Proverbs 11:1-15
A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
Proverbs 11:1
but a just weight is his delight.
How is it that we all understand what is meant by a false balance or why it would be an abomination to the LORD? Why is it that we need laws governing weights and measures and product labeling? As we can infer from this proverb, the notion that in the sale of a commodity one person might cheat another by deceit is obviously ancient, yet it has not disappeared at all. We just come up with new and imaginative ways of doing it. (“Shrinkflation” comes to mind, which, though legal, still has the same goal of hoping you don’t notice that you are getting less than what you expect…)
I doubt any of us have intentionally miscalibrated a scale at the farmers’ market or fiddled with a gas pump so that it measures more or less fuel. But this proverb also presents a broader, more general principle beyond buying and selling: honesty and integrity throughout life. And there’s the real challenge. Are we truly honest? Do we maintain real integrity?
Interesting example of what a modern “unjust balance” could be, John. I often notice these shrinking sizes, such as the curved bottom of soap bars, which decreases the total amount of soap. (I didn’t notice this change when it first started years ago.)
I was struck by the theme I saw in verses 9-14. Each verse refers in some way to the use of words—their power when used wisely and kindly (even in just praising God-v.10), but their destructiveness when used wrongly, even if unintentionally.
It is surely true that I should be more circumspect whenever I open my mouth, and I should pray much more for wisdom, grace towards others, and discernment in my words.
(Same basic rule as we saw in the previous chapter!)