October 30, 2013
Central Truth
God calls us to act honestly . . . in ALL that we do.
"For everyone who does these things, everyone who acts unjustly is an abomination to the LORD your God." (Deuteronomy 25:16)
1 If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, 2 then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. 3 Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.
4 You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.
5 If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.’ 10 And the name of his house 1 25:10 Hebrew its name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’
11 When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, 12 then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.
13 You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. 14 You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. 15 A full and fair 2 25:15 Or just, or righteous; twice in this verse weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. 16 For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.
17 Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, 18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. 19 Therefore when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.
Are you an honest person? I bet most of us think we are.
But how honest, really? What happens at work when we make a mistake, or the boss asks, "Did you follow up on XYZ?" What about in a relationship when asked, "Why didn't you answer your phone?" Are we always honest when the doctor asks how well we have been at diet and exercise? Let's face it, we are surrounded by temptations to be dishonest.
This passage specifically references dishonesty in business. Back then, people had to carry weights to measure and value the goods for sale. The "trick" was to short the other person in a business transaction by using a weight that was either heavier or lighter than it was supposed to be, depending on whether you were buying or selling. Thank goodness we don't have to carry weights to Kroger, but the application is just as real today. Many of us sell used items like cars, furniture, and electronics online or in our communities. Just after college, I remember selling a 10-year-old Mitsubishi Eclipse that had been nothing but problems, and I was not exactly upfront about its history and reliability. Sadly, my misrepresentation of its condition in an attempt to extract value was me carrying false weights.
Why are we dishonest? Is it to "get ahead," make ourselves look good, or maybe spare someone's feelings? Or is it just a lack of trust? In the above example, I clearly didn't trust God with my finances, and so I believed I needed to try to squeeze an extra few hundred dollars out of the sale of my car. And dishonesty comes with consequence. When exposed, all credibility is lost and not easily recovered.
Dear Lord, You tell us that lying lips are an abomination to you, but that dealing faithfully is Your delight (Proverbs 12:22). We recognize that our words and actions tell the people around us who we are. We ask that You open our eyes to areas in our lives in which we may be dealing dishonestly with You or with others and that we would trust You to help us walk confidently in Your truth. Amen.
1. What are the benefits of living a life faithfully representing the truth? What would this world look like if everyone pursued this way of living?
2. In what areas of your life are you tempted to be less than 100% truthful? What is your motivation to deceive? Are you trusting God in this area?
3. Are there acts of dishonesty in your past that you need to repent of and make amends for?