Oaths
Matthew 5:34 “But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:”
But I say... The prohibition against swearing does not deal with taking an oath in the law court. During His trial by the high priest, our Lord did not resent being put on His oath. On rare and solemn occasions we may have to bare our heads before God and ask Him to corroborate our word. But how different is this from the frequent and flippant use of expletives and extravagances of speech.
Swear not at... This should not be taken as a universal condemnation of oaths in all circumstances. God Himself confirmed a promise with an oath (Heb. 6:13-18; Acts 2:30). Christ Himself spoke under oath (26:63-64). And the law prescribed oaths in certain circumstances (Num. 5:19, 21; 30:2-3).
What Christ is forbidding here is the flippant, profane or careless use of oaths in everyday speech. In that culture, such oaths were often employed for deceptive purposes to make the person being victimized believe the truth was being told, the Jews would swear by “heaven,” “earth,” “Jerusalem,” or their own “heads” (verses 34-36), not by God, hoping to avoid divine judgment for their lie.
for it is... But it all was in God’s creation, so it drew Him in and produced guilt before Him, exactly as if the oath were made in His name. Jesus suggested that all our speech should be as if we were under an oath to tell the truth (verse 37).
But Jesus said oaths should not even be necessary: Do not swear at all. The fact that oaths were used at all emphasized the wickedness of man’s heart.
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