Jeremiah 4:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You shall take an oath: The Lord is alive and faithful. Let this not serve as a justification for swearing, but keep in mind the words from the Gospel: ‘Hear that it was said to the ancients, You shall not bear false witness. But I tell you, do not make oaths at all’ (Matthew 5:33-34). This was spoken prior to the Gospel to those lacking understanding, who were led away from idols, who lacked wisdom, who had not experienced the heavenly realm, and who had not attained maturity.

In Him, all nations will receive blessing, specifically in the heir of Abraham, who is Christ; through Him, they will be adorned with glory and declared righteous, as promised to Abraham. This prophecy will come to pass when the nations, responding to your message, put their faith in Christ and renounce the worship of idols.

You shall declare, "As the Lord lives, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness," and the nations will commend and exult in Him. Yet, how does the Gospel instruct us against making oaths? Matthew 5:34-36 speaks to this. Here, the act of swearing is understood as a confession and a denunciation of the idols by which Israel once swore; later, those stumbling blocks are removed, and Israel swears by the Lord. The phrase "As the Lord lives," found in the Old Testament, functions as an oath, rejecting false deities that idolatrous individuals invoke. It is essential to recognize that any oath must be rooted in truth, justice, and righteousness; absent these virtues, it ceases to be an oath and becomes a violation of one. Furthermore, when Israel embodies this truth and serves as a teacher to the Gentiles through the apostles, all nations will find blessing and praise in Him, acknowledging that salvation has emerged from Israel.

"If you take an oath, let it be by the living Lord, upholding truth, judgment, and righteousness." Yet the holy Gospel reveals a law of greater perfection: "It was said to the ancients, you shall not bear false witness, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord. But I tell you, do not swear at all" (Matthew 5:33, 34). The Jewish people, in their frailty, are instructed to invoke God's name in their swearing, so that through this practice, they may come to worship Him solely. He then assures that when this occurs, "The Gentiles shall bless in it, and in it they shall glorify God in Jerusalem." For when the people of Israel lived righteously, many surrounding nations were inspired to pursue righteousness as well. Following this, He directs His words from Israel to Judah, saying: