On The Foolishness Of Flippant Oaths - Matthew 5:34

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God - Matthew 5:34

    It is all too common to hear people ostensibly verify their claims with words like, “I swear . . .”. It is so common in fact that few of us really understand the gravity of precluding our claims with such alacrity. Someone questions our claim with “Really?” We respond with, “I swear . . .”. Perhaps we would all do well to understand the basis of such flippant oaths. The Book of Hebrews explains the whys of an oath probably better than any verse in the Bible - “For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.” - Hebrews 6:16.
    Yes, we want to cement our claims with something that hangs on a greater power than our words alone: our lives, our children’s lives, our mother’s life, etc. But Jesus was adamant about swearing oaths under any circumstances. “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Or according to the ESV, “the evil one,” Satan.) - Matthew 5:37.
    The idea that we need the validation of something greater than us is key to our understanding of why we use such oaths. It is as though our oaths somehow justify our words and certify our claims. When, in fact, neither is true for any man or woman. The evidence for this is apparent in how often we lie . . . even under oath! From the tiniest oath to our children to taking the stand in a court of law. We are not bound by our oaths. Our attitudes speak volumes about how concerned we are with such idle words. Either we dismiss them as unimportant as we do with children or we bank on our words not betraying us in the courtroom. But there is condemnation coming for every word we speak. “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” - Matthew 12:36-37. These are the words of Jesus; if they mean nothing to you now, be assured - they will on the that “Day.”
    The Bible continues to warn us of flippant oaths starting all the way back in the times of Moses. We are warned specifically not to lie nor invoke God’s Holy Name when we do so - “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.” - Leviticus 19:11-12. Lying is lumped in with stealing and false dealing or cheating. These are serious sins and we are assured they will not be glossed over on Judgment Day. Even the last book of the Old Testament warns of God’s approaching judgment. “‘So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty.” - Malachi 3:5. Perjury has always and will always be a sin of the first magnitude, drawing our heavenly Father’s anger, perhaps because ‘lying’ is so inextricably linked to the ‘father of lies,’ Satan. So we are continually warned -  “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” - James 5:12.
    Understanding all this, why then do we swear oaths in a court of law or take a covenantal oath during the matrimonial ceremony? Truth is a matter to be determined by evidence in a court of law and vowed promises are equally required to represent the truth. That truth is so important that it can not be afforded a glib or flippant response. Let us look again to the previous passage from Leviticus - "You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord." Here, God is stating for the record that when we are called upon to give an oath it must be true because it is by His name that we do so. Both in court and before the witnesses to matrimony, the truth of the oath cannot be underestimated. In court, a lie amounts to the most serious charge of perjury. During the vows of marriage, we are making those oaths both before man and God!  In each situation, the vows are important beyond the mere words we use. We must remember that if we are required by law or we voluntarily choose to take an oath as in marriage, that oath is sacred because we have made it before God. “If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” - Numbers 30:2. These are the words of God Almighty.
    True, an oath taken just to enhance our claims or reputation should never be entertained. But an oath given righteously before God is an oath that must be kept. Will we break our promises from time to time? We’re human; that is why we are called to repent before God and why we must remember that every careless word will be judged. Let our yes mean yes and our no mean no.