Why would God swear an oath?

We serve a God who keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations, who does not lie and who keeps His promises. Many times in Scripture we are reminded of these truths. God wants us to know that we can trust Him. He wants to remind us that He will do what is best for us and will never fail us. He wants us to be fully aware that He is the God who is there who will never leave us or forsake us. Our God says what He means and means what He says.

In Hebrews 6, we are reminded again of the covenants God made with Abraham and with us.

"For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." (v 14-15)


When God made this covenant with Abraham, He swore an oath. Some states have now changed, but until recent years, when a person would testify in court in the United States, they had to swear to "tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God." That oath, in God's Name, was supposed to deter people from lying .


When God swore an oath, He did not swear by His Name, He swore by Himself. Do you see the difference? God didn't just say, "I promise in My Holy Name." He put all of His character, the vastness of His power, the brightness of His glory, the light of His holiness and truth... the sum of who He is on the line for Abraham. It was almost as if God was saying, "If I ever break this oath, I will cease to be." He wanted Abraham to know what He wants us to know. Our God is faithful to the uttermost.


That same passage in Hebrews goes on to explain the surety of God's covenant with us as those who have anchored our lives in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.


"For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." (v. 16-20)


God wants us to see, understand, know and experience the "immutability of his counsel." What He says is unchangeable. His declarations stand for all eternity. His Word abides forever. His promises will endure throughout all time. He wants us to be so fully assured of His faithfulness that He swore an oath with us also. When He covenanted with Abraham, God swore by Himself. When He covenanted with us, the church, He made a double oath: "...that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us..."


What are those two "two immutable (unchanging) things"? The context shows that the first is God the Father, and the second is His Son, "even Jesus, made an high priest for ever." Because He wants so much for us to be fully confident, and fully assured of His love grace, mercy and salvation, God made this double oath with us.. with YOU... with ME. He swore by all that He is and all that His Son is that He will keep us as His own for all eternity. God wants you and me to "lay hold upon the hope set before us."


We have no reason to ever doubt our position, no reason to ever doubt His love, no reason to ever be afraid, no reason to ever feel insecure. Our God gave His only Son for us. Then, He laid everything on the line for you and for me. He put all of His character, the vastness of His power, the brightness of His glory, the light of His holiness and truth... the sum of who He is on the line for you and for me. Then, to give a double emphasis of His great faithfulness, unchangeableness and truthfulness, He didn't stop there. He also put His Son on the line.. all that He is... for you and for me. It is almost as if God is saying, "If I ever break this oath, I will cease to be and My Son will cease to be." He wants you to know and He wants me to know that our God is faithful to the uttermost.


The God who does not change has sworn an unchangeable, double oath to you by "by two immutable things."

You can trust Him in all things.



Dead Sea Sunrise. Photo by Grauesel
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/