This blog post is adapted from the sermon: How should the speech of God’s people be described?
In 2018, Mickey Barreto began living in Manhattan’s historic New Yorker Hotel, once frequented by figures like Muhammad Ali and Nikola Tesla. Barreto claimed his $200 payment for a one-night stay granted him tenant rights under New York’s housing laws. When the hotel’s owners missed a critical court hearing, he argued they couldn’t legally evict him despite not paying rent. He even went so far as to forge a deed transferring ownership of the hotel to himself. Eventually, he was charged with multiple counts of fraud, but due to being deemed mentally unfit for trial, he was placed under psychiatric care.
In a world where loopholes and half-truths have become commonplace, Jesus calls His followers to a higher standard. As we continue through the Sermon on the Mount, we discover what it means to be citizens of God’s kingdom, particularly in how we speak.
What Does the Bible Say About Making Vows?
Jesus begins by addressing what His listeners had been taught: “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows or your oaths. You must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.'” This teaching comes from several Old Testament passages, including Numbers 30:2 and Deuteronomy 23:21.
In the Old Testament, making a vow meant calling on something greater than yourself to verify the seriousness of your promise. Most often, people would make vows using God’s name because there is no one greater than Him. By doing so, they would “fence in” that promise, adding surety to it.
Hebrews 6:16 explains it well: “When people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question, that oath is binding.”
Why Did God Allow People to Make Vows?
God permitted His people to make vows because He knows our human tendency to lie or break promises. By calling on His name, people were inviting God to be a witness to their agreement and to bring consequences if they broke their word.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see examples of God’s people making vows:
- Abraham made a vow to Abimelech.
- Abraham’s servant made a vow to find a wife for Isaac.
- In Nehemiah 10, the people bound themselves with an oath to obey God’s law.
Even God Himself made vows, swearing by His name since no one is greater. In Genesis 22:16-17, God says to Abraham: “I swear by my own name, I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number…”
How Did the Religious Leaders Misuse Vows?
By Jesus’ time, the religious leaders had found loopholes in this practice. They figured that if they didn’t use God’s name directly but instead swore by the temple, the altar, Jerusalem, or even their own head, they could make promises that seemed weighty but weren’t binding if broken.
Jesus exposed this hypocrisy in Matthew 23:16-22, pointing out how ridiculous it was to think that swearing by the gold in the temple was binding but swearing by the temple itself was not. He reminded them that everything ultimately belongs to God – the temple, the altar, heaven, earth, and even Jerusalem.
What Does Jesus Teach About Our Speech?
Jesus offers a simple but profound solution: “Just say a simple yes, I will, or no, I won’t. Anything beyond this is from the evil one.”
Instead of relying on oaths to make our words trustworthy, Jesus calls us to be people whose every word carries integrity. We should say what we mean and mean what we say. Our speech should reflect the character of the God of truth whom we serve.
This means:
- No loopholes in our speech
- No half-truths
- No “white lies”
- Only honest, dependable words
How Does This Apply to Our Daily Lives?
This teaching has practical implications for every area of our lives:
- In business: Offer fair prices, be transparent with customers and employees, and avoid manipulative promises.
- As parents: Choose words carefully and avoid exaggerated promises to pacify children.
- As students: Be honest in academics and with your parents.
- In friendships: Don’t speak kindly to someone’s face while gossiping behind their back.
- On social media: Post content that honors and points others to the Lord.
Even in casual conversation, we should be truthful. If someone is talking about something we don’t understand, we should humbly admit our ignorance rather than pretend to know.
What Happens When We Fall Short?
We sometimes fail to keep our word. When this happens, we need the humility to seek forgiveness from both God and those to whom we broke our promises. May we also ask God to help us to continually become people whose speech reflects the character of His truthfulness more and more.
Life Application
This week, examine your speech patterns. Are you someone whose word can be trusted? Do people need you to add “I promise” or “I swear” to believe what you say, or does your reputation for truthfulness speak for itself?
Consider these questions:
- In what situations am I most tempted to exaggerate or tell half-truths?
- How can I better reflect God’s character of truthfulness in my everyday conversations?
- Is there someone I’ve broken my word to whom I need to seek forgiveness from?
- Am I willing to memorize Psalm 51:6? Doing so will equip you to fight the temptation of not speaking with complete integrity in certain situations.
Remember, we worship “God, who does not lie” (Titus 1:2). As His followers, our speech should reflect His character. When people interact with us, they should walk away thinking, “That’s someone whose word I can trust.”
Let’s commit to being people whose every word carries the weight of integrity so that we accurately represent our truthful God to a world desperately in need of honesty.
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