Idolatrous Oaths

People swear by all sorts of things. As we saw in yesterday’s study, the Jewish rabbis apparently were allowing their people to swear by such things as heaven, earth, or Jerusalem. Today, we might hear people swear by such treasured objects as the family Bible or “my mother’s grave.” In each case, the person is swearing by something he or she considers sacred.

But a vow is not to be made in the name of just anything, no matter how sacred we may think it to be. We must always keep in mind the reason for which we swear “by” something. It is done so that the thing might be the witness of our oath. Theoretically this witness has the power to monitor our faithfulness to the oath and require our obedience. But the problem with swearing by such objects as heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or the family Bible is that they are all less than God. They are all creations of God or works of the hands of men who are themselves creations of God. One’s mother’s grave is nothing more than a piece of ground filled with dirt and decaying bodily remains. None of these things is capable of hearing an oath and monitoring its performance. Only God can do this. Thus, in a very real sense, to vow in the “name” of any other thing is to raise it to the status of God, which is to commit the sin of idolatry.

From a biblical perspective, there are no totally private covenants. Yes, we do read of covenants between two people in Scripture—the one made by David and Jonathan is a supreme example. But most covenants in the Bible, and in our own time, are made in the presence of other people, such as loved ones, friends, officials of the church and state, and above all, God. Those who are present for the taking of an oath, including God, are there as witnesses. The intention is that these witnesses will encourage those entering the vow to fulfill it. But while human witnesses may fail in their duty, God will not. As a faithful witness of vows made in His name, He will require compliance.

A sacred vow taken in God’s name actually brings honor to Him, for it acknowledges His sovereignty, omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. It acknowledges that He knows what we are saying and has power to require our obedience. Therefore, vows should be made in God’s name only.