Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.
Heavenly Father, you are the God of truth.
! Heavenly Father, you are the God of truth.
!
That we might be transformed to be more Christ-like in our truth-telling and in our bearing witness to the truth of the gospel.
So, Lord, now meet with us and give us the humility that we need and the faith that we need to hear your word.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
If you are able, please stand for the reading of God's word to honor God who has spoken to us in his word.
Matthew 5, 33-37.
Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old,
You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.
But I say to you,
Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.
And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
Let what you say be simply yes or no.
Anything more than this comes from evil.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
Please be seated.
Just to remind you, we've been on a three-week hiatus from the book of Matthew,
but we are returning to the series, and we are in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount,
which is the largest block, or the first block, of Jesus' five major bodies of teaching in the book of Matthew.
And this passage comes on the heels of Jesus' teaching about murder, and adultery, and divorce.
And after talking about such heavy topics, the topic of breaking an oath or swearing falsely may seem,
or in short, to summarize it, lying, might seem somewhat trivial to many of us.
After all, don't we all take it for granted that whoever tells you that he never lies is lying?
But this is no trivial topic.
Revelation 21.8 tells us that as for all liars,
their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
It is a matter of life and death, what we talk about.
It's a matter of heaven and hell.
Well, God takes lying very seriously because he describes himself as the God of truth in Isaiah 65.16.
He says the sum of his word is truth in Psalm 119.160.
He says he never lies in Titus 1.2.
In contrast, John 8.55 calls the devil a liar and a father of lies.
So people who lie are acting like the devil and not like God.
They are betraying their true paternity.
That they belong not to God the Father, but to the father of lies.
That alone is enough reason to pay utmost attention to this passage.
But there are still more reasons why Jesus' teaching on this subject matter is so important.
A few weeks ago, when we were talking about verses 27 to 32,
we addressed how pervasive adultery and divorce are in our world and in our society.
And how they are eroding the foundation of our society by breaking and destroying marriages.
And breaking families apart.
That's all true.
And that's still a very pervasive sin.
But I would argue that breaking oaths and swearing falsely is an even more pervasive sin.
Because if you think about it, every single instance of adultery,
every single instance of divorce is an instance of oath-breaking.
Because a man and a woman enter into the covenant of marriage by making vows to one another.
In the name of God,
I shone, take you, Hannah, to be my wife,
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish,
until death do us part.
This is my solemn vow.
If everyone kept their marriage vows,
there would be no adultery.
There would be no divorce.
I have a friend who is in the middle of
pursuing a wife who is in ongoing adultery.
And even though it is well past the point
where most men would have abandoned the project altogether,
he continues to pray for his wife and pursue reconciliation.
Why?
He often repeats the same words.
I made a vow.
It's not a coincidence that this passage comes immediately
after the passage about divorce.
But breaking oaths and swearing falsely
goes far beyond marriage vows.
How many witnesses have gone to court
and have said with their right hand up in the air,
I do solemnly swear that the testimony I shall give
is the truth, to be the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth.
Only afterward to perjure themselves
and bear false witness against their neighbors
so that the innocent are punished and the wicked are freed.
How many healthcare professionals
have taken the Hippocratic oath,
swearing that they will do no harm,
and yet have over-prescribed opioids,
performed unnecessary procedures for profit?
How many of them have played God
in taking life and not merely saving life?
How many of them have abused sedated patients
who are entrusted to their care,
as some of our own members have experienced?
How many politicians and public servants,
after taking an oath to uphold the Constitution
and faithfully execute their duties,
invoking the name of God,
saying, so help me God,
have violated those very commitments
and been impeached
or have been forced to resign?
How many journalists have signed on
to the journalist's creeds,
affirming that the public journal
is a public trust,
and that they are trustees for the public
and agree to pursue accuracy and fairness
in all their work,
only to spread willingly or unknowingly
or unknowingly false
or misleading information to the public?
It's no wonder that in 2018,
the Edelman Trust Barometer reported
a record-breaking 37-point drop
in public trust across all U.S. institutions.
According to 2024 reports,
60% of people in the U.S.
worry that journalists and reporters
are purposely trying to mislead people
by saying things they know
are false or gross exaggerations.
60%.
70% of them worry that government leaders
are doing the same.
Public trust has eroded so much
that we now have dedicated fact-checkers,
PolitiFact, FactCheck.org,
Snopes, Reuters, FactCheck.
But because these fact-checkers
also tend to be biased
and share misleading information,
now we have fact-checkers
of fact-checkers.
