The title of this chapter is “God Judgeth the Man of Promise”.
1. God said: Consider the judgements of God, O thou man of many promises.
Called “man of many promises” due to the many oaths or vows humans make. (See vs 3).
2. Behold, I have heard thee say: O God, if I were rich; or, if this undertaking hold good; or, if I am spared, then will I do something handsome for the Father’s kingdom! 3. And thy vows have been registered in heaven, over and over again.
There is nothing wrong with making a personal covenant with the Creator, and upon the fulfilment of one’s request, an offering is made in full. However, for many, essentially, this becomes a bargaining act instead of a real, genuine covenant.
4. And my angels have laboured with thee to fulfil thy promise. And, yet, thou dost not
regard thy word. But thou holdest to thy earthly possessions, saying: Wait yet a little while.
Jehovih’s spirits have assisted man to fulfil his vows or promises (provided they were according to Jehovih’s plans). However, as the Oahspe Bible points out in this verse, some people’s words (promises) are meaningless. The individual never meant to uphold his or her end of the covenant. The “earthly possessions” can refer to the offering the individual had promised, but instead, he decides to keep them.
5. Hear thou, then, the judgement of thy God, for it is that which thou shalt put upon thyself after thine entrance into the es world. 6. Which is, that thou shalt be bound in heaven till thou shalt accomplish what thou mightst have done, but failed to do.
Due to failure in fulfilling his promises to either God or the Creator Jehovih, the person is sentenced to one of the realms of heaven. Obviously, this is not referring to the highest heaven. The soul must remain in that particular place until it has fulfilled all the vows he failed to uphold while in his earthly existence.
7. And this is the penalty for neglecting, on earth, to fulfil the light that was given unto thee: Thou shalt, in heaven, accomplish without money, what thou couldst have done with money. And the difference it requireth to do a thing without means, as compared to what might be done by one with means, is the extra bondage and duration that shall be upon thy head and soul.
This punishment might seem harsh to some, but the Creator views the taking of vows very seriously. It is for our own good that punishment is given, so that we pay the last penny, as Joshu taught, and we eventually become purified.
8. To all men, who set out with a promise to accomplish charity, or any good for the resurrection or melioration of man, and fail to do it, the same judgement shall be upon them in heaven. Nor shall they rise above the first resurrection until they have fulfilled the same in all particulars. Thus shall they judge themselves in heaven.
Judgement is upon all souls that fail to fulfil their covenants.
10. The commandment of Jehovih is upon thee, to do what thou canst, according to thy highest light and ability to accomplish. In this respect, then, thou shalt find no excuse, because thou knew not the best way. 11. Neither mattereth it, the amount of thy riches being less than another man’s riches. 12. Nor shalt thou find an excuse, in saying: I did more according to my means than did my neighbour. 9. It is not sufficient for thee, O man, to say: I saw not my way clear as to the best method of doing a thing, and so I waited.
Jehovih does not permit us to make such petty excuses. He knows our very thoughts and sees all of our actions, and thus we will be judged accordingly. Anyone who purposely neglected their covenants has squandered their time on earth to serve both Jehovih and their fellow human beings.
13. One man shall not be judged by another; but all shall be judged according to the light of Jehovih in them, and according to what He hath given unto them.
Our loving Creator does not judge us according to the standards of human beings or compare our labour to that of others. We are judged according to how we acted upon the assignment given to us with the amount of light within us. Each of us is given specific assignments or tasks and Jehovih gives us the talents to accomplish them in a timely manner.
(JBS)