Chapter 10

What God Swore to Do for Mankind​—Now at Hand!

1, 2. (a) In what sense does God swear, and why? (b) What does God say at Isaiah 45:23? (c) With what statements by the prophet Isaiah should we be able to agree?

DOES God swear? Yes, God swears, but he does not use profanity, exploding in anger and losing self-control. His swearing is always in order to reinforce what he declares to be his purpose. It gives added assurance to those who are to be affected. Hence, all mankind does well to give attention to his words at Isaiah 45:23: “By my own self I have sworn​—out of my own mouth in righteousness the word has gone forth, so that it will not return—​that to me every knee will bend down, every tongue will swear.”

Not only is his word by itself reliable and dependable but it is all the more so when Jehovah swears to it, adds his oath, to confirm matters.

God Steps In With an Oath

5. How does Hebrews 6:13-18 explain God’s stepping in with an oath in the promise to Abraham?

⁵ Concerning this, we read at Hebrews 6:13-18: “For when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could not swear by anyone greater, he swore by himself, saying: ‘Assuredly in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply you.’ And thus after Abraham had shown patience, he obtained this promise. For men swear by the one greater, and their oath is the end of every dispute, as it is a legal guarantee to them. In this manner God, when he purposed to demonstrate more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his counsel, stepped in with an oath, in order that, through two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to the refuge may have strong encouragement to lay hold on the hope set before us.”

6. (a) What motivation was there for God to swear by himself with regard to his promise to Abraham? (b) How could Jehovah use his “friend”?

⁶ Generally, there is a powerful motivation for swearing, for uttering an oath. That is especially true when the swearing is of God’s own accord, voluntarily. Such a motivation is furnished in this case wherein Jehovah is reported as swearing, yes, swearing by himself. The oath-bound promise that Jehovah made to Abraham, his “friend,” affects all of us today. Jehovah appreciated it when Abraham acted upon the divine invitation and left his native land to go to the land that Jehovah would give to Abraham’s descendants as a possession. Jehovah could safely make the name of this “friend” great and could use him for the blessing of others. Jehovah could well say to him: “And I will bless those who bless you, and him that calls down evil upon you I shall curse, and all the families of the ground will certainly bless themselves by means of you.”​—Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 41:8.

7. (a) With what miracle did God favor Abraham when his wife was 90 years of age? (b) How did Abraham demonstrate his faith and obedience in a unique way?

⁷ When Abraham’s wife Sarah was 90 years old, far past the age of childbearing, God miraculously favored her with bearing to Abraham their beloved son, Isaac, in furtherance of His marvelous promise to Abraham. Abraham proved himself ready and willing to offer up even this precious son as a human sacrifice in obedience to the command of his God, Jehovah. This unique demonstration of faith and obedience so moved Jehovah that he said to his “friend,” Abraham:

8, 9. (a) How did Jehovah respond to this demonstration of Abraham’s faith and obedience? (b) To whom did God make himself responsible?

⁸ “‘By myself I do swear,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘that by reason of the fact that you have done this thing and you have not withheld your son, your only one, I shall surely bless you and I shall surely multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens and like the grains of sand that are on the seashore; and your seed will take possession of the gate of his enemies. And by means of your seed all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves due to the fact that you have listened to my voice.’”​—Genesis 22:15-18.

⁹ This is the first place in the Bible where Jehovah is reported as swearing. Because he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, binding his own self to it. In this way he made himself responsible to no one but himself. It must be to his own credit that he carries out his own declaration of purpose.