There is nothing to compel an individual like taking an oath or making a vow, a pledge, or even a commitment. In the national courts, this commitment gets serious and becomes legally binding when we add a witness, just one witness; perhaps another Jamaican. It shows how serious you are about the commitment and that you want to be held to account for it. This commitment becomes mind-boggling when you call all mankind in every nation of the earth, all eight billion plus to hold you accountable. Because Jamaica has done this, there is shame poured on any Jamaican, anywhere, who is not living up to their oath or obligation pledged. You have asked all mankind to be cognizant of the oath you have taken, the responsibility you carry being a Jamaican, the high standard you have set for yourself by being a citizen of this country, to hold you accountable and to measure you against the standards of the pledge you have made. You are telling everyone in every nation of the earth not to take you seriously if you are violating your pledge, not to employ you because you are not honest or trustworthy, not to marry you, or enter into any agreement with you because you are a liar and a deceiver. You are asking the courts of every nation to condemn you without even hearing you because you are deceptive and dishonest by nature. What we are discussing here is very serious and cannot be taken casually. Due to its implication, nothing should be spared in educating Jamaicans about the responsibility they carry.

According to various online sources, a pledge is a solemn promise or undertaking, a thing that is given as security for the fulfillment of a contract or the payment of a debt and is liable to forfeiture in the event of failure. It is a solemn promise or agreement to do or refrain from doing something. It is something delivered as security for the payment of a debt. A vow uses the same terms as a pledge. A vow is a solemn promise or assertion; specifically, one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition: Cambridge dictionary. The free dictionary considers a vow as a solemn or earnest pledge or promise binding the person making it to perform a specified act or behave in a certain way. An example is the marriage vows.

The severity of the Jamaican national pledge intensifies because it doesn’t stop with asking all mankind to hold us accountable, or should I say, it doesn’t start there. We have called God as a witness to this pledge, rather as the first witness to our pledge.  We have asked Him to hold us accountable. We have asked Him to treat us as deceivers and liars if we fail to keep our commitment. Now, lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. He is the truth and there is no deception in Him. Once God is called to be witness to a pledge it becomes our vow to Him. It is like a sworn statement. Ignoring our vows or failure to deliberately perform them is sin and where this is perpetuated it becomes an iniquity. Now, if we regard iniquity in our hearts God will not hear us, Psalms 66:18. In effect, we have asked God not to consider us or answer our prayers if we fail to fulfil our obligation we have made to do the things we are about to examine, the individual responsibilities of our pledge as Jamaicans. The language may seem very strong but if we understand God, we will know it is hard to separate Him from His word. The world was created by His word and is upheld by His word. He does not take words lightly. The Bible tells us that His word is more important to Him than His name, Psalms 138:2. If we are not allowed to take His name lightly or in vain, how much more His word, or our word to Him?