Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exodus 20:16)1
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”–Mark Twain
Vows, Oaths, and Our Every Word
…This is the thing which YHWH2 hath commanded. If a man vow a vow unto YHWH, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. (Numbers 30:1-2)
Not only are we commanded to fulfill everything we vow or swear to, we are to heed every word that proceeds from our mouths. The average person today – even the average Christian3 – has little regard for keeping his word. Scripture reveals that people who cannot be trusted to keep their word in the smallest of matters are unlikely to be trustworthy in weightier matters:
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (Luke 16:10)
If a person cannot be trusted, for example, to be where he says he is going to be at the time he says he will be there, he probably cannot to be trusted regarding anything else he guarantees or swears to.
Consequently, from a long-range perspective, the smallest matters bear the greatest weight in establishing a track record and proving a person’s trustworthiness for greater tasks. In other words, it is often the little things that matter most.
…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matthew 12:34-37)
Praise Yahweh for His grace and mercy because none of us is able to keep his word perfectly. Nonetheless, perfection should be our goal, something we drill into our children, first by example and then by instruction.
A Disturbing Trend
It is disturbing how little the keeping of their word means even to many Christians. Let me provide you with an example from our ministry.
Every person who signs up for our cassette tape and CD lending ministry receives with their first mailing of tapes or CDs a copy of our policy (which is also found on our web page and on the back of our Tape and CD lists). It reads: “You can be a part of Mission to Israel’s tape or CD ministry. Every two weeks you will receive two current messages. Listen and return them at no charge; you need only pay the return postage at library rate. Those who regularly support this ministry need not return the tapes or CDs. If you wish to purchase the tapes or CDs, a $4 offering per tape or CD is requested. In keeping with 2 Corinthians 9:7, this ministry is supported by freewill offerings. Although there is a suggested price for our tapes and CDs, we do not sell them. Therefore, if you cannot afford the suggested price, simply inform us of your situation and we will be pleased to provide you with whatever you need for whatever you can send.”
Anyone who signs up for these ministries can fulfill his word in one of three ways, including informing us that they cannot afford the postage to return the tapes or CDs. Even with this proviso, an extremely small percentage of people fulfill the agreement in any of the three ways.
Even worse, during the approximately twenty years during which we have provided these ministries, I have noticed an even more disturbing trend: those who actually write to inform me they are going to support the ministry are often the least likely to do so. Conversely, those whose word is their bond, usually allow their actions rather than their words to speak for them. Their yea is yea and their nay is nay, as demonstrated chiefly by their actions. This principle is found in Ecclesiastes 5:
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. (Ecclesiastes 5:5)
This reveals a serious problem among Christians, whose word, vows, oaths, and agreements ought to be as good as gold. Solomon does not mince words:
Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him. (Proverbs 29:20)
Your Word, Your Bond
Numbers 30:2 declares, “If a man … swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word….” This is where the saying “his word is his bond” originated. Such a person’s word is his guarantee, and his word is so reliable, so honorable, that he does not need to guarantee it with anything more than his word – his word is his bond!
This statement should characterize everyone who claims the name Christian. Our word should be so dependable that should we fail to show up for an appointment without phoning to alert the other party of delays, the most likely conclusion would be that we were injured or killed en route.
It is a double standard for us to point an accusatory finger at politicians who fail to keep their word when ours is no better. Hypocrisy is one of the sins the Apostle Paul warned us against in his epistle to the Romans:
For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified…. Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts…. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Yeshua4 Christ according to my gospel…. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?... For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. (Romans 2:13-24)
Your Word, Your Reputation, Your Name
This is no trivial matter. Our word is a reflection of our character, our character determines our reputation, and our reputation – good or bad – reflects upon our name. Solomon commented on the immeasurable worth of a good name:
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches…. (Proverbs 22:1)
If you wish to have a good name with others, you need to begin by making sure your word is your bond, even on the smallest of matters. Anything less is a transgression of the Ninth Commandment, as described in Numbers 30:2. Conversely, Yahweh delights in the person whose word is his bond:
Lying lips are abomination to YHWH: but they that deal truly are his delight. (Proverbs 12:22)
In Yeshua’s Name
Someone might point out that Numbers 30 is describing someone who takes a vow or an oath, swearing in the name of Yahweh. This is a good point – if you are not a Christian:
…whatsoever ye [Christians] do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:17)
If we claim to be a Christian, everything we do is done in His name. Everything we do and say represents the King whose name we wear and whose ambassadors we are. Consequently, a case could be made that every time we are not true to our word, we not only transgress the Ninth Commandment, but the Third Commandment5 as well:
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am YHWH. (Leviticus 19:12)
Strong’s Concordance provides the following definition for the Hebrew word chalal, translated “profane”:
…a primitive root … properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one’s word)….6
According to Paul in Romans 2:24 and the Prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:14, any time we break one of Yahweh’s commandments – particularly while under His name – we give His enemies cause to blaspheme Him.
Jerome, the 5th-century Christian apologist and translator of the Latin Vulgate, is quoted as saying, “Consider your every word an oath.” I will add to that: Consider your every word an oath in Yahweh’s or Yeshua’s name. This is how seriously we should consider our own word and what we should be able to expect from a brother or sister in Christ.
When thou shalt vow a vow unto YHWH thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for YHWH thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto YHWH thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. (Deuteronomy 23:21-23)
1. All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. Portions of Scripture have been omitted for brevity’s sake. If you have any questions regarding a passage, please open your Bible and study the text to ensure it has been properly used.
2. Where the Tetragrammaton – the four Hebrew characters transliterated “YHWH” and representing the personal name of God – has been incorrectly rendered the LORD or GOD in Scripture, I have taken the liberty to correct this error by inserting YHWH. A more thorough explanation concerning the use of the names of God, “The Third Commandment,” may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/3rdcom-pt1.php or the book Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy God in vain, may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.*
3. Not everyone claiming to be a Christian has been properly instructed in the Biblical plan of salvation. Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:36-41, 22:1-16, Romans 6:3-4, Galatians 3:26-27, Colossians 2:11-13, and 1 Peter 3:21 should be studied in order to understand what is required to be covered by the blood of Yeshua and forgiven of your sins. A more thorough explanation concerning baptism and its relationship to salvation, “Baptism by the Scriptures” and “Fifty Objections to Baptism Answered,” may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/baptismbythescriptures.php and www.missiontoisrael.org/objectionstobaptismanswered.php, or the book Baptism: All You Wanted to Know and More may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for free.
4. Yeshua is the English transliteration of our Savior’s Hebrew name. A more thorough explanation concerning the use of the names of God, “The Third Commandment,” may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/3rdcom-pt1.php or the book Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy God in vain may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.*
5. A more thorough explanation concerning the Third Commandment may be read at www.missiontoisrael.org/3rdcom-pt1.php, or the book Thou shalt not take the name of Yahweh thy God in vain may be ordered from Mission to Israel Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for a suggested $4 donation.*
6. James Strong, “Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary,” The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, s.v. “chalal” (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990) p. 39.
*In keeping with 2 Corinthians 9:7, this ministry is supported by freewill offerings. We are admonished in Matthew 10:8 that “freely ye have received, freely give.” Therefore, we will be pleased to provide you with whatever you need for whatever you can send.
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