APRIL 11
MATTHEW 5:34_But I say unto you swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne.
Psalm 15 lists several creation principles everyone should live by – especially salty-lit-up disciples. The last part of verse 4 (KJV) says, “He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” If you make a promise and in the long run it turns out to be something bigger than you thought, or cost more money that you expected – keep your promise. Psalm 15 says even if it hurts, keep your word.
In His New Covenant teaching Jesus transforms the old law about swearing – don’t swear at all! A practice in the Hebrew culture in that day was to swear by something. The more important the something was, the more emphasis on the oath. Jesus targets that system.
Perhaps the thought was you could get by without keeping your word if you didn’t swear by God’s name. If you swore by God you had to keep your word. As usual, Jesus looks beyond man’s plans on how to get by without keeping His creation principles. Jesus sees a loophole. He plans to plug it!
If you made a promise by heaven but did not mention God’s name Jesus says, heaven is God’s throne. The two are inseparable.
This sounds a lot like the murder and the anger, and the looking and the lust.
PRAYER
True God, I don’t want to look for loopholes in Your teachings. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
Christ plugs loopholes—I need Him to plug mine!
The Works of Her Hands 