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Bible Question: Why does Yeshua (Jesus in Hebrew) say, "But now I tell you, do not make a vow when you make a promise" (Matthew 5:34). Yet G*d says in the Torah (Five books of Moses), "Have reverence for the Lord G*d and make your promises in His name alone" (Deuteronomy 10:20). Why does Yeshua contradict the Law of Moses?
Bible Answer: At face value this looks like a problem, but the answer is provided
in the context. The following passage includes all of Jesus' recorded
statement,
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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 of evil. (NASB)
Matthew 5:33-37 |
Notice that Jesus is talking about false vows or false promises.
He is talking about vows or promises made "by heaven," "by the
earth," "by Jerusalem" and so forth. Jesus' summary statement
is that we should say what we mean. We should keep our promises.
Our "yes" should mean "yes" and our "no" should mean "no." Many
people never follow through. For a fuller explanation of this
passage see the Sermon on the Mount study in Matthew 5:33-37.
Promise To Your Hurt. Our Lord wants us to honor Him by keeping our promises even if
it is to our own hurt.
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. . . those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt, and
does not change. (NASB) Ps. 15:4 |
Jesus did not outlaw promises. Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20 tell us that if we make a vow, we should do it in the Lord,
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You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling
to Him, and you shall swear by His name. (NASB) Deuteronomy 10:20 |
The New Testament example is given in James 4:15-16 where we are
told that we should say,
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"If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. (NASB) |
Conclusion: Our words should show that our plans and promises depend on God
with the intent that we will fulfill our obligation to our own
hurt. Our yes should mean yes and our no should mean no. D. Bonhoeffer
comments, “The disciple is called to be light even in his word”
(The Cost of Discipleship). |
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