The Israelites were encouraged and instructed to have their business dealings under God's scrutiny. That is why there was a bag in the sanctuaries that held what was called a "just weight". It had the stones that were measures of the weights to be used by the merchants. These merchants were to bring their own weights and compare them to the temple weights and adjust for business dealings. You can see how easy it was to become fraudulent in this way. Many of the merchants carried their own bag of weights which weren't exact or just. Their unfair trade was easily conducted by very small variances in the scale in their favor. It quickly became a big deal in the Israelite culture: this matter of just weights and balance.
These merchants wouldn't have dreamed of becoming involved in scandalous or fraudulent schemes. But it was so easy to gain money little by little. Just like them, we are still dealing with the "small" discrepancies in our lives in the same way.
Today, any business that sells by weight or gallon, is subject to a visit from the State Weights and Measures Board. This representative will open his case of true weights and check out the scale. If you are substandard, a fine will be incurred. The business cannot sell without a stamp posted that they have been inspected and approved with their weights and measurements.
We are so much like those early merchants. The first thing we tend to do is to quit going to compare our weights to the just weights in the Word. We start doing our own measures; cutting corners a little here and there.The world around us does it all the time. It seems fair to get even or to give someone their due or make up our own table of reference to use in our measures of right and wrong. It seems fair and looks acceptable.
We begin to judge our behavior from what our peers expect and we adjust our stones to fit the balance of those around us. This affects our speech, our outward appearance, our conduct and our entire life.
Another scripture says that "Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the heart." This we must never forget! God sees why we say what we do and why we conduct ourselves in the manner we do. Nothing is hidden from Him. We tend to think that God doesn't care about the small details of our life. Wrong. He cared that Adam and Eve ate an apple. He cared that Lot's wife turned around and looked back. Are those little things? He wrote an entire law and then a book of reference for His people to have just weights and balances, and He expects us to reference it and not change it!
For sure, we live in a world of adjusted weights and balances. There are not many accountability boards looking over our shoulders. We can pretty well put into our bags what we want and think we can get by with it. I suggest we all go back with our bag of weights and compare them to the Word.
What does the Word say about love, marriage, and training our children? How about gossiping, modesty, our body being God's temple and business dealings, Do we understand the just weight in unselfish living, giving of our money, and how to treat our neighbor? What is the just weight on adultery, lying and cheating?And every other thing that makes up LIFE? Do we have the right kind of balance or do we need to do some adjusting?
Lets all take our bags and go back to the Source and let Him check it out! We might be surprised at the fine! But I really want that Stamp of Approval on my life so that those around me feel safe to do business with me!
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