Like Media Bias slash Fact Check,
International Fact-Checking Network,
AllSides.com,
which I am sure does not include all sides.
Yeah.
In such an age,
Jesus teaches us to be set apart
from the world.
He tells us to be simple truth-tellers
who need no oaths.
I'm going to talk about this important passage
in three parts.
First, keep your oath.
Second, take no oath.
And then third, remember God's oath.
First, Jesus addresses the Old Testament command
to keep the vows one makes to God
in verse 33.
Again,
you have heard that it was said
to those of old,
you shall not swear falsely,
but shall perform to the Lord
what you have sworn.
Many Old Testament passages
deal with this subject
of swearing by God's name.
It's connected to the third
of the Ten Commandments
in Exodus 20.
It says,
You shall not take the name
of the Lord your God in vain,
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless
who takes his name in vain.
Jesus is here addressing two related issues.
First is making a vow to God.
Second is swearing an oath.
We see the distinction of those two things,
a vow and an oath,
in Numbers chapter 30 verse 2.
It says,
If a man vows a vow to the Lord
or swears an oath
to bind himself by a pledge,
he shall not break his word.
He shall do according to all
that proceeds out of his mouth.
When you make a vow,
you make a solemn promise to God
saying that you will perform
a certain action.
When you take an oath,
you're making a solemn promise
or a statement to someone else,
to another person,
while invoking the name of God
and to undergird your statement,
to basically boost and bolster your statement.
I vow to give half of my possessions to you,
oh God.
That's a vow.
You're promising to God
something that you will do.
When your professor is questioning
the authenticity of your paper,
and then you say,
I swear to God that I wrote this paper
and not ChatGPT.
And if that's not true,
then I can fail all my classes.
That's swearing an oath,
invoking the name of God
to prove the veracity of a statement
that you are making.
So technically,
these two things are distinct,
swearing an oath
and making a vow.
However,
Jesus is addressing both of those things
because they're intimately related
and at the heart of it,
they're the same.
The Old Testament repeatedly taught
that one must pay what one vowed.
It says,
it is better that you should not vow
than that you should vow and not pay,
Ecclesiastes 5, 4 to 6.
In fact,
Deuteronomy 23,
21 to 23 says,
that the Lord your God
will surely require the vow of you
and you will be guilty of sin.
Why does God take oaths so seriously?
Isaiah 65, 16
specifically commands us
only to swear by the name of God,
by the God of truth
because his name,
he's the unchanging God,
he's the eternal God,
he's the God who is truth itself
and therefore his name is the only one
that can really undergird an oath.
So Leviticus 19, 12 says,
you shall not swear by my name falsely
and so profane the name of your God.
I am the Lord.
To take an oath in God's name
and to not keep it
is to declare by your actions
that God is a liar.
To make an oath and to not keep it
is to declare by your actions
that God does not keep his promises,
that God's name,
that his reputation
is now marred by that sin.
And that's why the Old Testament saints
took swearing
and keeping their vows so seriously.
Psalm 15, 4,
I've mentioned this in Ecclesiastes,
describes the person
who walks blamelessly before God
as one who swears to his own hurt
and does not change.
Meaning that this person,
a godly person,
a righteous person
would rather suffer personal loss
than break his word.
not keep his word.
How many people like that do you know
in this day and age?
More often people break their promises
and say,
oh, I'm sorry.
My circumstances changed.
And by those statements,
we betray the reality
that our words are only as good
as our uncontrollable,
ever-changing circumstances.
But God delights in the person
who swears to his own hurt
and does not change.
And for that reason,
it's also a grave mistake
and a sin to swear
and to take an oath rashly
in a circumstance
where you should not be taking an oath.
The Bible includes
several cautionary tales for us,
perhaps most notoriously
in Judges 11, 30 to 39.
Jephthah, a judge,
an Israeli judge,
makes a vow to the Lord saying,
if you help me defeat the Ammonites,
you know,
when I return home to celebrate,
whatever comes out the door
of my house first,
I will offer to you
as a burnt offering.
Man,
I don't know what the guy was thinking.
What was he expecting,
I wonder,
to come out of his house
to greet him?
I hope he had a dog.
You know,
I'm sorry if you love dogs
because what happened
is much,
much worse.
Out comes his daughter,
his only daughter,
his only child,
a virgin maiden.
And this guy,
he's the judge of Israel,
being the proud man that he is
and being a bad father that he is,
actually sacrifices her.
If you break the oath,
you break the third commandment.
If you keep the oath,
you break the sixth commandment.
