Before going any further I believe it is important to go over the relationship between oaths and laws as revealed in scripture. From the story of Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28 we can gain insight as to what making a vow involves. From Jacob’s response in verses 20 to 22 to the dream and the repetition of the promises God made to his father Isaac when he was about to go down to Egypt and to his grandfather Abraham after proving faithful by following God's command to slay his only begotten son Isaac, the scripture reads that Jacob:
“vowed a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.’”
You have the conditional words “if” and “then” in this vow. It’s like a contract between two parties, having the promise of services to be met based on that of the other party. In this case God is the initiator by coming to Jacob with His promises of land and a great number of descendants and in response Jacob promises to have Elohim as his God and he will give tithe of all things that he will be given of God to sustain him.
With this definition in mind, let’s trace what God had to say to the children of Israel concerning making vows in the Old Testament. In Numbers 30:1-2 we see that a vow or oath is a binding declaration of the mouth to do a certain task.
God here is saying not to be bound by what we swear we will do, to not make a vow and that if one does then the rule is that the person should do what they have declared they would do.
We find furthermore in Deuteronomy 23:21-23 that God holds us accountable for every word of promise made to Him out of our mouths. The psalmist shows us when it is that we are prone to make vows unto God in Psalm 66:13-14; it is when we are in danger and fear for our lives having run out of any options to deliver ourselves from the situation. The wisest man that ever lived discourages making any oaths, revealing in Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 and Proverbs 20:25 that failing to hold up our end of the deal will come with consequences, even a snare to our lives; for the rule of oaths is that the debt must be paid. That's why the preacher says it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
So should Jacob's vow ring any alarm bells? Well not at all because Jacob's vows were based on the promises of God. This is a good example of claiming and appreciating God's promises: God is responsible for the execution of this deal. The example of Jephthah's vow found in Judges 11:30-35 is contrary to Jacob's. He had made his vow based on his own authority which the law of Moses does not support. And so because it was an oath he cried,
"I have opened my mouth unto the Lord and I cannot go back."
The pen of Inspiration enlightens us on Jacob’s vow;
“Jacob was not here seeking to make terms with God. The Lord had already promised him prosperity, and this vow was the outflow of a heart filled with gratitude for the assurance of God’s love and mercy. Jacob felt that God had claims upon him which he must acknowledge, and that the special tokens of divine favor granted him demanded a return” - Patriarchs and Prophets p187.
With such a doctrine established in the Old Testament scriptures then it is no wonder that when Christ was delivering His sermon on the mount that He stated in Matt. 5:33-38:
“Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
In the Geneva Bible footnotes we find in the comment on verse 33:
“The meaning of the third commandment against the perverse opinion and judgment of the scribes, who excused by oaths or indirect forms of swearing.”
It was by the use of oaths that the Jewish leadership made void the law of God in the eyes and minds of the people and thus God’s hedge of protection around His people had been broken and Satan’s angels could gain such ready access to the people, possessing them in droves. This is in agreement with Christ’s final words of rebuke against the Jewish leadership in Matt. 23:16-22, where we find that the oaths being drawn up directly attacked the sanctuary message: its types and shadows were being made void. The Holy One standing before them to whom the sanctuary and its services pointed to was being placed under their worldly prosperity which would soon melt before their eyes in 70AD.
Christ’s earthly brother James warns us:
“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” (James 5:12).
The only being who can safely make an oath and complete it is the One who knows all things, can be everywhere at once and has almighty power to be able to know when, where and how a promise and even an oath can and shall be fulfilled. These are the two immutable things that Paul talks about in the book of Hebrews:
“And so, after [Abraham] had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things [His promise and His oath], in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” (Hebrews 6:15-20).
Beloved, God’s Word is a bond stronger than anything in the world. Once He says something, it stands. No going back on it. It is established and it shall be done. No one else can achieve this feat, try as they might (Isaiah 14:12-15). When you go through other instances where Paul talks about swearing oaths andmaking vows in his other letters to the Asian churches you will see that they are often tied in with reference to the law of Moses. Why does he do this?
“And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do” (Exodus 24:3).
Mortal men said what? They will carry out the law of the same God from whom they stood afar off trembling? And they made it even worse:
“And Moses took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient” (Exodus 24:7).
After all that we have gone through in this study it's no wonder that God’s reaction to this was,
“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
They were not making this covenant with another man who perishes, this was with the Infinite God, who alone has immortality and through whom the oath to be in relationship with Him can last for as long as both parties shall live. Praise God for the new covenant!! Praise God for Ezekiel 34:24-26, Ezekiel 36:26-28, Deuteronomy 31:26 and for the sealing of the deal with Christ’s death on the cross!!
With the use of oaths in the past Satan has trapped and locked up many a ruler to carry out injustices against the righteous. It was an oath that landed Daniel in the lion's den from a set of laws which could not be changed and for the sake of an oath John the Baptist lost his head. Where there is a law, there is an oath. Let us not miss this fact. An oath has terms and conditions, rules that if broken make it necessary for the debt to be brought to bear. And for us all, the rightful payment is death. Where there is a law, there is an oath, and every law points to the character of the one who created it. God says:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
We cannot be double-minded with God. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot have more than one moral code to live by in His church. Our only moral law should be the Ten Commandments. Yet we have more than one law within our church organization officially. Amongst all our ministries there is only one that holds to more than just the Ten Commandments, or at least was the first to be voted in as being part of the church, even for the most precious part of all. Beloved, that ministry is Adventist Youth Ministries.
Our next study will be on this ministry, going right to the heart of it: Pathfinders.
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“I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” (Psalms 101:2)
Thandeka Moyo is an organic farmer with a heart for serving others and a newfound love for history. He lives in the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi where he spends most of his time tending to the garden or conducting personal research. He also tutors students conducts jobs in his pick-up truck.
