City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, ‘Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.’”

Genesis 24:1-4

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”

Matthew 5:37

Megan’s Musings

Abraham had built up quite a life. He has grown not only very prosperous, but very wise, and God had blessed him in all things. But he wished for one more thing, and he had given his servant (probably Eliezer of Damascus (Genesis 15:2)) the task of fulfilling it. This servant was the oldest one with the most authority and Abraham trusted the servant’s wisdom in this very important request. 

When we promise something or make an oath, it can involve signing your name on a document or raising your right hand and placing your left one on the Bible. If you were in Boy/Girl Scouts, you raised the three fingers on right hand while reciting the Boy/Girl Scout oath. As children, we linked the little fingers together to make a “pinky promise.” Abraham asked his servant to put his hand under his thigh, to us, a very unusual method of making an oath. 

In those days, the thigh was considered a symbol of posterity. The Hebrew word for thigh is yarek, the servant’s hand was under Abraham’s thigh, literally under Abraham’s submission. Joseph did the same when Jacob requested to be buried with his forefathers (Genesis 47:29-30), he was submitting to his father’s wish. 

Why make an oath in this way? It might be calling Abraham’s descendants as witnesses to the oath. The placement of the servant’s hand emphasizes his promise to continue Abraham’s legacy of following the one true Lord, to not allow Isaac to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever (2 Corinthians 6:14). Some believed God would punish those who broke this type of oath with childlessness or death of offspring. 

This could also be referring to the covenant God made with Abraham when he was called Abram. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (from “exalted father” to “father of many nations”), promised he would be the patriarch of a multitude of nations, monarchs would come from his line, the land of Canaan would belong to them, and God would be their Lord (Genesis 17:1-14). Abraham wanted his son and descendants to follow the one true God, and not be influenced by those who worshipped idols. 

Before Abraham, God made a Promise to the descendants of Adam and Eve, that He would send His Son to make things right between humans and God (Genesis 3:15). From Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Judah (Jacob’s fourth son), Jesus came from Judah’s family line. Jesus eliminated the need to make awkward oaths: 

“But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” Matthew 5:34-37 ESV

Matthew 5:34-37

Jesus wanted His followers to be considered so honest with their words that there would be no need for rituals in oaths. And He fulfilled God’s promise to all believers, past, present, and future with His death and resurrection (Matthew 27:50-53). 

Application 

Don’t add “swear to God” when making a promise, just let your yes be yes and your no be no. Jesus wanted His followers to be reputed to be so honest, that their answer would be enough.  

Prayer

            Dear Jesus, help me to be honest in everything I do and say. In Your Name I pray, amen.