He should have never
put himself in that situation.
In Joshua 9,
the Israelites bind themselves
with an oath
not to go war
against the Gibeonites,
not knowing that Gibeonites
are actually
a neighboring
nation
in the land of Canaan
that God has commanded them
to drive out of Canaan.
So now,
if they keep the oath
that they made,
they
sin,
break the commandment of God.
If they break the oath,
they also sin.
And break the commandment of God.
A lose-lose situation
that they should have never been in
if they had not made a rash vow.
1 Samuel 14,
24-30,
King Saul is leading the Israelites
in charge against the Philistines.
And his son,
Jonathan,
leads the charge
and wins the dim,
the lone bright spot
in their long war.
It was Jonathan's victory
over these Philistines.
But Saul,
in his overzealousness
and foolishness,
makes a vow saying,
anyone who eats anything
before I avenge myself
on my enemies
shall die.
And they are surrounded
by the spoils
from their enemy
that they could feast upon
and to strengthen themselves
and to go on to war.
Honey is dripping out of trees
and they're just,
everybody's just staring
and not eating.
And they are faint
and they are unable
to win a great victory
because of that rash vow.
And not only that,
Jonathan is unaware
that his dad
has made such a vow
and then he takes some honey
and eats it
so that Saul nearly kills him
until it says
in 1 Samuel 14, 45,
that the people of Israel
ransomed Jonathan
with their own oath
saying,
as the Lord lives,
there shall not one hair
of his head
fall to the ground
for he has worked
with God this day.
It was an oath
that Saul should have
never taken.
All that to say,
Old Testament takes
taking oaths
very seriously
and it does not
prohibit oath taking
but it does demand
oath keeping
once it's taken.
Why then does Jesus
command us
in the following verses
not to take an oath
at all?
That's my second point.
Take no oath.
Jesus once again
contrasts his own
teaching from that
of the traditional
Jewish understanding
of God's word.
In verses 33 to 34,
he says,
Again,
you have heard
that it was said
to those of old,
you shall not swear falsely
but shall perform
to the Lord
what you have sworn.
But I say to you,
do not take an oath
at all.
Jesus is again
positioning himself
as the divine law giver
because after all,
who can give such
a definitive,
authoritative take
on the law of God
overturning
millennia of legal precedents
and theological tradition.
Remember in chapter 5,
verse 17 to 20,
Jesus gave a definitive judgment
of the Old Testament law.
He said,
I have not come
to abolish the law
but to fulfill the law.
For I tell you,
unless your righteousness
exceeds that of the scribes
and the Pharisees,
you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven.
And then,
as we've been in,
as we've been seeing
in the following six passages
after that,
Jesus gives a series
of six contrasts.
You have heard
that it was said
to the people of old
but I say to you,
contrasts,
six illustrations
to show
the inadequate righteousness
of the Pharisees
and the scribes
and to show
the true righteousness
that God demands
that exceeds
that of the Pharisees
and the scribes.
But this still raises
the question,
doesn't God actually
command his people
to take an oath
in the Old Testament?
He does.
In Exodus 20 to 11,
in Numbers 5,
19 to 22,
he commands his people
to take oaths
in certain situations.
So then,
isn't Jesus contradicting
and abolishing
the law of God?
I don't think
that is the case.
The situation is similar
to the preceding passage
about divorce
in verses 31 and 32.
God did make
a provision
in the scriptures
for divorce
in the Old Testament
but as Jesus teaches
later on
in Matthew 19,
verse 8,
this was a concession
to the people's
hardness of heart.
It was not
God's original idea
for people to divorce.
God's standard,
his ideal,
is that a man
and a woman marry
and they're married
for life
until death
do them part.
Divorce is only
a temporary provision
for a broken
and fallen world.
It's intended
to mitigate
human evil,
to constrain
human evil,
not to establish
the divine standard.
In our country,
disclosing classified
information is illegal
if you work
for the federal government.
however,
at the same time,
there is
the Whistleblower
Protection Act
which allows
federal government
employees to disclose
classified information
as long as
it is intended
to expose
government corruption.
Two seemingly
contradictory laws
exist.
One says you cannot
disclose
classified information,
one says you can
and should disclose
classified information.
why do those
laws exist?
Not because
it's good
or it's right
that you should be
leaking classified
information,
but because it's
taking into account
the fact that
humans are fallen
and some officials
are corrupted
and so there needs
to be some provision
to account for
that reality.
