Articles
Proverbs To Live By (11:1)
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight.
Sin sometimes promises a short-term gain while delivering long-term detriment. To an unscrupulous person, it may seem advantageous to fudge the books or use “a false balance.” In ancient times, this meant cheating others when measuring out wheat or silver or some such commodity. Reducing a weight or measure by just a little could pay financial dividends in the long run.
But at what cost? People catch on after a while. Humans are imperfect, even at crime, and our imperfections eventually are exposed. Then our dishonesty may cost us our reputations and/or troubles with the law.
But standing above the pragmatic issues against sin is the fact that such behavior is “an abomination to the Lord.” Whether or not anyone else finds out, God sees our secret sins. He knows the corruption of heart that leads us to weigh our actions against “getting caught” instead of whether it is right and pleases Him.
If we do right in the first place, we will not have to worry about our reputations or judgment.
