THE COCK CROWS AT DAWN (2).

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*THE COCK CROWS AT DAWN (2).*

*Scripture Treasure.*

Matt 26:69-75:

*Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.*

*But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.*

*And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.*

*And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.*

*And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.*

*Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.*

*And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

Peter not only denied Jesus three times, he denied under oath, he cursed and swore,

Matt 26:72, 74.

*Scripture Commentaries.*

By the goings in Matt 26:69-74, it would be conclusive that each of Peter's denial was accompanied by an oath, curse, and swearing.

Where there was no provision for compulsion for either a binding and non-binding oath placed before him, Peter, for lack of sincerity adopted one in order to justify himself in the courtyard environment. He may have thought swearing under an oath in the courtyard would prove his truth and innocence in the court environment he found himself.

Today, we will look at further lessons we could learn from the cock crow.

After Peter denied the third time, the cock crow was the legitimate witness and symbol of a turning point and the moment of truth between him and Christ.

Peter must make up his mind. He was in a crisis and it implied a moment where a decision is necessary to move forward. 

He had failed, he was at a crossroad.

He broke down in tears, choosing the right path.

The cock crow became the 'safety line of action' or the 'breaker' that interrupted to stop the flow of Peter's failure by finally putting a stop to his abnormalities.

By his act of an oath, curse and swearing,

Peter violated Matthew 5:34-37 and later emphasized in James 5:12, which stated not to swear at all.

Jesus said in Matt 5: 34-37:

*But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:*

*Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.*

*Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.*

*But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.*

James said in James 5:12 *But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.*

Jesus spoke about these forbidden acts of swearing and ended saying *".....anything beyond this comes from the evil one."* Matt 5:37

In other words, you can not swear without further profanity or falsehood following it.

James also ended his writing saying let your yes be yes and your no be no *".....so that you may not fall under condemnation."*

Peter failed on moral and godly grounds. The intentions of this command by Jesus further narrated by James was to make formal oaths redundant, abstinence from making false or unnecessary promises, in order to avoid using swear words or profanity.

It is an encouragement to all believers to be so truthful that their simple confirmation of fact is binding.

Peter's absolute honesty and integrity in all his communication at the courtyard were missing but Christ's prophecy did not miss.

The cock crowed at night, as He said!

*Remorse corner.*

Simple "yes" or "no" is enough.

*Call to Word action.*

Rom 3:4 *God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.*

*The Christian clarion duty.*

Do not say "yes" when you mean to say "no".

*Prayer.*

Lord help me. Let my "yes" be "yes" and let my "no" be "no", in Jesus name.

Good morning all, and be blessed as you go today.

God bless you.

Shalom.