Similarly,
oaths were
instituted by God
to contain
and minimize
the damage
done by human
failure and lies.
humans are
deceptive
and untrustworthy
so often
that it was
necessary
to create
the oath
system
to ensure
that in certain
very dire
grave circumstances
people
tell the truth.
Vows and oaths
therefore
are concessions
to the hardness
of the human art
not commands
or the ideals
that capture
God's ultimate standard.
So Jesus is here
bringing us back
to God's
original
ultimate standard
in verses 34
to 37.
But I say to you
do not take an oath
at all
either by heaven
for it is the throne
of God
or by the earth
for it is his footstool
or by Jerusalem
for it is the city
of the great king
and do not take
an oath by your head
for you cannot make
one hair
white or black.
Let what you say
be simply
yes or no
anything more than this
comes from evil.
Because the Jews
of Jesus' day
took rightly
took oaths
very seriously
they were hesitant
to invoke God's name
directly when they
were making vows.
However
they wrongly believed
that by taking oaths
by sacred things
that are not quite
as sacred
as the name of God
they could get themselves
off the hook
without consequence
from oaths
that they have made.
I swear
by heaven itself
that this snake oil
that I'm selling
to you
will heal you
of all your diseases
because it was
blessed by the priest.
Some
faithful
well-meaning
layperson
buys the snake oil
applies it
and it does nothing.
and he comes back
to the religious leader
and says
you swore
by God's name
that this thing works
and then he says
oh no
you see
I did not swear
by God's name.
Actually
if you might recall
accurately
I swore
by heaven
which is not
the same thing
as swearing
by God's name.
Same difference.
No, no, no
you see
I'm the teacher
of the law
and there's
a very big difference.
Heaven is part
of God's creation.
God is the creator.
Have you ever heard
of the creator
creature distinction?
No, no, no, no, no.
That's heresy
that's blasphemy.
Get out of here
you have no case
to make against me.
Jesus gives an example
of this kind of
specious rationalization
by the religious leaders
in Matthew 23
16 to 17.
He says
woe to you
blind guides
who say
if anyone swears
by the temple
it is nothing
but if anyone
swears by the gold
of the temple
he is bound
by his oath.
You blind fools
for which is greater
the gold
or the temple
that has made
the gold sacred.
It's really no different
from the social swearing
that people engage
in nowadays.
If you go hang out
at the playground
where the kids
are playing
you can overhear
things like this.
I swear
that I have
that super rare
Pokemon card.
I swear
I can do
a cartwheel.
I'm just
not going to do it
right now.
because I'm injured.
And then
when they're exposed
to be a fraud
they say
I bet you didn't know
that I had my fingers
crossed in the back.
It doesn't really work.
It's not binding.
That's
essentially
what these religious
leaders were doing.
The Jews
were swearing
by heaven
by Jerusalem
and by their own head
thinking that they could
break these oaths
with indemnity
while still
using them
to manipulate people
into believing them
and trusting them
and doing what they
want them to do.
And Jesus
tells them
no
heaven
is the throne
of God.
And if you swear
by heaven
you swear by heaven
and the God
who sits
on his throne.
if you swear
by the earth
it is God's
footstool
as it says
in Isaiah
and you swear
by the footstool
and the one
who rests
his foot on it.
If you swear
by Jerusalem
it is the city
of the great king
the Lord's anointed
and you swear
by the great city
and the king
the anointed
and the Lord
in whose name
he was anointed.
in fact
don't even swear
by your head.
You know people think
with my own head
at least I have
responsibility for this
I can swear
by my own head
and Jesus says
no
you cannot even make
one strand of hair
white or black.
Dyeing doesn't count.
Yes.
You think
you're responsible
for your own head
no you are not.
God is responsible
for your life.
God is responsible
for your head.
God is the one
who has every hair
on your head
numbered
and when you swear
by your own head
you swear by your head
and the God
who makes it
and sustains it.
In other words
don't think
that you could
wiggle your way
out of the promises
you make
and the oaths
you make.
Keep every oath
you make.
Better yet
as Jesus says
in verse 37
let what you say
be simply
yes or no
anything more than this
comes from evil.
Vows and oaths
like I said earlier
are concessions
to the hardness
of the human heart.
If we
if all of humanity
practiced
transparency
and simple honesty
in all of our speech
and dealings
then vows
and oaths
would immediately
become obsolete.
That is
God's
ultimate
standard.
This is why
I think
Jesus' teaching
here applies
far widely
to all forms
of deception
and manipulation
because why
do we
swear falsely?
Why do we
make promises
and vows
and then break them?
Why do we
exaggerate
and embellish
our stories?
