Truth Magazine

By J.S. Smith

In both testaments of the holy Scriptures, God teaches and demands integrity in his people. Christians should, above all, be people of their word, trusted to do as they say. But what of promises that one makes which he later learns are evil? Are such promises still binding upon him, or does God expect a facet of his repentance to be casting off such vows?

Under the Law of Moses

Vows made during the Mosaic dispensation were to be considered seriously before being uttered, because to break such an oath was sinful. Ecclesiastes 5 succinctly summarizes the position of the law regarding oaths and the danger of making them rashly. “Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. . . . When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed — Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands” (Eccl. 5:2, 4-7)?

Very clearly, the Holy Spirit teaches that failure to fulfill a vow to God was sinful. Vows were quite common in the Old Testament. Jacob vowed upon entering Mesopotamia to give the Lord a tenth of his estate at Bethel (Gen. 28:20-22). We also have the example of a parent vowing to devote her child to the Lord’s service in the case of Hannah and Samuel (1 Sam. 1:22-28). Such a vow could be redeemed, however, if the one taking the oath changed his mind (Lev. 27:2-3). The price of redemption was valued in terms of silver so that the oath could not lightly be altered at little expense.

A man’s vows were considered more binding than a woman’s. “If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth” (Num. 30:2). A woman’s vow could be overridden by her father or husband (Num. 30:3-16).

Finally, the law contained a provision for situations in which a rash oath was made to do evil and later regretted prior to its fulfillment. “Or if a person swears, speaking thoughtlessly with his lips to do evil or to do good, whatever it is that a man may pronounce by an oath, and he is unaware of it — when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty in any of these matters” (Lev. 5:4). The remaining verses of this chapter prescribe the manner by which the penitent oath taker can have the priest make sacrifice for his sin. He was not obligated to fulfill the oath he made rashly, especially if it was a promise to commit evil, but was yet a sinner for making the rash oath in the first place. 

Perhaps the case of Jephthah is an example of a rash oath (Judg. 11). With an idolatrous mindset, he promised to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house if God would give him a victory already assured by the Spirit of the Lord. Following the battle, his own daughter emerged to greet him at home and he felt compelled to sacrifice her. Should he have kept this vow? It does not seem that Jephthah ever realized that it was sinful to commit human sacrifice and so an appeal to redemption or atonement for making a rash oath seem unlikely.

Just as clearly, we understand that killing his daughter would be sinful. It violated the law of Moses in that it was murder (Exod. 10:13) and a form of undesirable worship which was worthy of the death penalty (Lev. 20:1-5).

There is also the case of David and Nabal in 1 Samuel 25. David sought to purchase food from Nabal while traveling, but was rebuffed and the future king vowed to God that he would wipe out Nabal’s family: “May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light” (v. 22). That vow was sinful to make and would have been sinful to execute, as David learned when Nabal’s longsuffering wife, Abigail, came to entreat David to spare him. David decided not to carry through with his oath: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand” (1 Sam. 25:32-33). David realized that vengeance belonged to God, not him (Deut. 32:35) and that although he had called God to witness his homicidal vow, fulfilling it would be adding sinful execution to sinful intent. He was grateful someone prevented him from keeping a vow to do evil.

In The New Testament

When the Lord arrived, he quickly began to teach against forswearing, making vows without any genuine intention of fulfilling them. “Swear not at all . . .  But let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘ no,’ ‘no,’” he taught on the mount (Matt. 5:34-37).

Christians are to be true to their word and keep their promises, but again one wonders about promises that are made to do evil, perhaps ignorantly, which are revealed prior to fulfillment. Should the Christian keep his vow to do evil or should he repent of it?

What of the Catholic priest who makes vows to God to keep his collar for a lifetime but then is converted to the truth? Should he keep that vow or should it be part of his repentance? The same can be asked of the nun and monk.

Across America today, homosexuals are being married by liberal denominationalists, claiming to carry God’s blessing. Such couples are making vows to God like those heterosexual couples make. What if I have opportunity to teach them? Should I get them baptized and command them to continue living in sin, for it is part of their vow to God?

More pertinently, what of the heterosexual couple who marries without scriptural authority for some reason? Suppose one of the spouses is a put away fornicator, who then is converted. Should she keep her vow made to God to commit adultery, in effect, or should she repent completely (Matt. 19)?

The answer to all these questions is obvious. A vow to commit sin should be repudiated as soon as knowledge conquers ignorance.    

