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First Order (F)
by
Terry Dashner
A continuation of "First Order (E)"
Exodus 20:7 says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain" (KJV)
Unreality, vanity, and vain are associated with the meaning "in
vain." Empty, insincere, or frivolous attitudes and actions
should never accompany an oath in God's name. For example, to
use the name of God in a promise or pledge without the intention
of keeping it is taking the name of God in vain. To swear an
oath in God's name and then break the promise because it is
inconvenient or too uncomfortable to keep, is to take it in
vain. Sadly, I have broken this commandment many times over the
course of my life. I thank God for His forgiveness and grace in
Christ Jesus. How about you?
When one reads Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus warns against taking
oaths. He insists that a "yes" or "no" is all that is necessary.
Why? In the time of Jesus there were Jews who were masters of
evasion. If they did take an oath in the name of God, they would
keep it, but they did everything possible to avoid doing so.
They would swear by heaven, or by earth, or by Jerusalem, or by
their own heads, and they would feel themselves quite free to
break such an oath, because it did not actually include the name
of God. God, so to speak, had not actually been made a partner
to the transaction by name, and therefore the transaction was
quite breakable (William Barclay, The Ten Commandments,
Westminster John Knox Press 1998, p. 14).
Jesus declares that heaven is God's throne and earth is God's
footstool and Jerusalem is God's city. The point that Jesus is
making is that you cannot possibly keep God out of any
transaction, for God is everywhere present, and, whether his
name is mentioned or not, he is there present when any promise
is given or taken. All promises and pledges are made in the
presence of God, just as all places are in the presence of God,
and therefore an oath in the name of God is unnecessary, for God
is there anyway (Ibid., p.14).
Then again there are times when an oath is proper. Jesus himself
did not refuse to be put upon oath when he was before the High
Priest. He was asked a question under oath and he answered it
without comment (Matthew 26:63). Paul himself gives his sworn
pledge to the Galatians (Galatians 1:20) that he is telling the
whole truth. It is true that an oath is never necessary for the
Christian, but clearly there are times when it should be taken--
such as in a court of law.
Allow me to conclude this topic of study by listing some valid
pledges before the Lord. (1) The marriage vow is spoken before
God and witnesses. It is not to be broken, except in death or
infidelity. It is a valid pledge before God. (2) There is the
pledge of baptism in which parents pledge themselves to bring up
a child in the knowledge and the love and the fear of God. (3)
There is the pledge of the sacrament. The word Sacrament has
many meanings. Its simplest is that the word sacramentum is the
standard Latin word for a soldier's oath of loyalty to his
general and to his emperor. When a believer comes to the
sacrament of the Lord 's Supper, he or she should renew his and
her loyalty to Christ as Saviour and King (Ibid., p.16).
Pastor T.
About the author:
www.ffcba.com
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