Why do we
flatter people
and say things
we don't really mean
to gain their
confidence
and trust
and favor?
Why do we
betray people
who have
entrusted to us
their confidence
and secrets?
Why do we
tell half-truths
or half-truth
told as a
whole truth
is a whole lie?
We do it all
to gain a selfish
advantage.
To get people
to believe us.
to get people
to like us
and not them.
To get people
to do what
we want
them to do.
And all of this
God says
is evil
in his eyes.
Instead
be simple
truth tellers
who need
no oath
to verify
his or her
speech.
Let what you
say be simply
yes
or no.
this raises
two questions
that require
some
qualification.
First question
is there ever
a situation
where it is
okay
not to be
fully factual?
Second
is there ever
a situation
where it is
okay
to take
an oath
say in the
courtroom?
First
is there ever
a situation
where it is
okay
not to be
fully factual?
I think
the Bible
demands
that we
answer
yes
to that
question.
Because there
are numerous
examples
in scripture
of godly
saints
being commended
for misleading
speech.
The Hebrew
midwives
in Exodus
chapter 1
misled
Pharaoh.
The Pharaoh
commands them
to kill
every Jewish
son that is
born.
And they're
like oh
no no no
we can't
why aren't
you guys
killing them?
And they're
like oh
no no
these Jewish
women are
so vigorous
they give
birth before
we can get
there to do
anything about
it.
you know
and it
says that
God
blessed
them for
that
and gave
them their
own families
because they
feared God.
Rahab the
prostitute
shelters
and hides
the Israeli
spies in
Jericho
and deceives
the king
of Jericho
about their
whereabouts
in Joshua
chapter 2
verses 1
to 7.
you might
wonder
well
God
doesn't
command
that
does
he?
Was that
still
the
wrong
thing
to do?
No
because it
says in
Hebrews 11
31
it commands
her for
that very
act
and calls
her a
woman of
faith.
There are
contexts
During the
conquest of
Canaan
when God
orders an
ambush
which is a
form of
military
deception
jail
deceives
the Canaanite
general
Sisera
in
judges
God
develops
a cover
story
for
prophet
Samuel
to tell
King
Saul
because
he
knows
that
King
Saul
is going
to try
to kill
him
if he
knows
that
Samuel
is going
to anoint
David
as king
to replace
him.
David
uses deception
on a number
of occasions
to protect
himself from
enemies who
are trying
to kill
him.
God
himself
speaks
of deceiving
false
prophets
in Ezekiel
14
verse 9
he says
he sends
a lying
spirit
so that
false
prophets
side
lies
in
1 Kings
22
19
to 23
and
finally
in
2 Thessalonians
chapter 2
verse 11
God
says
that
he sends
the wicked
who refuse
to love
the truth
and so
be saved
a strong
delusion
so that
they may
believe
what is
false
so
evidently
obeying
God's
commandment
not to
lie
is not
merely
about
being
factually
accurate
in this
regard
God
clearly
deals
with
the
wicked
differently
than
he
deals
with
the
righteous
and
sometimes
he
wants
the
righteous
people
to
mislead
the
unrighteous
to
thwart
their evil
but isn't that
a double
standard
how is that
okay
this is not
a double
standard
because
God
is the
standard
of truth
God
is the
Lord
God
declares
I
the
Lord
speak
the
truth
I
declare
what
is
right
God
says
God
is the
ultimate
standard
and
arbiter
of
truth
he
is the
ultimate
source
and the
measure
of
truth
because
he
is the
creator
and the
Lord
of
this
universe
we
do
not
measure
God
according
to
the
abstract
truth
no
God
is
the
truth
by which
we
measure
all
other
claims
to
truth
this
is why
Bible
declares
over and
over again
that
all
of
God's
word
is
truth
and
all
of
God's
deeds
are
in
accordance
with
the
truth
of
who
he
is
so
God's
concern
with
lying
is
not
merely
about
making
sure
that we
say
what
is
factually
accurate
but
making
sure
that we
live
and
speak
and
do
everything
in
accordance
with
God
who
is
the
truth
so
it
says
in
1
John
1
verse
6
if
we
say
we
have
fellowship
with
him
while
we
walk
in
darkness
we
lie
and
do
not
practice
the
truth
this
is
why
in
some
situations
even
truth
