“Vows/Your Word” (Matthew 5:33-37)

1. Traditional Understanding (vs. 33)

a) “You have heard/ancients told”- repeats from vs. 21. OT teaching about making false or keeping vows 
     was drawn from a series of verses (Ex. 20:7, Lev. 19:12, Num. 30:2, Deut. 23:21-23). 

b) The concern was over misusing God’s Name in a vow. People took oaths where God was called upon to witness the vow & punish them if they broke it. Jewish teachers went into much elaborate detail (23:16-23 gives examples) over which vows or oaths included God’s Name & which were not directly 
     linked with Him and thus not binding. Some things that one swore by were directly linked with God’s 
     Name & incurred a curse if broken. Others were not directly linked & did not incur a curse. It became 
     a sophisticated way of deceiving.
2. Jesus Correction (vs. 34-36)
 a) “Heaven” was a referential way of swearing by the Lord without using His Name. However, according 
     to Isaiah 66:1, heaven is God’s throne and closely related to God.
 b) “earth”- seems like a harmless way to make a vow/oath, but the same verse says earth is the footstool 
     of His feet, so it too is closely associated with God.
 c) The city Jerusalem seems like a safe way of avoiding guilt by making a vow/oath one does not keep 
     (e?? is used,  Carson “Swearing by heaven & earth was not binding, nor was swearing by Jerusalem, 
     though swearing toward Jerusalem was.”), but according to Psalm 48:2 it is, “the city of the great 
     King.” It is more closely attached to the Lord than people realize.
 d) Maybe one could be safe by taking an oath by part of your body that has no such attachment to God. 
     How about swearing by your head? However, God is the Creator of all heads, and controls small 
     details about our heads, including the ability to make one hair black or white (not just with hair dye).
 e) The conclusion is there is nothing in the universe we can swear an oath by that is not someone linked 
     with God.
3. The Intent of this Teaching (vs. 37)
 a) The Lord is not against all vows (26:63-64, Luke 1:73, Heb. 6:13, 2 Cor. 1:23). He is against playing 
     games with words that express commitments you are not serious about keeping. Using vows & oaths 
     demonstrate a world where people are not honest & cannot be trusted.
 b) Let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no” (James 5:12). Anything beyond this is of evil/ 
     evil one (N or M gender), the father of lies (John 8:44).
 c) For His followers, simple words of “yes” or “no” should be trustworthy. Oaths are unnecessary. There 
     was a time in our country where a handshake communicated this.
 d) Application includes: going to great lengths to convince someone we will do something when we have 
     no intention of doing it; saying we will do something, but when something more interesting comes 
     along we drop our commitment; starting with initial enthusiasm but bailing out as time goes on; having 
     to be continually reminded of commitments we’ve made; allowing others to pressure us into doing 
     something to which we believe God led us to say “no”; saying we will not do, or stop doing 
     something, but not be serious about it.
 e) God does not want us uncommitted or fearing commitments. However, we should consider carefully 
     what is involved in the commitment, and then be true our word once given.