An Example

When I was 17-years-old and a senior in high school, I was faced with just such a conundrum. In March, I asked a young lady to accompany me to the prom. In April, I began visiting the local church of Christ and was taught by Harry Rice and a host of other godly people that modern dancing was lewd and wrong. May was coming and the prom with it and my conscience was nagging at me. 

Should I follow my newly disciplined conscience and break my prom date or should I be true to my promise to the young lady, who surely would have been rather upset at that late date?

I made the wrong choice and kept my promise to her. I committed sin that night in the lewdness of dancing (Gal. 5:19) when I could have made a stronger point on faithfulness instead. I regret keeping that promise; I wish I broken it and been true to God’s word instead.

Conclusion

Christians should be people of their word and should not make promises rashly. When they vow to be somewhere or do something, they should carry through with it, even if the costs rise for some reason. Vows to commit sin, however, should be repudiated, as David cast off his rash oath to murder Nabal’s household, once Abigail brought him to his senses.

SmithJeffS@aol.com.

By Heath Rogers

Sermon preparation takes a lot of work: deciding what to preach on, hours of study, placing thoughts in outlines that flow well, creating points that will be understood and remembered after the sermon is over, tying in an invitation. If a preacher hasn’t put a lot of work into preparing his sermon, it will show. I have several books on how to prepare and deliver a sermon, but none on how to listen to a sermon. Isn’t that strange? I believe that what takes place on the listeners’ side of the pulpit is just as important as what happens on the preacher’s side.

When a person leaves a worship service and complains, “I didn’t get anything out of the sermon,”  “I couldn’t understand what he was saying,” or when one leaves services and forgets what the sermon was about before he even gets to his car, something has gone wrong. But is this always the preacher’s fault? Yes, perhaps the preacher could have done a better job on presenting his material, could have chosen a better text or a more appropriate topic. But, could it also be that the listener didn’t put forth any effort?

The Bible tells us that there is a right way to listen to a sermon in order to get the most out of it. Allow me to make three suggestions from James 1:21-22: “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

First, James tells us what to do before the sermon —        “ . . . lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness.” We expect the preacher to be prepared when he gets behind the pulpit. Doesn’t he have a right to expect us to be prepared to listen? We do this by removing sinful things from our mind — laying aside all filthiness and wickedness. All the sinful and troublesome things that are cluttering our minds and demanding our attention need to be removed.

Might I suggest that you spend some time before you leave for worship services reading and meditating upon the word of God. I know Sunday mornings are busy, but instead of setting the alarm clock where you will have just enough time to make it to services, why not set it early so you have enough time to arrive prepared? On the way to services listen to gospel hymns, or quietly meditate upon passages of Scripture or the worship you are about to engage in. And during worship, pay attention to the words of the songs you sing. They will also prepare your mind to receive God’s word. Some people spend a lot of time and take much care to make sure they are prepared physically (dress, hair, make-up, etc.), but how much time is spent in spiritual preparation before worship services?

Second, James tells us what to do during the sermon — “. . . receive with meekness the engrafted word.” We must listen to what is being preached. In the Parable of the Sower, the first soil (the wayside soil,  Matt. 13:4) represented the heart which does not understand the word (v. 19). The word is not received into the heart and it is lost. It is our job as listeners to receive the word.

We receive the word by understanding it. This is partly the preacher’s responsibility — he needs to preach the word in a way that can be understood as easily as possible. I have heard more than one sermon which went straight over my head. I am all for preachers getting an education, but they need to remember who they are preaching to. If a sermon is so complicated that it can’t be understood, then it can’t be received! If it can’t be received, it is a waste of time and effort.

We also receive the word by accepting it and believing it to be true. We are told to receive it with “meekness.” Why meekness? Meekness is humility, mildness, or strength under control. W.E. Vine says of this meekness, “It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting; . . . it is only the humble heart which is also the meek, and which, as such, does not fight against God and more or less struggle and contend with Him” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words). To receive the word with meekness means we accept it without disputing, resisting, struggling or contending. Some people just can’t do that. But we must.

