I. A lawful oath is part of religious worship [a], wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calls God to witness what he asserts, or promises, and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he swears [b].
[a] Deuteronomy 10:20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
[b] Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Leviticus 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.
2 Corinthians 1:23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
2 Chronicles 6:22 If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; Ver.23 Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness.
II. The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence [c]. Therefore, to swear vainly, or rashly, by that glorious and dreadful Name; or, to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred [d]. Yet, as in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the Word of God, under the New Testament as well as under the old [e]; so a lawful oath, being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters, ought to be taken [f].
[c] Deuteronomy 6:13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
[d] Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Jeremiah 5:7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
Matthew 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne. Ver.37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
[e] Hebrews 6:16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
2 Corinthians 1:23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
Isaiah 65:16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
[f] 1 Kings 8:31 If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house.
Nehemiah 13:25 And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.
Ezra 10:5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they should do according to this word. And they sware.
III. Whosoever takes an oath ought duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully persuaded is the truth [g]: neither may any man bind himself by oath to any thing but what is good and just, and what he believes so to be, and what he is able and resolved to perform [h]. Yet it is a sin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority [i].
[g] Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Jeremiah 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
[h] Genesis 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: Ver.3 And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. Ver.5 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest? Ver.6 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. Ver.8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. Ver.9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter.
[i] Numbers 5:19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse. Ver.21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell.
Nehemiah 5:12 Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
Exodus 22:7 If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man’s house; if the thief be found, let him pay double. Ver.8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods. Ver.9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. Ver.10 If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: Ver.11 Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.
End of Lesson, Day 79
For Further Study
CHAPTER XXII. - Of Lawful Oaths and Vows - Commentary by Gordon H. Clark
Chapter XXII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows - Exposition by Robert Shaw
Chapter 22: Of Lawful Oaths and Vows - Commentary by A.A. Hodge
The Nature of an Oath
- God Lives! The Oath: Coram Deo -- Once considered an act of Religious Worship
- Atheists were Not Permitted to Take an Oath
- Jesus Did Not Forbid Taking an Oath -- He took one. So did the Apostle Paul. Many times.
- Hyperbole -- An answer to those who take Jesus "literally"
- So Help Us, God! -- "Ceremonial Deism." Infidelity. Unfaithful to God.
- The Oath of Office -- If Politicians don't take it seriously, can our nation survive?
- Why Christians Cannot Become American Citizens
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment