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“Wherefore God…confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation [encouragement], who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:17-18).
We might be a little confused by these verses, as the Lord Jesus, when He was on earth, told the people, “Swear not at all” (Matthew 5:34), and that they were simply to say “yes” or “no” when speaking to others. Why then does God swear an oath?
The answer is that God wanted to prove conclusively to man that He would do what He said He would do. Thus He gave man two immutable things (things that cannot be changed) —His Word, and His oath. God could not lie, but because men use oaths in a courtroom, in order to emphasize the importance of telling the truth, God swore an oath, just so that man would realize that God would keep His Word.
God had promised to bless Abraham, and He even used an oath, to back up His Word. How gracious our God is!
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