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Originally Posted by SRoper  Quote:
Originally Posted by k.seymore I definitely don't think we should ever swear to other gods which would violate the first commandment, so no. I wouldn't swear to the Nazis' god. | They are asking you to swear by your God, not theirs...
All this is very interesting. If I understand correctly, both of you are willing to lie to save the Jews, but you draw the line at taking an oath. |
Yeah, you've brought up a good point. My first reaction is to lie to the wicked but not to God or in God's name. On the one hand I feel free to lie to save a non-Christian's life in order to be faithful to God's justice. On the other hand I don't feel free to enter into an oath before God with a group of nazis to be as faithful to them as I am to God regarding the truth. I don't want to be bound to be faithful to a group of Nazis who will come back week after week asking the same question and reminding me of my oath to be faithful to them.
Notice how Joshua seems to have had no problem sending out spies "camoflagued" as if they were not Israelites in order to spy out the land. But then one of the lands around them returns the favor and camouflages themselves to return the favor:
"But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly" (Josh 9:3-5).
Joshua has no problem sending out people camouflaged in order to scope out the land, so he can't very well complain when it happens to him. But he should have been far more cautious in swearing in God's name. Joshua considers breaking this oath as being worse than nullifying it so as to not break God's earlier command, "you must devote them to complete destruction..."
"But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.”" (Josh 9:18-20)
Thus I would not swear oaths in God's name that I will be bound to be faithful to Nazis, even though I would have no problem deceiving them in other ways, like with a camouflaged room behind a wall that has no visible door that speaks out and says, "there is no room, therefore no Jews here!".