Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes
it grow. ~Proverbs 13:11
The Lord abhors dishonest scales, accurate weights are His delight. ~Proverbs 11:1
Honest scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of His making. ~Proverbs 16:11
Differing weights and differing measures—the Lord detests them both. ~Proverbs 20:10
The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please Him. ~Proverbs 20:23
Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly. ~Deuteronomy 25:13-16
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own. No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. ~Luke 16:10-14
I remember when butchers used to be accused of leaving their thumb on the scale. What was the slogan from the scale company out of Toledo Ohio: “No springs, honest weights.” I guess that now we know that this isn’t a modern problem. It goes way back to when weighing for pricing began. It kind of makes a person glad for regulations and standard weights and measurements. We’ll not bother to wade into the metric system pros and cons today.
Have you ever read some of those old-fashioned recipes that call for a pinch of this and a dash of that? Everybody’s recipe was just a tad different depending on the size of your pinch. That doesn’t bother anybody but the pickiest and most precise cooks
The issue addressed in the Proverbs though, is cheating, which God abhors. Archeologists have discovered that some ancient merchants kept two sets of weighing stones, one for buying, and one for selling. If you’re buying, you want to get more for your money, so the scales won’t balance until the product you’re purchasing weighs the same as the heavier weight, your “buying” stone. Then when you’re selling, you use the lighter stone, of course, to give away a bit less than what the purchase price is good for. One last bit of advice. Never let your customers know you have two sets of weighing stones! Now imagine what happens when two such merchants meet. How do they decide whose weighing stones to use?
If your weights differ between the ones you use for selling and the ones you use for buying, who will know? They look the same. If you aren’t quite accurate and that works in your favor, who will know? A person of integrity won’t be tempted with these thoughts and methods, but if this is an area of weakness, then there is serious trouble ahead. Many have fallen by thinking, “I won’t get caught.” “Be sure, your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23) It serves as a block to your growth spiritually and keeps one from being fruitful for the Kingdom.
Again, we are dealing with a heart issue, especially as it pertains to money. When we talked about the tongue simply being the messenger of the heart, in most cases, we can at least stop the tongue from what saying we are “really,” thinking. But in matters of money, we may have a little more trouble with self-control. This is true partially because in so much of society, we don’t talk about our money. So, while we may not always be able to say what we want, it may be a little easier to privately do what we want.
This is a huge issue with some of our senior saints today. One of the hardest things for my mother to accept as I am trying to help her is that she would have to let me help her with her finances. I think this was one of the hardest hurtles for her, even more than being helped to walk, or helped to remember. She keeps her money matters to herself, thinking that it’s nobody’s business but her own.
Remember back in January when we talked about the power of the secret? Well, it applies here as well. I’ve heard it said that, if I look at your checkbook, or perhaps today it would be your on-line bank statement, I would be able to tell very quickly what your true priorities are, no matter what you might “tell” me they are. Our hearts do reveal themselves in outward ways. Your bank account is another way of revealing your true nature. It cannot be hidden forever.
So, as we go about our business, may we be ever mindful that our integrity matters to God and determines not how much he loves us, but maybe how much He trusts us with His stuff.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for grace and forgiveness. Thank you for leading and guiding, and that you lead us by conviction that produces repentance and do not condemn, for who could live? Thank you for my conscience, Lord, that helps me know how to live with honesty and integrity. May I also be openly honest and held accountable by my peers who seek to spur me on to love and good works. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: God Blesses Those Who Are Honest
The Lord abhors dishonest scales, accurate weights are His delight. ~Proverbs 11:1
Honest scales and balances are from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are of His making. ~Proverbs 16:11
Differing weights and differing measures—the Lord detests them both. ~Proverbs 20:10
The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please Him. ~Proverbs 20:23
Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly. ~Deuteronomy 25:13-16
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own. No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. ~Luke 16:10-14
I remember when butchers used to be accused of leaving their thumb on the scale. What was the slogan from the scale company out of Toledo Ohio: “No springs, honest weights.” I guess that now we know that this isn’t a modern problem. It goes way back to when weighing for pricing began. It kind of makes a person glad for regulations and standard weights and measurements. We’ll not bother to wade into the metric system pros and cons today.
Have you ever read some of those old-fashioned recipes that call for a pinch of this and a dash of that? Everybody’s recipe was just a tad different depending on the size of your pinch. That doesn’t bother anybody but the pickiest and most precise cooks
The issue addressed in the Proverbs though, is cheating, which God abhors. Archeologists have discovered that some ancient merchants kept two sets of weighing stones, one for buying, and one for selling. If you’re buying, you want to get more for your money, so the scales won’t balance until the product you’re purchasing weighs the same as the heavier weight, your “buying” stone. Then when you’re selling, you use the lighter stone, of course, to give away a bit less than what the purchase price is good for. One last bit of advice. Never let your customers know you have two sets of weighing stones! Now imagine what happens when two such merchants meet. How do they decide whose weighing stones to use?
If your weights differ between the ones you use for selling and the ones you use for buying, who will know? They look the same. If you aren’t quite accurate and that works in your favor, who will know? A person of integrity won’t be tempted with these thoughts and methods, but if this is an area of weakness, then there is serious trouble ahead. Many have fallen by thinking, “I won’t get caught.” “Be sure, your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23) It serves as a block to your growth spiritually and keeps one from being fruitful for the Kingdom.
Again, we are dealing with a heart issue, especially as it pertains to money. When we talked about the tongue simply being the messenger of the heart, in most cases, we can at least stop the tongue from what saying we are “really,” thinking. But in matters of money, we may have a little more trouble with self-control. This is true partially because in so much of society, we don’t talk about our money. So, while we may not always be able to say what we want, it may be a little easier to privately do what we want.
This is a huge issue with some of our senior saints today. One of the hardest things for my mother to accept as I am trying to help her is that she would have to let me help her with her finances. I think this was one of the hardest hurtles for her, even more than being helped to walk, or helped to remember. She keeps her money matters to herself, thinking that it’s nobody’s business but her own.
Remember back in January when we talked about the power of the secret? Well, it applies here as well. I’ve heard it said that, if I look at your checkbook, or perhaps today it would be your on-line bank statement, I would be able to tell very quickly what your true priorities are, no matter what you might “tell” me they are. Our hearts do reveal themselves in outward ways. Your bank account is another way of revealing your true nature. It cannot be hidden forever.
So, as we go about our business, may we be ever mindful that our integrity matters to God and determines not how much he loves us, but maybe how much He trusts us with His stuff.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for grace and forgiveness. Thank you for leading and guiding, and that you lead us by conviction that produces repentance and do not condemn, for who could live? Thank you for my conscience, Lord, that helps me know how to live with honesty and integrity. May I also be openly honest and held accountable by my peers who seek to spur me on to love and good works. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: God Blesses Those Who Are Honest
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