Wednesday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on June 21, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 5:33-37 (NKJV)
5:33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
Devotion
“Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” This is a command. No one should think that he has kept this command simply because he has avoided swearing—as though swearing, in and of itself, were the problem. What Jesus forbids is dishonesty; what He commands is truthfulness.
One little word ought to carry the same weight for you as an oath. You should never say “yes” or “no” unless you mean it and intend to do what you have said. If you do that, you will never need to swear. On the other hand, he who feels the need to swear unnecessarily is dishonest, because his simple word is not good enough to be trusted. For the same reason, do not require others to swear to you. Whether they say “yes” or “no”, honor it and hold them to it. In this way, you respect them and you teach the dishonest man to take his own word seriously.
Christ commands this of us because that is how God Himself works. Every word of Scripture is true and trustworthy, whether God chooses to add an oath or not. Therefore, we have confidence in the forgiveness of sins for the sake of Christ, because God has promised this and God’s Word cannot be broken.
Prayer: O Lord, Who never failest to help and govern those whom Thou dost bring up in Thy steadfast fear and love: Make us to have a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