telling
can
be
sinful
1
Samuel
22
7
to
10
Doeg
the
Edomite
sees
David
being provided
for in the
temple by
the priest
and later
when King
Saul is
interrogating
his servants
nobody
speaks
to
betray
David
except
for
Doeg
the
Edomite
he tells
the king
the whole
truth
so that he
can find out
where David
is and
pursue him
and that
is not
portrayed
as a
godly
thing
it
is
sin
it
is
portrayed
in that
part of
scripture
as a
wicked
thing
why
because he
was going
against
the God
of truth
he's going
against
the will
of God
so what
is of
the essence
here
is not
merely
accurate
factual
reporting
but what
is it
that is
in your
heart
for out
of the
abundance
of the
heart
the mouth
speaks
out of
the heart
come
evil
thoughts
murder
adultery
sexual
immorality
theft
false
witness
slander
what
matters
what
God's
after
is
your
heart
where's
your
heart
in
your
truth
telling
one
can
say
something
that
is
100%
factually
accurate
yet
be
false
to
the
truth
because
of
his
evil
intent
you
can
be
100%
factually
accurate
about
what
you
tell
your
friend
about
another
friend
and
yet
be
100%
in
the
wrong
because
of
your
evil
intent
William
Blake
writes
in his
poem
Auguries
of
Innocence
a
truth
that's
told
with
bad
intent
beats
all
the
lies
you
can
invent
so
here
are
the
heart
searching
questions
that
you
ought
to
be
asking
yourself
that
we
all
ought
to
ask
ourselves
when
you're
trying
to
figure
out
am
I
justified
in
this
scenario
to
not
tell
the
whole
truth
ask
yourself
does
your
motivation
stem
from
the
fear
of
God
or
the
fear
of
man
if
you're
doing
it
not
to
please
God
but
to
please
men
you're
doing
the
wrong
thing
Proverbs
8
13
teaches
us
that
the
cure
for
perverted
speech
which
God
hates
is
the
fear
of
the
Lord
humility
here's
another
question
we can
ask
ourselves
does
it
stem
from
the
love
of
God
and
the
love
of
neighbor
I
think
it's
important
to
keep
those
two
things
hand
in
hand
because
sometimes
I
think
we can
deceive
ourselves
into
thinking
that
we're
actually
trying
to
love
our
neighbor
when
really
it
goes
against
God's
standard
revealed
in
his
word
and
we're
doing
it
out
of
fear
of
man
fear
of
God
and
the
love
of
neighbor
love
of
God
and
the
love
of
neighbor
is
that
at
the
root
of
what
you're
trying
to
do
or
is
it
coming
out
of
the
hatred
of
your
neighbor
a
classic
example
of
this
dilemma
is
found
in
Corrie
Ten Boom's
autobiography
Hiding
Place
beautiful
biography
I encourage
you all
to read
it
Corrie
Ten Boom
and her
sister
Betsy
Ten Boom
were sisters
members
of a
Dutch
Christian
family
that
boldly
sheltered
Jewish
refugees
during
the
Holocaust
when
they
were
fleeing
from
Nazi
Germany
and
when
the
German
Gestapo
came to
their
house
and asked
are you
sheltering
any
Jews
Corrie
Ten Boom
would
just
lie
and
say
no
we're
not
sheltering
any
Jews
because
she
thought
that
was
okay
to
do
I
think
Corrie
Ten Boom
is
right
in
that
situation
Betsy
Ten Boom
however
was a
very
principled
and
sincere
woman
Corrie
was
too
but
Betsy
had
the
conviction
and
made
a
resolution
many
years
ago
that
she
would
never
tell
a
lie
when
the
Corrie
wasn't
home
Betsy
was
the
one
who
was
answering
the
question
are
you
sheltering
any
Jews
in
your
house
she
said
yes
sir
we
are
they're
hiding
underneath
the
table
I
don't
think
she's
being
legalistic
in
this
situation
because
I
think
she
was
utterly
sincere
she
was
mistaken
but
she
was
utterly
sincere
and
I
don't
want
to
condemn
her
because
I
don't
know
how many
of
us
would
have
the
courage
to
shelter
Jews
in
a
situation
like
that
first
of
and
how many
of
us
out
of
that
group
would
have
the
courage
not
only
to
shelter
the
Jews
but
have
the
guts
to
tell
them
yes
I'm
hiding
the
Jews
knowing
that
they're
going
to send
you
to
the
extermination
camp
next
so
I'm
not
condemning
her
and
I
think
God
knew
her
sincerity
because
I think
God
honors
her
by
delivering
them
from
that
pickle
because
that
German
soldier
is
just
flabbergasted
Like
what?
He
thinks
oh
you're
pulling
my
leg!
