The idea of taking an “oath” comes from Scripture: “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only, and take your oaths in his name “(Deuteronomy 6:13), and “and if in a truthful, just, and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ then the nations will invoke blessings from him, and in him they will boast” (Jeremiah 4:2). There are a lot of other places where the concept of an oath is also mentioned in the Bible. The word “oath” comes from the Anglo-Saxon process of judicial swearing, the solemn appeal to a deity as a witness of truth or a promise. Our society traditionally places one’s right hand upon a Bible, and an oath is taken before God. There are many types of oaths:
A Few Applications of Oaths
- Oath of Office: an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office. An attestation of following the law.
- Hippocratic Oath: an oath taken by physicians and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine honestly.
- Oath of Allegiance: an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a country.
- Oath of Citizenship: an oath of allegiance taken by immigrants or citizens to obey the country’s constitution.
- Juror’s Oath: an oath taken by jurors at the beginning of jury selection or trial to be fair and honest.
- Duty Oath: delivered on enlistment into the military or law enforcement service, swearing to protect one’s laws and constitution.
Therefore, the idea of taking an oath before God has been around since the formation of society itself.
(Genesis 16:5)1NIV New International Version Translations – Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”
God Himself takes an oath in Hebrews 6:16–18. We are also warned about taking an oath with each other in Matthew 5:34 and Matthew 5:37. We will focus this study on those who take an oath before God, those who might place their hand upon the Word of God, swearing to uphold a set of standards. But we have a problem! Our leaders and our society often promise to uphold our laws and then ignore those very same laws. They also ignore the laws of God himself. Why do human beings even need to make oaths and vows? Today, they seem meaningless!
It is because of sin. Scripture tells us that “everyone is a liar” (Psalm 116:11). Coram Deo, a Latin phrase, appears in Psalm 56:13. When translated into English, the verse says, “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God [Coram Deo] in the light of life.” In other words, it means to live a life “before the face of God.” This is to be a life of integrity, honoring God with a spirit of adoration and gratitude. An oath is meant to publicly show the initial intent of one’s heart behind a promise one makes. God does not hold us responsible for the words of our oaths. God holds us responsible for our actual intentions, the motives of the heart. To violate an oath always requires atonement (punishment—repentance). It is not complex in God’s eyes, “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made’” (Matthew 5:33-37). We can, therefore, establish that breaking one’s oath invokes God’s displeasure. To live in coram Deo means to be constantly aware of God’s presence, to live in constant communion with God, and to integrate God into every aspect of life.
Back to our oath again. If God is always present, “in our face,” so to speak, why do so many people place their hands upon God’s Holy Word and swear to uphold the laws of a nation, for example? Yet, in their performance, they only seek power, riches, and fame. A more important question is: Why do we keep these people leading us? Why do we still believe, year after year, that their oath before God means anything to them?
To begin with, the noise of life, the constant rush, the complexity of everyday living, and the constant drumbeat of media and social networking are very time-consuming. This leaves very little time to research and access accurate information about people, their qualifications, or their honesty. Misinformation and a lack of transparency contribute to making uninformed decisions. Many people are misled by prioritizing loyalty to a political party over the qualifications or honesty of a person. Unfortunately, charismatic individuals with effective communication skills appeal to voters, even when they are unqualified.
(1 Timothy 3:2-3) – “Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.”
The verse in 1 Timothy as well as many others emphasizes qualities such as integrity, honesty, faithfulness, and righteousness, which are necessary characteristics for leaders and people in responsible positions. No one wants doctors who have very little interest in doing their best to help you. What we may need here, however, is a little self-examination. Many times, people apply these principles in the context of their values. A strong bias can also lead to prioritizing a single issue that aligns with someone’s stance, overlooking other aspects such as qualifications or honesty.
(James 2:1-4) – “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor person in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the one who is poor, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”
A final and important context about someone’s oath is often played out in the media and news today. Issues and candidates are often subject to being “shaped” to meet the public’s perception of fairness and honesty. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent to shape a candidate for leadership. Unfortunately, time usually leads us to disillusionment or frustration. There is no substitute for honesty and integrity before God.
The Bottom Line
There is always a danger of showing favoritism based on appearances. Facts matter! It is also important for society to be impartial. Our Constitution and legal system were originally designed to operate that way. There is also no room for bigotry. Our God demands this. That is why our society cannot function without the “oath” and without “God’s Providence.”. It is what God requires of us when He sees that hand upon His Word! God requires fairness, justice, and the avoidance of partiality in decision-making. God requires coram Deo. When someone promises God to do something, God expects them to follow through!
Contemplations
- Where do you see Coram Deo in our nation today?
- Ideas to Explore: Examine politics, education, especially higher education, social media, general opinion news, corporations concerning their products, local governments, the military, law enforcement, and religious institutions, and please add your own. Are any of these standouts in Coram Deo?
- Are you concerned when someone takes an oath before God and then ignores it?
- Ideas to Explore: Do you pay attention to whether a person is living coram Deo? Do you care? Are you willing to change your mind?
- How would you decide if someone is living in Coram Deo?
- Ideas to Explore: Do you use your own life as a comparison to others? What are your sources for validation?
- How does the entire concept of “forgiveness” play into Coram Deo?
- Ideas to Explore: Do people get second chances? Why should they? Should they get “seven times seven” chances? When is enough enough for you?
- 1NIV New International Version Translations