Lord’s Day 37
Q101. But may we swear an oath in God's name if we do it reverently?
Yes, when the government demands it, or when necessity requires it, in order to maintain and promote truth and trustworthiness for the glory of God and our neighbor's good. Such oaths are approved in God's Word and were rightly used by believers in the Old and New Testaments.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Deuteronomy 6:13
“Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.”
Deuteronomy 10:20
“Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.”
Jeremiah 4:1–2
“If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”
Hebrews 6:16
“For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation to them an end of all strife.”
Genesis 21:24
“And Abraham said, I will swear.”
Joshua 9:15, 19
“And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.”
2 Samuel 3:35
“And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down.”
Romans 1:9
“For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;”
2 Corinthians 1:23
“Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.”
Modernized Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
In the first and second commandments, God shaped the mind and heart for His worship. In the third and fourth, He addresses the outward conduct and actions of the body.
The third commandment has two parts: a prohibition and a threat. It first forbids any rash or thoughtless use of God's name, and indeed every form of abuse of that name, whether through falsehood, vanity, or triviality, whenever such use casts reproach on God or fails to honor His glory. The name of God carries several distinct meanings in Scripture.
1. The attributes of God. "Why is it that you ask after my name?" "Say this to the children of Israel: The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you; this is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered throughout all generations." "The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name" (Gen 32:29; Exod 3:15; 15:3).