He
thinks
she's
being
sarcastic!
He's
like
you're
making
a
mockery
of
me!
So
he
says
he
thinks
!
He'll
be
humiliated
and
made
a
fool
of
if
he
searches
underneath
the
table
which
had
the
trap
door
underneath
where
the
chamber
that
they
were
hiding
so
he
searches
the
entire
house
but
not
there
because
that
would
be
too
embarrassing
to do
so
they
survive
sometimes
when you
make a
mistake
if
you
are
sincere
I
think
God
still
delivers
you
and
helps
you
all
that
to
say
there
are
situations
where
it
is
okay
not
to
be
100%
factually
accurate
but
whether
it's
okay
for you
to do
that
or not
depends
on
where
your
heart
is
before
God
second
is there
ever a
situation
where it
is okay
to take
an oath
let's say
in the
courtroom
I believe
the biblical
answer to that
question
also
is
yes
on
several
occasions
in his
letters
the apostle
Paul
takes
an oath
and puts
the recipients
of his
letter
under oath
does this
in
Romans
9
1
2
Corinthians
123
Galatians
120
1
Thessalonians
5
27
not only
that
in
Revelation
10
5
to 7
a mighty
angel
of God
raises
his right
hand
to heaven
and swears
by him
who lives
forever
and ever
and created
heaven
and the
earth
namely
by God
an angel
does that
even more
decisively
Jesus
himself
is placed
under oath
by the high
priest
Caiaphas
in Matthew
26
verses
63
64
the priest
says to
Jesus
I adjure
you
by the
living
God
that's an
oath
formula
tell us
if you
are the
Christ
the son
of God
and in
that
situation
Jesus
doesn't
say
oh
no
that's
bad
you
should
not
be
doing
that
I
cannot
take
an
oath
up to
that
point
Jesus
was
completely
silent
he
would
not
answer
their
false
accusations
But
after
being
put
under
oath
by God's
name
Jesus
finally
answers
the
high
priest
and
he
says
you
have
said
so
but
I
tell
you
from
now
on
you
will
see
the
son
of
man
seated
at
the
right
hand
of
God
right
hand
of
power
and
coming
on
the
cloud
of
heaven
so
Jesus
takes
an
oath
this
is
why
I
think
that
Quakers
and
Mennonites
and
Amish
and
brethren
who
are
Christian
brothers
and sisters
!
circumstance
take
an
oath
not
even
in
court
I
think
they're
mistaken
in
the
same
way
that
even
though
in
God's
standard
ideal
we
should
never
divorce
1 Corinthians
7
makes
provision
for
divorce
because
what
are
you
going
to
do
when
your
unbelieving
spouse
insists
on
it
and
abandons
you
and
separates
from
you
and
divorces
you
likewise
here
should
we
on our
own
accord
make
oath
and
take
oath
no
I
don't
think
that's
what
we
should
do
but
I
do
believe
that
there
are
circumstances
in
situations
like
when
you're
in
court
where
you're
solemnly
adjured
to
tell
the
truth
I
do
think
it's
okay
and
it's
not
sinful
for
us
to
be
placed
under
oath
that
brings
me
to
my
final
point
remember
God's
oath
God
himself
takes
an
oath
when
he
enters
into
covenant
!
with
his
people
not
because
he
needs
to
he
doesn't
need
to
place
himself
under
oath
because
God
never
lies
we
have
no
reason
to
distrust
God
at
all
and
yet
God
still
takes
an
oath
to
accommodate
our
sinfulness
and
unbelief
because
we're
so
mistrusting
of
people
and
of
God
even
because
we
lie
to
each
other
all
the
time
God
places
himself
under
oath
in
Psalm
110
verse
4
this
is
a
prophecy
concerning
the
Messiah
the
Lord
has
sworn
and
will
not
change
his
mind
you
are
a
priest
forever
after
the
order
of
Melchizedek
again
he
says
of
David
in
Psalm
89
and
Psalm
132
I
have
made
a
covenant
with
my
chosen
one
I
have
sworn
to
David
my
servant
what
did
he
promise
to
David
again
that
his
offspring
the
messianic
king
!
