007 - James 5:12 - Why would you fall under judgement? (Suggested by Pamelasv)

James 5:12 - Why would you fall under judgement?

 

·        “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” (James 5.12).

 

Let’s analyze this better:

 

·        “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” (James 5.7-12).

 

No one should even wrath against his brother (as may be seen in Matthew 5.21, 22). Even if the individual is being a victim of injustice or being oppressed by his brother (James 5:1-6), yet the individual should wait patiently for the Eternal (Psalm 37:7; 40.1), for He will soon do him justice (Luke 18:7,8).

Moreover, considering that the life of Jesus is near and our life in this world is short, we have no time to lose trying to retain what people think we should give them.

To waste time cultivating hurt will only rob us of our time and energy, making it difficult or even impossible for us to fulfill its mission, and with this we will be approved before the Eternal (2 Timothy 2:15).

We have to think that Jesus, our judge and our offender, is near.

So let us keep our eyes fixed on all that the Lord has given to the prophets as well as Job, so that we may never tire of patience, even in the midst of the greatest afflictions. After all, in comparison with all the inheritance that the Eternal has for us, everything we pass is light and momentary (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Faced with this, one more reason to never lose sight of that the Eternal is full of mercy and pity. That is, His greatest pleasure is to be able to manifest this in the sight of people (Luke 15: 7,9; Romans 11:32).

But what does all this have to do with oath?

 

·        “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” (James 5.9,12).

 

It is quite true that in the Old Testament the oath was a resource used as a guarantee that what was being said was true:

 

·        “For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.” (Hebrews 6.16)

 

That is to say, individuals placed themselves under the judgment of their superior (usually the Eternal Himself) so that the other could accept his word and cease to contend. Even more so, considering that the accursed man is the man who trusts in man (Jeremiah 17:5), nothing more indicated than to seek in the Eternal the confirmation that the individual is saying is true.

However, it is good to remember that there is only judgment when there is demand between people. The big problem here is that the individuals were swearing so that their listeners would be sure that their accusations against their neighbors were true.

It is clear that whoever desires evil in the life of the neighbor is calling the curse and condemnation for himself:

 

·        “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.” (Proverbs 24.17,18).

·        “As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.” (Psalms 109.17).

 

You may ask: "But what does it mean what Jesus said?”.

 

·        “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matthew 5.33-37).

 

In this case, what is being questioned is that when someone asks us to do something, we should not be promising what we are going to do. If what is being asked is good, let us do it promptly; If not, let us refuse immediately. If we want to do, but we are without conditions, then refuse to do until you are able to comply immediately.

But nothing to try to force others to believe that you will change, will do, etc.

Finally, we should never try to force individuals to accept what we are saying. May they be convinced by the presence of Christ in us. After all, when Jesus speaks, who belongs to Him accepts without question (1 John 4:4-6):

 

·        “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10.1-5).

 

Moreover, the truth is absolute: it does not need our additions. On the contrary, our additions may end up weakening the truth.

For example, if we tell a story to illustrate a truth, how each story allows for individual interpretation, then we become relative truth.

On the other hand, if truth alone is given, then its effectiveness and power is confirmed. Stories, oaths, etc. are weak methods for trying to convince someone of a particular belief.

Truth, on the other hand, does not need help to be true. Because Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), it simply is (Exodus 3:14-15).

When someone who is of truth hears the truth in his heart, the Holy Spirit who dwells in him simply says "yes" (2 Corinthians 1:91, Revelation 3:19) and convinces us of everything (John 16:8). There's no doubt.

May Jesus enable us to receive the truth within us (James 1:21) and let it speak in our hearts.