Initially, one might think that praising others or receiving the praise of others might be a wicked act, but the Bible does not reflect this. In Acts chapter 12, Herod was smitten by the Lord when he received praise from the people. The problem was not so much the praise he received, but his failure to, in turn, give glory to God (Acts 12:22-23). Contrary to what most Christians think, the Lord allows for the praise of others. In our passage, the Lord suggests that a virtuous woman will receive praise from her husband. In Proverbs 27:2, the Lord declares that one requirement in this matter is that a man only receive praise from the lips of another. When a man begins to praise himself, he does so in direct rebellion to the words and direction of God.
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!
