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Matthew 5:34
But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all. We all sin with our mouths; and sad to say this sin often takes the shape of not keeping commitments, thus breaking promises and not fulfilling our vows. This can happen when we don't pay our bills on time, when we arrive late for an appointment, or break a resolution …Of course there are times when excuses can be made, but I would say that more often than not, we too easily rationalize our vow breaking with absolving justifications. This has for effect of exponentially multiply the sin, as now we are guilty of lying, deceiving, and making light of Torah commands. Others will see us as hypocrites and we will reap the sad result of losing their trust. The issue of not keeping one's word becomes all the more dreadful for spiritual leaders and teacher, which by the way pertains to every parent. The issue of vow-breaking is so serious in the Tanach that Yeshua advised us to not even make vows (Matthew 5:34), and James taught us to say, "If the Lord wills" (James 4:15). After all, why should we voluntarily and consciously add to our sinful state by making unprayerful vows which we may not be able to keep. Whereas right and wrong cannot be altered, the Father is aware of our human sinful nature. He has therefore provided us with a way out. The Torah teaches that a father or a husband has the right to absolve a vow foolishly made by his daughter or his wife on the day he hears it. This would apply if a daughter of a wife unwisely pledges money, or herself, or even binds herself for too long of a fast or a Nazarite vow which he knows would not be healthy or appropriate at the time for her. The father or husband can then annul the vow, but here is the twist: he will bear the guilt of its breaking, thus, we are introduced to the idea of vicarious suffering for sin (Numbers 30:15). This patristic male approach for the propitiation of the absolution of vows doesn't sit well in our 'modern' western society but we desperately need that Messianic male figure to stand for us and propitiate for our foolish vows. By way of our foolish words, we, the 'Daughter of Jerusalem', or the 'Bride of Messiah', have foolishly pledged ourselves to others and we need someone to free us from the traps of our own foolishness. In that way, the Father gave Messiah all power and authority to bind and to loose us from our sins, but like a debt, sin does not disappear: someone needs to bear the guilt for it. Its annulment still requires payment and in this case the payment is done through the suffering that was laid on Messiah. Every lie (and there are no such things as 'little' or 'white' lies), every broken promise, is an added stripe on the body of Messiah. I am reminded of a mother who couldn't get her son to stop being mean with his mouth. She then decided to have the little boy slap her hand every time he said something bad. At first he thought it was funny, but he loved his mother and he didn't want to hit her all the time, so he stopped being mean with his mouth
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James 3:2
And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. They say that 'communication is the essence of being human'. The truth of this statement is reflected in the fact that like a garden, communication allows for the growth of both good and evil, an attribute that also pertains to our humanity. That is why the way we communicate with each other is very important to God. He who created us demands that we perform quickly not only our vows, but according to all that proceeds out of our mouth (Numbers 30:2). Solomon, the wisest man in the world wrote many proverbs about the benefits and the pitfalls of speech (Proverbs 12:18), and Yeshua, the One wiser than Solomon, told us that we should mean exactly what we say (Matthew 5:37) which means that in essence, we shouldn't use the sarcasm, exaggerations, understatements, or double-speak which all political and commercial advertisements are guilty of. Furthermore, James, the brother of the Master teaches us that one's ability to yield to God is tested by his ability to hold his tongue in subjection to the Spirit of God (James 3:2), and Paul, Yeshua's emissary, teaches that our speech should be 'seasoned with salt, meaning 'gracious' and able to turn the bitter of tasteless into flavor (Colossians 4:6). The apostolic texts tell us quite a bit about the attributes that should be witnessed in the lives of the people allowed to lead (either teaching or worship) in the Congregations of the Master, and honorable and truthful speech seems to be at the top of list. This means no mocking, demeaning, disrespecting, and certainly no use of foul language. It is also the opinion of this writer that these attributes and habits should be an integral part of the private life of any person in a place of spiritual responsibility in the congregations. If their speech is contemptible in private and nice in public, they are just a fake, a sham, and no better than a regular con-man, one who pretends to be something he is not, which is also the definition of a hypocrite; and we know what the Master felt about those! Here is a story to illustrate the point between private and public life. A British soldier was one night caught creeping stealthily back to his quarters from the nearby woods. He was taken before his commanding officer & charged with holding communications with the enemy. The man pleaded that he had gone into the woods to pray by himself. That was his only defense. "Have you been in the habit of spending hours in private prayer?" the officer growled. "Yes, Sir!" "Then down on your knees & pray now!" he roared. "You never needed it so much." Expecting immediate death, the soldier knelt & poured out his soul in prayer, that for eloquence could have been inspired only by the power of the Spirit of God. "You may go," said the officer simply when he had finished. "I believe your story. If you hadn't been often at drill, you couldn't have done so well at review." |
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