Oath and Commitment
Matthew 5:27-37
27 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you sin, gouge it out and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom. 30 And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom.
31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a get.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and that anyone who marries a divorcee commits adultery.
33 “Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not break your oath,’and ‘Keep your vows to Adonai.’ 34 But I tell you not to swear at all — not ‘by heaven,’ because it is God’s throne; 35 not ‘by the earth,’ because it is his footstool; and not ‘by Yerushalayim,’ because it is the city of the Great King.36 And don’t swear by your head, because you can’t make a single hair white or black. 37 Just let your ‘Yes’ be a simple ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ a simple ‘No’; anything more than this has its origin in evil.
I have lumped these together because they are all about oaths. Keeping a commitment. There are so many differing opinions and views about divorce and what these verses mean. This blog is not to get into all those details and what is right and what is wrong.
What I want us to grasp is, God wants us to keep commitments when at all possible. Taking an oath, or making a commitment/promise, before God is a big deal. It should not be broken.
Also, Jesus was once again referring back to Torah and the teachings/commands God gave Moses and the Israelites. He was not changing the teaching, He was bringing clarity and actually making it simple.
Vs 27 "do not commit adultery is found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. In verse 31 Jesus referred to the command in Deuteronomy 24:. "Do not break your oath" and "keep your vows to Adonai" are from Leviticus 19:12, Numbers 30:3(2), and Deuteronomy 23:22(21). The earth is known as a "footstool" in Isaiah 66:1 and Jerusalem as the "City of the Great King" in Psalm 48:3(2).
The simple teaching is, "Let your 'yes be yes' and your 'no be no'." God wants us to think through our words and actions. If we stop and consider the cost before making a decision, we might not have so many broken promises.
God wants us to become people who stand firm on His Words and His Promises. When we do that, and trust Him with our whole heart, it is much easier to keep our commitments.
Love and blessings,
Rose
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