Another important part of listening to a sermon is realizing that we are receiving the word of God. We are listening to that “which is able to save your souls.” Paul reminded the Thessalonians, “. . . when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). It doesn’t matter if we are listening to a well seasoned preacher in his 70s or 80s or listening to a teen-aged boy struggle through his first Wednesday night invitation, it is the word of God that we are hearing! It is demanding of our attention. There are important things that we could be hearing about — how to invest our money and prepare for our future, how to get the best education for our children, how to protect ourselves from disease, violence, theft, etc. But when we hear the word of God preached, we are hearing that which can save our soul. All these other things will be gone some day, but our soul lives forever. Where it lives will depend on how we have received the word of God!

Third, James tells us what to do after the sermon — “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” After we hear the sermon, and have studied what we heard to make sure it is the truth (Acts 17:11), we must apply it to our lives and do it. We are to receive with meekness, which means that what the word tells us to do — we do. We don’t dispute or resist — we do it.

Bible instruction is not complete until it is applied to the lives of people. We can attend every service and hear every sermon ever preached, we can attend every Bible class and have a good understanding of what the Bible teaches, but until we apply that knowledge to our lives it does us no good.

And we need to make application of the sermon to ourselves — not to other people! If the sermon is about prayer — consider your prayer life. If the sermon is about brotherly love, consider your attitude towards your brethren. If the sermon is about the work of the church, consider how you fit in and what you can be doing. After their sermon, preachers often hear, “I know someone who needed to hear that one.” While that may be true, you happen to be the one who heard it — what did you get out of it?

If we hear, but fail to do, we have deceived ourselves. The word is able to save our souls, but not until we make application of it to our lives. The world is full of people who claim to be Christians, who say they are saved and are headed for Heaven. But their lives haven’t been changed by the word of God because they have failed to do what the word tells them. They have no more applied the word of God to their life than the man in the moon. Yet, they are convinced they are saved. They have deceived themselves — how sad! How tragic! Jesus spoke of these people in Matthew 7:21. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Only those who do the will of God will enter Heaven. Are you a “doer” or a “hearer only”?

By Gary Wilemon

I read something in a recent issue of Reader’s Digest that I think really deserves a wider audience. It’s a short anecdote written by Vidal Clay, and here it is in its entirety:

In December 1997 Elizabeth Clay was driving home from Boston University to spend the holiday break with her parents in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. An hour South of Boston, her old Toyota got a flat. The 22-year-old senior pulled off I-95 in the winter twilight and opened the trunk. No spare.

Meantime, a car had stopped. Paul and Diane Woodcock told Clay to follow them to a service station near their house. They arrived to see that it had closed. “Follow us home,” said Paul.

The couple called around to find a tire. No luck. They decided to make their own luck. “Here,” Paul said, handing Clay a set of keys, “take our Ford Escort. We won’t be using it over the holidays.”

Clay was dumbfounded. “But I’m going all the way to South Carolina, and I’ll be gone for two weeks,” she reminded them.

“We know,” Paul said. “We’ll be here when you get back. Here’s our number if you need to contact us.”
Incredulous, Clay watched as the couple put her bags into the car and then sent her off. Two weeks later she returned to find the old Toyota cleaned inside and-out, with three new tires and the radio fixed.

When I first read this, it made me think of those folks in Jerusalem that we read about in Acts 4:32-35: “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need.”

Now it is probably true that the situation in Acts 4 was somewhat unique because of the large number of Jews in Jerusalem for the feast days of Passover and Pentecost. And I don’t think the Lord Jesus necessarily expects us all to sell our houses and lands today and give to the poor. But I do think he expects us to share what we have with others. Paul says in Ephesians 4:28, “Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.” Dorcas is a wonderful example of someone who did that. The Scripture says in Acts 9:36 that she used her substance to abound in “. . . deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did” (Acts 9:36).

And I think it is important for us to realize that the ones who benefit when we share with others is not just those who need what we provide — we benefit as well, for God provides a blessing. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 14:12-14? “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” The Lord also said in Matthew 6:3-4, “. . . when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” It is not uncommon today for folks to share with and do good for those who are their friends, those with whom they are comfortable. It is less common for folks to share with those who are not  in their own socio-economic circle. And yet, I suspect that we deprive ourselves of blessings when we fail to seek out ways to share with those who cannot give back.

Perhaps, during the holiday season, it is easy for us to get carried away with the process of giving and getting. But remember, when the apostle Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, one of the things of which he reminded them was that the Lord Jesus had once said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (v. 35). In the Reader’s Digest article, the couple who helped the traveling college student seemed to have a good understanding of that. And it is inspiring to find that there are still folks in the world who have that kind of attitude. May we be like them.

