Word of Encouragement (02/28/2023)

For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever, ⁴¹ if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me. ⁴² I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh--with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.' ⁴³ "Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people's land." (Deut. 32:40-43)

Regarding what He was about to pronounce, God does something special: He took an oath with a raised hand (which is an anthropomorphic expression). This is extraordinary when we think about it. Why do we take an oath and make other people do it? It’s because people cannot be trusted. They often fail to do what they promise to do. Worse yet, they make false promises without any intention of fulfilling them. So, when we want to make sure that others don’t lie, we make them take an oath. And when we want to show how sincere we are, we take an oath, too. When we do it, we do it on a higher authority, to which we are accountable, whose retribution for taking it lightly we fear.

If so, why does God need to take an oath, ever? He is truthful and faithful; His name is Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11). No lie can be found on His lips; there is no deception in His heart. What He says is worth far more than ten thousand most solemn oaths of the most honest and honorable man. And by whose authority could He make an oath? Is there an authority that is higher than Jehovah, to whom He is accountable? God forbid! That is why He is swearing by His own authority—“As I live forever...!” (By the way, this is the reason for the self-authenticating authority of the Bible—that “the Bible is true because it says so.” To what can God’s Word appeal for its authenticity? What authority is higher than that of the very Word of God?)

Why is God taking an oath here, then? He is implying two things, at least. The first is the seriousness of His commitment to fulfill what He is about to pronounce. God does not have to take an oath to convince anyone that what He is about to say is true, and He is 100% sincere about it. But by taking an oath as we do, He is stooping down to our level to assure us with a double witness—the witness of His own character, which cannot lie or deceive, and the solemn act of swearing an oath. If we witnessed God speaking directly to us, we could never doubt the truthfulness of His word, which makes the act of taking an oath redundant and superfluous. But with the redundancy of divine oath, God assures us that He will do what He is about to proclaim.

The second reason is to impress on our minds the importance of the matter, which He is about to speak about: namely, the punishment of His enemies on behalf of His people. There is nothing more basic and important than this. This is the finish line, toward which history is going. God preserves the human race and history by His common grace. That means that the execution of God’s perfect and full justice must be reserved until the Final Judgment. Until then, the wicked can, and do, prosper and the righteous can, and do, suffer under the administration of common grace. So, many question and wonder about God’s justice, if not His existence. God for the present endures all the insults and blasphemies lodged against Him. But He will not do so indefinitely. He will justify Himself by punishing the wicked and redeeming the righteous (in Jesus Christ). That is what He is promising to do. By taking an oath, God shows us that He understands the importance of this final justification of Himself and, therefore, He will not forget or fail to do it.

We are living in a broken world and we are reminded of it in many ways every day. This will not be always so. Let us not waiver in our trust in the Lord, who gave a double witness of His infallible word and divine oath, especially since we even have the added witness of the blood of Jesus Christ

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