Sorrows and tears fill the life of many people, yet one day all that will gloriously change for the child of God. Today, this world may laugh, mock, and ridicule the Lord and His people, but one day soon, the tide will turn. The Bible has some shocking truths. In fact, several passages attest to the fact that God will laugh at the wicked (Psalm 2:4; Psalm 37:13; Psalm 59:8). This may seem harsh, but God is gracious, merciful, and longsuffering. The Lord will never laugh at the difficulties of any to whom He has not first offered refuge and deliverance. In like manner, wisdom personified in the Bible warns her rejecters that she too will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh (Proverbs 1:26). On the other hand, the Bible assures a glorious future time of laughter for the people of God (Luke 6:21).
Our verbal communications involve the words that spring forth from our mouths. No doubt, the Lord considers these communications important and we should too. In today’s passage, the Lord gave some specific insights concerning His expectations of our communication. First, He wants our communication to be short and to the point – “let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay” (Matthew 5:37; see also Proverbs 10:19; Ecclesiastes 5:3, 7). Second, our word should be validated without the necessity of certifying it with vows, oaths, and swearing. In the context of the passage, the Lord Jesus forbade swearing “by heaven” (Matthew 5:34), “by the earth” (Matthew 5:35), or “by thy head” (Matthew 5:36). When we swear by these things, we put ourselves in danger of condemnation (James 5:12). Let your nay be nay and your yea be yea!