From the Sun Valley Illuminator, January 2, 2000

By Walton Weaver

The Hebrew custom of providing a burial place for the dead is first introduced in Scripture with Abraham’s purchase of a cave in the land of Canaan for the burial of Sarah (Gen. 23:1ff.). Although Joseph was first embalmed and put in a “coffin” in Egypt (Gen. 50:26), because of his own request before his death his bones later were returned to Canaan for burial (Gen. 49:29; Exod. 13:19). According to history many Jews of the dispersion of the Roman period also preferred to be buried in Canaan, their homeland. Some were buried in the ground (Gen. 35:8, 19). It was generally viewed as a dishonor to leave a body unburied (Deut. 21:23; 2 Sam. 21:12-14; 2 Kings 9:10), and whenever possible the preference would be to place one in a family burial place. Note, for example, the request of Joseph (Gen. 49:29), and that of Barzillai, the servant of Joab (2 Sam. 19:37). See also 2 Chronicles 21:20.

The Tomb Where Jesus Was Buried

Tombs in New Testament Times. In New Testament times tombs had come to be a common place for burial. Even today in the city of Jerusalem one can visit the Tomb of Absalom (so-called) which dates from around the first century. This tomb is a building which served as a monument and it exhibits both Greek and Nabatean influence. Other tombs from the same period might be either a single connected cluster of underground tombs with niches for the various individuals and would serve the purpose of an entire family, or perhaps even an extended family or families. Some tombs however were simply an individual rock-cut tomb for one person. “The bodies generally were not enclosed in coffins ; after decomposition the remaining bones were then removed to a bone chamber in the floor or at the side of the burial ledge and the space reused” (Kenneth E. Bailey, “Burial Customs,” The Oxford Companion to the Bible 95-96).

Some have thought that Jesus’ reference to “whited sepulchres,” or “whitewashed tombs” (NRSV), implies buildings like those mentioned in the above paragraph, but there does not appear to be any good reason why these terms could not include the other type of tombs (those hewn out of rock) as well. The stones used to close the tombs were probably whitewashed in the same way that the buildings were that were built for tombs.

A New And Expensive Tomb. The place where Jesus was buried was a new tomb which had been hewn out of rock by Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:60), a town some 25 miles from Jerusalem. This was “his own new tomb,” meaning that he had just purchased the place and had the rock hewn out. It may very well be that these plans had been made in advance by Jesus. Why would Joseph have just recently purchased this burial place and have it all ready for use if it had not been planned in advance to serve as the burial place of Jesus?

Tombs hewn out of rock were expensive and were therefore purchased only by wealthy families. Joseph is described as “a rich man of Arimathea,” and a disciple of Jesus (Matt. 27:57). He was therefore able to purchase such an expensive place, and being not only a disciple, but also a member of the Sanhedrin (“a prominent member of  the Council,” Mark 15:43, NIV), he was given a favorable hearing by Pilate when he approached him to make request for the body of Jesus. We are told, “then Pilate commanded (the centurion in charge of the crucifixion, Mark 15:44-45, ww) the body to be delivered” (Matt. 27:58).

But more was probably involved in Pilate’s decision than the fact that Joseph was a prominent member of the Council. Pilate’s granting the body of Jesus to Joseph was actually against normal Roman practice. Erich H. Kiehl points out that “according to law the body of someone executed on a charge of high treason could not be given to relatives or friends for burial; the idea was to prevent the burial site from becoming a shrine and focal point for any followers” (The Passion of Our Lord 149). Kiehl’s own view is that the greatest motivating factor on Pilate’s part in giving the body of Jesus over to Joseph was his own conviction of Jesus’ innocence, which he had acknowledged more that once. Only this, he thinks, will explain Pilate’s willingness to ignore Roman law on this matter as he did.

The Tomb Was Closed and Sealed. After the body of Jesus had been prepared for burial (see the next section) it was placed in the tomb that had been prepared to receive it and a large stone was rolled to the door of the tomb (Matt. 27:60). The next day, the day of the Sabbath, the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate and asked that the tomb be “made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead . . . ” (Matt. 27:62-63). Pilate granted their request: “You have a watch,” he said to them, “go your way, make it as sure as you can.” “So they went,” we are told, “and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch” (Matt. 27:66). It is uncertain whether Pilate gave them permission to use a temple guard, or whether he told them they could station Roman soldiers at the tomb.

This sealing of the tomb and the posting of a guard to make sure no one stole the body would prove to be strong evidences that the missing body of Jesus on the third day means he had been resurrected from the dead. Isn’t it amazing that what the disciples had not remembered — that Jesus had promised he would be raised from the dead on the third day — “the chief priests and Pharisees understood and remembered, and were determined that no apparent fulfillment of such predictions should be accomplished by the disciples” (Alfred Plummer, Matthew 408).

The Location of the Tomb. The exact location of the tomb where Jesus was placed cannot be identified with certainty. We know that it was in a garden because Scripture states that as a matter of fact (John 19:41). There is also a reference to a gardener in John 20:15. It was close to the place of crucifixion, and probably in the area of the traditional cite of Aceldama (“the field of blood” Acts 1:19), near the junction of the Hinnom and Kidron valleys.

Preparation of Jesus’ Body For Burial

Joseph of Arimathaea, along with Nicodemus, the one who at first had come to Jesus by night, and also a member of the Sanhedrin (John 3:1ff.), prepared the body of Jesus for burial. The body would have first been washed (see Acts 9:37). They then wrapped it in a linen cloth (“fine linen,” or “the linen,” Mark 15:46) and took it to the tomb where “the two men wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen” (John 19:40, NIV). They probably tore the linen they had first used to wrap the body into these “strips” (NIV) or “cloths” (KJV) and with these they individually wrapped each limb of his body, and in this way “bound” it, “no doubt, between layers of myrrh and aloes, the head being wrapped in a napkin (see John 20:7, ww). And so they laid him to rest in the niche of the rock-hewn new tomb” (Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah II:618).

Lazarus, when he was raised from the dead by Jesus, you will remember, “came forth, bound head and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth” (John 11:44). The large mixture of myrrhs and aloes that were used to prepare Jesus’ body for burial (and no doubt the same would have been done for Lazarus and others) had been brought by Nicodemus (John 19:39). These would serve to counteract the odor of death. Neither embalming (an Egyptian custom) nor cremation (called idolatry in certain Jewish writings) was permitted. The amount of the myrrh and aloes brought would be about seventy-five pounds in our weight. Kiehl gives the following description of these two substances:

Myrrh comes from a species of thorny-branched shrubs or trees that grow in Arabia, Ethiopia, and Somaliland on rocky ground. The stems and branches exude drops of oily resin. When they are cut, the resin flows freely, eventually solidifying. Aloes is a perfumed oil that comes from the tall and somewhat broad leaves of a species known as Aloe vera.  Probably cultivated in Jesus’ time, Aloe vera is found today in Arab countries and in Palestine.

Because it was only a short time before the beginning of the Sabbath day which would begin at 6:00 p.m. that evening, the day of preparation was almost over when Joseph came to Pilate to make request for the body of Jesus (Mark 15:42). No doubt the disciples were in a hurry to make sure everything had been taken care of before the day of the Sabbath began.

The Women From Galilee

Mark says that there were some women from Galilee, among whom were “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jose” (Mark 15:47), who followed Joseph and Nico- demus and observed the preparation of Jesus’ body for burial (Luke 23:55). Evidently this means that they did not help with the burial, but they did watch and pay careful attention as the work was being done and saw exactly how the body was laid in the tomb. They had planned at a later time to visit the tomb, and as proof of their love for Jesus they hoped to further apply “spices and ointments” (“ointment” is from the word also rendered “myrrh” used by Joseph and Nicodemus) to his body. Evidently the custom was that this was usually done over a period of several days. But they had to hurry to make careful preparation before the beginning of the Sabbath day. So they must have secured the needed materials, the spices and the ointment, immediately upon returning to their place of lodging (Luke 23:56). The earliest opportunity they would have would be on the first day of the week. Luke says that they “rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”

When the women returned to the tomb early on Sunday morning they found the huge stone rolled away . . . and you know the rest of the story! The empty tomb, the grave clothes undisturbed, the angels, etc.

Conclusion

What does the burial of Jesus mean to us? What is its significance? It means that Jesus was dead when they placed him in the tomb, contrary to some theories that would explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Its significance is seen in the fact that Paul names it as one of the three cardinal facts of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-3). We also see its significance in our own conversion and the new life that we now have as Christians. Paul tells us that not only were we baptized into Christ’s death, but that in our baptism we were also buried with him in baptism (Rom. 6:3-4). As a matter of fact, the way he words it, we died to sin when we were buried with him in baptism!