Matthew 5:33‭-‬37 Oaths

"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 NASB]

The commandment says in Exodus 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." And then we are told, "‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD." [Leviticus 19:12 NASB]

The Pharisees twisted the intent of this commandment with their traditions. The meaning is this: If you make an oath to God, you must keep it; to do otherwise is to swear a false oath. The Pharisees legalistically prohibited the use of God's name, substituting "heaven" or "the temple". In this way, they could make oaths "by heaven" and consider them non-binding, because they were not made in God's name.

This is what Jesus was addressing when He said heaven is the throne of God, the earth is His footstool, Jerusalem is His city, and even your head belongs to God. There is nothing you can swear by that does not relate to God, and all promises are therefore made before Him.

There are some religions that take this passage so strictly as to say that no oath of any kind can be made before the Lord. But the weight of scripture doesn't bear that line of reasoning. Jesus Himself answered under oath before the Sanhedrin. Rather, He is saying do not swear frivolously or lightly.

For instance, if you are asked to swear before a jury to tell the truth, I would have no problem with that. Just understand that you are swearing an oath before God to tell the truth, so to perjure yourself would be making a false vow.

It is common to hear oaths in casual conversation. "I swear I'll be there by 10." By golly, I'll do it." I swear to God..." The statement, "I swear I'm telling the truth," actually weakens your argument. Be aware of casual oaths. Some people try to make deals with God. "If you let me win the lottery, I'll give half of it to orphans." Or if they are in trouble. "If You get me out of this mess, I promise to pray every morning."

If you want to do something for God, just do it. If you need something from God, ask for it. He doesn't give us good things because we made a deal, but because He loves us.

James reiterates Jesus' teaching, "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment." [James 5:12 NASB]

The takeaway is this: Just tell the truth. The truth does not need to be embellished with an oath or a promise. It stands alone.