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inner looks great and the food tastes wonderful. Mom sure knows how to cook. I always enjoy mom’s cooking. Well, I guess I enjoy food. Dad just finished talking about his work again. He talks about work every night. This time he was all excited about his new responsibilities. I wish Mimi would not talk about her girl friend Leah. I never get a chance to talk. Mom and Mimi do all of the talking at dinner and they are always doing things together. I sure wish Mom would do something with me. She is always promising to take me somewhere but she never does. Always something more important happens . . . Is this true in your family? Is this what Jesus was talking about when 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 . . .” (NASB) Matthew 5:33-37 Making Oaths. This is the third time in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus says, “You have heard” and then quotes part of the Old Testament. This time He is talking about oaths or what we, today, would call a promise. Oaths, vows and covenants are part of every culture and were common in the Jewish culture. An oath declares something to be true or makes a promise. A vow is usually a promise with conditions attached, and a covenant is an oath or promise between two people. A vow is the result of an oath. So it is not surprising the NASB, NIV and NKJV Bibles have Jesus saying different things,
YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS (NASB)
Do not break your oath (NIV)
You shall not swear falsely (NKJV)
But Jesus used only one word for “break your oath” or “false vows.” The Greek word Jesus used was EPIORKEO. It means “to swear falsely” or “to promise and not fulfill.” He may have been referring to the following passages,
And you shall not swear falsely by My name . . . (NASB) Lev. 19:12 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. (NASB) Num. 30:2 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. (NASB) Deut. 23:21 |
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| Sermon on the Mount | |||||
