Dishonest Scales (Deuteronomy 25:13-16; Ezekiel 45:10-12)
“Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight. When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them. Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the faithless are trapped by their own desires. When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes. The righteous man is delivered from trouble; in his place the wicked man goes in.
With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued. When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent.A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence. For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance. He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure. A gracious woman attains honor, but violent men gain only wealth. A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward. Genuine righteousness leads to life, but the pursuit of evil brings death. The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight. Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape. Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
The desire of the righteous leads only to good, but the hope of the wicked brings wrath. One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
He who searches out good finds favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it. He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage. He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!”
“Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight. When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them. Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.” Repeatedly, God warns people throughout the Old Testament of the need for honest business practices. When we cheat people, we are actually stealing from the Lord, and God has all kinds of ways of collecting.
“The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the faithless are trapped by their own desires. When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes. The righteous man is delivered from trouble; in his place the wicked man goes in.” Wickedness carries its own punishment along with it. The results can be death and destruction.
“With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued. When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent.” There are some people whose tongues should be registered as deadly weapons. The neighbors remain silent because they don’t want to become the next targets.
“The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward. Genuine righteousness leads to life, but the pursuit of evil brings death.” No matter how much a wicked man earns, eventually things will all fall apart.
“A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence. For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance.” The Bible cautions us many times to consult lots of counselors. The key here is to choose your counselors very wisely.
“He who searches out good finds favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it. He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage. He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.” What does it mean to inherit the wind? Wind never stays in one place but is always moving somewhere else and has no substance. Anyone bringing trouble to his family will achieve nothing, no matter how successful he appears to be in the beginning.
APPLICATION: What does it mean to inherit the wind? Anyone who inherits the wind is expending enormous effort on something that has no staying power. Try to grasp wind; it’s impossible. No matter how hard you try, the wind will slip through your fingers. How can we find ourselves inheriting the wind? When we bring trouble on our own houses, we are setting ourselves up for failure. At the moment, we are witnesses to a double tragedy. A man who had been misconducting himself became engaged in a public confrontation with someone else. When the second man defended himself by stating the first man’s misconduct accurately, the first man followed him home and beat him so severely that he died a few hours later. Now the first man has brought trouble to his family and will inherit nothing but wind.
Looking back, we can trace the downward spiral this man has followed. At any point, this man could have turned and repented and reversed the process. But unfortunately, this man continued to choose wrongly.
How can we avoid inheriting the wind? Again, Proverbs 11 provides plenty of answers. Search out good. Find faithful and righteous counselors and follow their leading. Continually and persistently make righteous choices, avoiding foolish and wicked dealings. “The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.” And as Scripture teaches us, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives and to delight in Your righteousness. Then we will have a blessed and godly heritage and will never worry about inheriting the wind. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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