Tammuz 15
Promises, Promises
“… who stands by his oath even to
his hurt.” (Ps
15:4 The Jewish Study Bible, ©2004 Oxford University Press)
The word
that has been translated as ‘oath’ is the Hebrew word shâba‛ (Strong’s H7650), and has also been translated as ‘swear’,
which is what we do when we take an oath.
Inter twined in the word shâba‛ is also the number seven, suggesting that an oath
was repeated seven times, revealing the seriousness of said oath. This same word shâba‛ is found
in Gen 25:33, concerning the birthright which Esau sold to Jacob, where “Yaʽaqoḇ said, “Swear
to me today.” And he swore to him,
and sold his birthright to Yaʽaqoḇ.” This occasion in Genesis is also a good
example of the seriousness of this type of oath, one that must be kept even to
the point of loss.
How does that apply to us today? My (natural) father would frequently tell me
that “a person is only as good as their word”, a saying that I never fully
understood until I came into Torah. Our
word is our promise, our bond, a type of oath, if you will. When we fail to perform what we have said we
were going to do, we become, in essence, a liar and an oath-breaker. When we give our word, it usually refers to
some type of action – I will come to your house, I will pay you on the 15th,
I will call you tomorrow – that we have promised (given our word) to do. When we fail to follow through on that
promise, our word is no longer reliable, and is not easily trusted.
My father also believed that there were four
fundamental classes of liars: your local
weatherman, any politician currently in office, a used car salesman, and those
not in any of these three categories. But
let us stop and think about it; how many horror stories have we heard through
the years of people buying a used vehicle – reported to be in perfect working
condition – only to have said vehicle spend more time in the repair shop than
on the road? Was the salesman who sold
that vehicle trustworthy?
Brethren, please, stop and think about what you
are giving your word to, about what you are agreeing to do. Your word is your bond, your oath, and it is
witnessed by the ears of the Father.
Even if it becomes difficult and inconvenient to fulfill a word given,
every attempt must be made to do
so. Remember the parable our Messiah taught us: “‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy
over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Mat 25:21, emphasis mine)
“Turn to Me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth! For I am Ěl, and there is none else. I have SWORN BY
MYSELF, a word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and SHALL NOT RETURN,
so that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear.” (Isa 45:22-23 ISR, emphasis mine)
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