Week 15
So hopefully we understand better our Lords perspective on His commitment to the Church (His Bride) and the Churches relationship to Him as He has tied this to the conditions of the Husband and Wife. We now move on to Matthew 5:33-35 which is the first half of our Lords view of taking an oath.
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
(Mt 5:33–35)
I can tell you up front I can never think of taking an oath without thinking of the story of Jephthah and the vow (oath) concerning his daughter starting in Judges 11:30-31. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord’s and I will offer it up for a burn offering.” As you read on through the story when Jephthah is delivered and comes home the first thing out the door is his only daughter. His words were “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the Lord, and I cannot take back my vow.” In verse 39 we pick up where is daughter returns after her two months of roaming and it states, “And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made.” What a sad story, and only to think I don’t find anywhere where he had to make the oath. How tragic. I guess the take away is not only does God take our oaths seriously, thankfully He takes His own oaths seriously. It is His will that we be:
Saved 1 Tim 2:4; 2Pet 3:9
Spiritual Eph 5:17-18
Steadfast and Submissive – 1Pet 2:11-15
Sanctified – 1 Thess 4:3, Rom 6:19, 22, 1:30; 2 Thess 2:13
Thankful – Eph 5:20; 1 Thess 5:18; 2 Thess 2:13
I’m thankful He is constantly sanctifying, and refining those He has called His own (Phil 1:6; 1Cor 1:8; Jude 24)