Day 1

Our focus this week is on Matthew 5:33–37. Our Lord Jesus Christ challenges us to make sure we always speak the truth. Jesus starts by saying in Matthew 5:33, “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’” When Jesus says, “you have heard that the ancients were to...

We’re examining what it means to “fulfill our vows” to our Lord in everything we say. As we saw yesterday in Leviticus and Numbers, God says that we disrespect Him and His name and that we violate His Word when we do not keep our word. God said this about keeping our word in Deuteronomy 23:21–23, “When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you...

We know our Lord is speaking about making promises and in Matthew 5:34, Christ says, “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God.” Our Lord wants us to understand that even if we don’t use God’s Name in making a promise, we also should not use heaven as the foundation for our promise. Jesus clarifies ...

Jesus continued to include other parts of God’s creation that were not to be used as the foundation for a promise. Jesus said in Matthew 5:35, “or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.” So, an oath/promise was not to be made swearing by earth or by Jerusalem. Again, Jesus wan...

Jesus left no stone unturned when dealing with making oaths. Jesus even included our bodies and He said in Matthew 5:36, “Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.” Jesus let everyone in the crowd know that even their body was not theirs to do with as they liked, for God had created them. This is a ...

Jesus did qualify what we should do when we make a commitment to anyone. Jesus said in Matthew 5:37, “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes ’or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” God also led James, Jesus’ half-brother, to write in James 5:12, “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other o...

God has spoken to us the entire week about being honest and truthful, people of our word, and people others can count on and trust. God has reminded us that the body we live in is His and that we must glorify Him in all we do, say, and think. God says it like this in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the...