Saturday, March 7

Scripture: You shall have only a full and honest weight; you shall have only a full and honest measure, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 25:15).

Observation: Whenever I go to the gas station to fill up my car, there is a sticker on the pump with a phone number to call if I suspect the gas station is pumping out gallons that aren’t true gallons. I’ve noticed the same sticker at the grocery store; I can call the phone number and complain that the grocery store isn’t weighing my produce according to true ounces and true pounds. The world of Deuteronomy didn’t have a state department of weights and measures, but it did have a God who cares about fairness when people do business, so God commands that all weights and measures be “full and honest.” The currencies of ancient cultures were valued according to weight. For example, the shekel, the basic unit of currency in the Old Testament, was a unit of weight. When Israelites bought and sold, they used old-fashioned scales (well, old-fashioned for modern times) and placed a metal weight weighing exactly one shekel on one scale and a precious metal like silver or gold on the other scale. By balancing the scales, both buyer and seller could see with their own eyes that the silver or gold weighed exactly one shekel, no more, no more less. But what if someone used a metal weight that was slightly less than one shekel? In that case, the scale would have to be balanced with slightly more silver or gold, making the business deal unfair, favorable to the seller and a rip-off for the buyer. In the absence of a government-funded agency that can enforce weights and measures, the Israelites had this commandment in Deuteronomy and a God who was always keeping a close eye on business deals.

Application: What’s fair is fair. From business deals to soccer games to filing my taxes, fair is fair. God is watching me to see if I will play fair in all my relationships. Of course, that begs the question: how do I what fair means? There is a subtle wisdom behind Deuteronomy using the word “honest.” I may not always know the meaning of fairness, but I know when I’m being honest or dishonest. The person I’m dealing with may not know, but I sure know, and so does God. Underneath the commandment of fair weights and measures is a call to honest living. Fairness is up for debate and probably always will be. But honesty? That’s a clear call. I am to approach all my relationships with honesty as a fundamental non-negotiable virtue. A person who believes God is watching their every move relates to all people at the speed of honesty.

Prayer:

You know the cartoon bit with the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other? The angel whispers virtue; the devil tantalizes with vice. The devil’s trick is to make dishonesty delicious (I know You know this, for isn’t this what happened in the Garden of Eden?). If dishonesty were served raw, then the devil would lose, but the devil is a good cook: sprinkle on self-preservation; add a dash of revenge; go heavy on the rage of feeling unfairly treated; heat it up with the feeling that little lies are harmless, even human; and because we feast with our eyes first, make dishonesty the quickest path to appearing more attractive ourselves; and finally, give the dish a name, any name, just don’t call it what it is: a lie. Honesty, for that is who You are, Honesty, grant me the backbone to be above lies and lead me down the path of honesty in all my dealings in all my relationships, so that when you watch me, you see breadcrumbs of the truth upholding all reality. Onward we go: Amen.