would
reign
on
from
sacrificing
his
only
son
Isaac
God
says
to
him
after
supplying
a
ram
as
a
substitute
sacrifice
by
myself
I
have
sworn
declares
the
Lord
because
you
have
done
this
and
have
not
withheld
your
son
your
only
son
I
will
surely
bless
you
and
I
will
surely
multiply
your
offspring
as
the
stars
of
heaven
and
as
a
sand
that
is
on
the
seashore
and
your
offspring
shall
possess
the
and
who
is
the
offspring
through
whom
the
enemies
of
God
will
be
defeated
and
the
nations
of
the
earth
will
be
blessed
again
the
answer
is
Jesus
Christ
our
Lord
he's
the
one
who
fulfills
every
single
one
of
the
oaths
that
God
take
in
entering
into
covenant
with
his
people
so
he
says
in
Hebrews
6
13
to
20
for
when
God
made
a
promise
to
Abraham
since
he
had
no
one
greater
by
whom
to
swear
he
swore
by
himself
saying
surely
I
will
bless
you
and
multiply
you
and
thus
Abraham
having
patiently
waited
obtained
the
promise
for
people
swear
by
something
greater
than
themselves
and
in
all
their
disputes
an
oath
is
final
for
confirmation
purpose
he
guaranteed
it
with
an
oath
so
that
by
two
unchangeable
things
in
which
it
is
impossible
for
God
to
lie
we
who
have
fled
for
refuge
might
have
strong
encouragement
to
hold
fast
to
the
hope
set
before
us
by
two
unchangeable
things
God's
purpose
because
he never
lies
he never
changes
his mind
in that
sense
his ultimate
will
and
an
oath
which
is
also
an
unchangeable
thing
by
two
unchangeable
things
God
has
made
his
promise
to
us
so
that
we
can
know
and
be
assured
without
a
shadow
of
doubt
that
God
keeps
all
of
his
promises
to
us
have
you
sinned
and
lied
to
others
I
have
you
taken
an
oath
and
have
you
broken
it
have
you
made
a
vow
that
you
have
not
kept
I
made
a
marriage
vow
to
love
and
cherish
my
wife
for
the
rest
of
my
life
until
death
do
us
part
have
I
always
cherished
her
no
I've
taken
her
for
granted
sometimes
!
put
in
my
life
I
made
a
promise
to
continually
seek
the
gifts
of
the
spirit
that
I
might
serve
God's
people
not
in
the
energy
of
the
flesh
but
in
the
power
of
the
Holy
spirit
to
carry
out
the
ministry
without
fear
of
man
have
I
had
fear
of
man
yes
I
have
I
been
self
suspicious
of
myself
maybe
not
as
often
as
I
should
and
too
often
suspicious
of
others
motives
not
for
the
lack
of
trying
but
I
have
broken
vows
I
have
made
to
God
and
here
is
the
good
news
that
God's
promises
to
us
does
not
depend
on
us
keeping
the
end
of
our
bargain
but
it
depends
entirely
God
keeping
the
end
of
his
bargain
that's
why
he
says
in
2nd
Corinthians
1
20
for
all
the
promises
of
God
find
their
yes
in
Jesus
that
is
why
it
is
through
him
that
we
utter
our
amen
to
God
for
his
glory
we
have
lied
we
have
broken
our
vows
we
have
sworn
falsely
and
yet
God
who
never
swears
falsely
God
who
never
lies
God
whose
word
is
truth
whose
words
never
fall
to
the
ground
has
kept
every
last
one
of
his
promises
to
us
in
sending
Jesus
Christ
as
our
Messiah
to
redeem
us
from
our
sins
to
pay
the
penalty
for
all
of
our
perjury
and
lies
on
that
cross
so
that
we
can
be
forgiven
freed
so
that
we
can
in
Jesus
who
said
in
John
14
6
I
am
the
way
the
truth
and
the
life
Jesus
is
the
truth
that
saves
us
and
it's
only
when
we
find
ourselves
in
him
the
truth
of
God
that
we
become
increasingly
like
him
the
more
Christ
like
you
become
the
more
truthful
you
will
become
so
I
hope
you
are
encouraged
by the
promises
of
God
that
holds
you
and
sustains
you
when
your
promises
fail
let's
pray
heavenly
father
thank
you
for
being
the
God
who
keeps
his
promises
thank
you
that
even
though
we
sin
against
you
have
been
faithful
to send
your only
son
Jesus
to
redeem
us
from
our
sins
thank
you
for
his
life
his
death
his
resurrection
which
confirms
to us
that
your
word
is
true
make
us
truth
tellers
God
make
us
truth
tellers
who
are
so
reliable
and
honest
in
all
of
our
dealings
in
all
of
our
speech
that
when
we
share
with
them
the
word
of
truth
the
gospel
of
our
salvation
that
they
would
listen
that
they
take
our
word
seriously
in
Jesus
name
we
pray
amen
voy