV. Are all oaths wrong?<\/p>\n
A. God swore an oath to Abraham by Himself – Hebrews 6:13-17<\/p>\n
1. It is not that God’s word wasn’t trustworthy<\/p>\n
2. God put His reputation on the line to prove His faithfulness.<\/p>\n B. Jesus\n was under oath at his trial – Matthew 26:62-64\n
C. Paul took a vow while in Antioch – Acts 18:18<\/p>\n
D. These oaths were acceptable because these people meant to keep their promises.<\/p>\n
1. Making an oath with no intention of carrying it out is lying.<\/p>\n
E. What about swearing by God’s name?<\/p>\n
1. Romans 1:9 – “For God is my witness …” (also Philippians 1:8)<\/p>\n
2. II Corinthians 1:23 – “I call God as a witness against my soul …”<\/p>\n
3. Galatians 1:20 – “… before God, I do not lie.”<\/p>\n
F. Obviously not all oaths are forbidden<\/p>\n
V. Oaths are unnecessary<\/p>\n A. Jesus pressed his case further by stating that oaths are not needed by a Christian –\nMatthew 5:37\n
B. The need for oaths in our world comes about because of Satan. <\/p>\n
1. He is the father of lies and liars – John 8:44<\/p>\n 2. It is because worldly people lie that they insist on something more than a\nsimple “yes” or “no.”\n
C. Lying was forbidden under the Old Law and it is forbidden to Christians<\/p>\n
1. Colossians 3:9 – Do not lie since you have left the world and its practices<\/p>\n 2. Ephesians 4:25 – Speak truth. Notice Paul uses the Old Law to prove his\npoint; from Zechariah 8:16-17 which we read earlier.\n
D. If no one ever told a lie, there would be no need for oaths – James 5:12<\/p>\n E. The world might require oaths, but an oath will not change the Christian’s\nbehavior. He will carry out his promises regardless whether a “cross my heart and\nhope to die” was given or not.\n
F. Are you a person of your word?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Text: Matthew 23:16-22 I. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus refers to a old and seemingly popular statement – Matthew 5:33 A. This and the other five quotes are introduced by the phrase “You have heard it was said to those of old” 1. This is not the usual way that Jesus quotes from the Old…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[527,38,649,648],"class_list":["post-7665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-honesty","tag-morality","tag-oaths","tag-promises"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23340,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-old-testament-points-us-to-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":7665,"position":0},"title":"The Old Testament Points Us to Christ","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Tommy Peeler The Old Testament is valuable because it points us to Christ. Jesus emphasized that the Old Testament pointed to Him Jesus said, \u201cYou search in the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that bear witness of Me\u201d (John 5:39).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/arrow-road-road-signs-sign-preview-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":67117,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-matthew-5-only-for-the-jews\/","url_meta":{"origin":7665,"position":1},"title":"Is Matthew 5 only for the Jews?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, A friend of mine who is against divorce and remarriage says that Matthew 5 has a \"Jewish element,\" that is, the word \"council\" in Matthew 5:22, so it is a chapter only for Jews and not for Christians.\u00a0 What do you think about that? Thank you. Answer: This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60620,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-the-sermon-on-the-mount-nailed-to-the-cross\/","url_meta":{"origin":7665,"position":2},"title":"Was the Sermon on the Mount Nailed to the Cross?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 30, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry W. Benton There has not been a more fundamental question about how to rightly divide the word of truth and how to apply the scriptures than this one. At first, you might think this question is preposterous, but bear with me. There are brethren lurking in churches today\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92996,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/behold-i-will-do-something-new\/","url_meta":{"origin":7665,"position":3},"title":"Behold, I Will Do Something New","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Isaiah 43:8-21 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0New things are special \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They are fresher, cleaner, brighter. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We want new things, not old, used, hand-me-downs \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God told His people that He had something new for them - Isaiah 43:18-21 II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A new covenant \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God selected the decedents of Abraham,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63299,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-promises-to-abraham\/","url_meta":{"origin":7665,"position":4},"title":"The Promises to Abraham","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 13, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 12:1-3 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Once in while I run across people who ask when God is going to fulfill the promises he made to Abraham. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Here is a typical quote, \u201cSo if we are to believe God and his word, then all his promises, and all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56576,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-gospels-and-the-covenants\/","url_meta":{"origin":7665,"position":5},"title":"The Gospels and the Covenants","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 2, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Roger Blackwelder It has been observed that the traditional divisions we use to describe the Bible are inaccurate. Genesis through Malachi are called the Old Testament or Old Covenant. Matthew through Revelation are called the New Testament or New Covenant. The titles are problematic for at least two reasons:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7665\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}