What does a Godly person act like?  In Psalm 15, David asks this same question:

“O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
            Who shall dwell on your holy hill?”

Then David lists a set of qualities that God requires for one to be righteous, and it includes how we swear.  At the end of verse 4, David writes that a Godly person is someone “who swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

Some of the qualities in the list are easy to understand, but what does it mean when someone “swears to his own hurt”?  David is not writing about swear or curse words.  He’s writing about vows or promises made, but not just any vows.

There are vows that are hurtful, but are not qualities of a Godly person, such as when Saul vowed in 1 Samuel 14:24 – “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.”  This vow resulted in a death sentence for Saul’s son Jonathan, which was overruled by the people.  Another example is Jephthah, who vowed in Judges 11:30-31 – “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”  This resulted in a death sentence for his own daughter, who was the first to come out of the house when he returned in peace.  Saul and Jephthah swore to their own hurt, but this type of swearing is not a quality of a Godly person.

There are also vows that help us get ahead in this world.  An honest reputation is good for a career or in getting along with people and feeling successful.  But it’s easier to keep your word when there is a tangible benefit in this world.  Honesty in these situations is not necessarily bad, but it just doesn’t rise to the level of righteousness.  These vows are not what David is writing about either.

What David means by someone “who swears to his own hurt and does not change” is a person who is honest because it’s what God is and what God wants from us, no matter what it costs them.  Even if honesty brings no benefit to the honest person, they remain honest anyway.

Maybe you’ve promised a spouse or friend that you will help with a project this weekend, but then you get a call from another friend who has tickets to a big game.  Maybe you’ve promised to play with your children or help with their homework, but then remember you have a work project that requires after-hours time to get done.  Maybe vowing to be honest at work means you have to reveal something that could hurt your businesses’ reputation?  A person who “who swears to his own hurt and does not change” is not affected by changes in circumstances, whether they might miss out on something, or whether there is a personal cost.

Is this difficult?  Yes.  It’s so difficult that James wrote: “my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”[1]  To James, keeping vows was so hard that it was something to be avoided.  So…

“O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
            Who shall dwell on your holy hill?”

Who?  Jesus, the only one who ever kept all of their vows and promises, and offers His righteousness to us, both as a means for our salvation, but also as a model for us to follow.  He alone has fully done what is necessary for anyone to dwell in God’s presence.

Amen.

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[1] James 5:12