Matthew 23: 16-22

Under the Law of Moses oaths and vows were common. God actually delighted in His people making vows, dedicating themselves or that which they owned to the service of the Lord. But these vows were also extremely serious to the Lord. God had the harshest of punishments for those who did not keep their vows. One of the notable examples of vow-keeping is Jeremiah 34. God commended the Rechabites because they were still keeping a vow their great-grandfather had made 150 years previous to their time. He made a vow that his descendants would not build a house, plant a vineyard or any other crop, and not drink wine. His sons were still keeping that oath even though they were living in a time when the whole nation was violating God’s laws. God used the Rechabites as an example of what He desired from His people.
The Pharisees believed in keeping their vows, that is, if the vow was “binding.” At the time of Christ, the Jews had come to the point where they no longer used the name of God in their vows. Instead, they would swear by things that related to God. The Pharisees determined that to swear by some things was not weighty enough to be considered binding. Since the temple was not as valuable as the gold in the temple, simply swearing by the temple was not binding. This they also did with the altar and the gift on the altar, which was considered more valuable. Of course, the Pharisees could trick people into believing they had taken an oath, when to the Pharisee the oath was optional because of the object used in the swearing. But to God, an oath is an oath regardless of any other words used or the object upon which an oath is made.
We must recognize the importance of this principle today. There are two critical vows made in our society: commitment to God and commitment to marriage. Such vows should be seen as a positive part of our lives. By making such promises before God, we are less likely to waver on our commitments when times are hard. We made a promise; we made a vow, and God will judge those who violate those vows (Eccl. 5:1-6).

Berry Kercheville