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IS YOUR WORD ANY GOOD?
LORD’S DAY, MAY 18
Matthew 5:33-37

John 8:43-47

 

“But let your communication be,

Yea, yea; Nay, nay…”

 

IS YOUR WORD ANY GOOD?
 
The Jews were fond of making frivolous promises and taking unnecessary oaths invoking God’s Name. By so doing, they took God’s name in vain — a violation of the third commandment.
 
An oath could be taken on important occasions to confirm a truth or to ascertain truthfulness. But the rabbinic laws made it possible for the Jews to take an oath in order to lie or cheat. These were deemed “vain oaths.” So a man could be freed from an oath he had taken if his oath could be deemed as “vain.” For example, if a man swore by the gold of the temple, he would be accountable. If he swore by the sacrifice on the altar, he would be accountable. But if he swore by the temple, he would not be accountable since the temple was not for sale! It was a “vain oath.”
 
Such were the atrocities of oath-taking in those days. An unscrupulous lawyer could thus easily defraud a poor widow of her property if he swore to her a vain oath, or if she did not know the right things by which to swear. Jesus told the people, “Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay.” In other words, “If a man cannot be trusted by a simple Yes or No, but only by an oath, don’t trust him at all.” A person is only as good as his word. Anything beyond that is from the evil one.
 
THOUGHT: “Honesty is the best policy.”

PRAYER: Father, help me not to break any of my promises.

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