Yes, Yes…   And No, No…
 
In ancient times, people did not want to promise something and say, “I swear by God that I will do this.”  Because they felt that if they swore by God, that they were under obligation to keep their oath, and they often wanted to back out of a promise.  So, people used to say things like…
“I swear by heaven”
“I swear by God’s throne”
“I swear by the earth”
“I swear by Jerusalem”
“I swear by my head that I promise to do this or that”

 
 
 
 
When we are successful in life and when things are going well for us, what do we think?  Do we think to ourselves, “Wow, I’m such a good athlete, or Wow, I’m such a good father, or Wow, I’m such a hard worker, or Wow, I’m just so smart?”  Is that what we think?