“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make a swear falsely (epiorkeó: ἐπιορκέω, to swear falsely, forswear oneself) but shall fulfill your oath (horkos: ὅρκος, an oath) to the Lord.’ But I say to you, you shall not swear at all (omnuó: ὀμνύω, to swear, take an oath) either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear (omnuó: ὀμνύω, to swear, take an oath) by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of the evil one.” Matthew 5:33-37.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I never say things I do not mean or I cannot keep or perform. Abraham agreed with that and it was credited to him as righteousness, “With respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” Romans 4:20-22. Every word, every promise of Mine, is like having the certificate of title to personal property or a title deed to real property. You may have to enforce it if someone has stolen it from your possession or is trying to usurp you as an owner by adverse possession, but it is yours to reclaim by legal right and a court must judge in your favor once you submit the evidence of title.
What am I telling you? First that if you are going to imitate Me as My dear children you must obey My Word, for I am My Word and I act no other way. Second, that you are never to say things you do not want to come to pass. Third, that you mean what you say. And let Me talk about this third one for a moment before we go on.
Mean what you say. For example, if you say you are going to be somewhere at a certain time, you make sure you are there by that time. Do not get your heart and body, or even other people, used to that you do not keep your words. Then when you try to order things, they will not take you seriously.
It will be like the difference between Paul and the seven sons of Sceva. When Paul spoke in the Name of Jesus and cast out a demon it went immediately but when the seven sons of Sceva imitated him the demon cast them out of the place. Acts 19:13-18. For your words to work as Mine do there must be a heart, mind, and voice connection. In other words, do not speak My promises like as a mere mental exercise. My Word has to have penetrated and begun to grow in your heart first. Don’t just grab any promise in the My Word, but find the one that resonates in your heart that gives you the assurance that you have the title deed. Faith is the assurance (title deed) of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
And the spirit of faith is that you first believe in your heart and then speak with your mouth. This is where many people trip up and say My promises don’t work. They do, for nothing is impossible with Me and I watch over My Word to perform it, it does not return to Me void, but you must return it with faith for the result it promises.
The man understood this after he spoke with Jesus about the cure for his son who was foaming at the mouth and having convulsions and fits. He doubted Jesus’ ability to deal with his son’s ailment and posited his prayer with “if you can do anything to help me, please do.” But Jesus looked at him and responded with his words, “if you can?” And then He told him that all things are possible for those who believe He can. He told you to ask in His Name and He will do it, but it will not work if you do not believe He can do it. The man understood and told Jesus he did believed (mentally) but his heart had doubts, that is, unbelief in it. So Jesus helped him out by supplying His faith to the situation. Keep your eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of your faith.
And that is what the next teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is about. “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make a swear falsely (epiorkeó: ἐπιορκέω, to swear falsely, forswear oneself) but shall fulfill your oath (horkos: ὅρκος, an oath) to the Lord.’ But I say to you, you shall not swear at all (omnuó: ὀμνύω, to swear, take an oath) either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear (omnuó: ὀμνύω, to swear, take an oath) by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of the evil one.” Matthew 5:33-37.
Peter swore he would never deny Jesus and then later he swore that he did not know Jesus. Matthew 26:74. Both turned out to be false. Herod, after seeing the daughter of Herodias dance before him and his guests at his birthday celebration dinner, swore that he would give her anything she asked, even to half his kingdom. The girl consulted her mother and asked for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. The king was grieved, but he was determined to keep his oath to her made in front of all his dinner guests. He was snared by the words of his mouth into a dishonorable and murderous action. In both Peter’s case and Herod’s case swearing and taking oaths did not makes things better, in fact it made them worse. Matthew 14:6-12.
In one case the oaths were not true, in the other they were but no one reaped any benefit from them. Both did no good. When I tell you not to swear at all, there is a reason for that.
Be careful about taking oaths. Death and life are in the hand of your tongue. You can ensnare yourself with your words, like Herod did. “My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor, have given a pledge for a stranger, if you have been snared with the words of your mouth, have been caught with the words of your mouth, do this then, my son, and deliver yourself. Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor. Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids; deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter’s hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.” Proverbs 6:1-5.
Look again at why I tell you to avoid swearing oaths and just answering “yes, yes,” when you mean “yes,” and “no, no” when you mean “no.” Saying “yes” is agreeing with Me. Taking an oath is saying you can perform that to which you are swearing. But you cannot make even a hair on your head white or black. Oaths mean you have the power to perform them, they are creative acts. “Yes” is an act of agreement but not creation. I swore by Myself to Abraham that I would greatly bless him, and I would greatly multiply his seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore, and his seed would possess the gate of his enemies. In his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed because he had obeyed My voice. Genesis 22:16-19. He obeyed and I swore to bless him in amazing and miraculous ways. And I was well able to perform what I swore. My oath shows the unchangeableness of My purpose. Hebrews 6:17.
I swore a promise to David regarding the Messiah coming from his line and being seated on the throne of David forever. And I verified this oath with Mary when the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Luke 1:30-33. And she told Elizabeth of this good news, “He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He swore to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever.” Luke 1:54-55. When I swear, you can count on it for I will bring it to pass. And I have sworn never to be angry with you again. And I performed that oath in Jesus, He saves you from the wrath to come. In Him, I made you holy, blameless, and beyond reproach in My eyes. There is no condemnation now for you who are in Christ Jesus.
What I swear is solemn oath and commitment to you and established forever in Heaven. All of My Word is like that. It is established forever in Heaven and all you need do is say “yes” to it on earth.
If what you have been asked requires your agreement of faith to posses it, join Me in saying “yes,”yes,” in your life. If what you are being asked does not agree with what I have promised and sworn to you, say “no, no.” It is that simple, if it is from Me say “yes, yes” if it is from the evil one, say “no, no.” And stand on that.
I love you. “For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” 2 Corinthians 1:19-22. Watch yourself and watch your words.