Even Balance

Job 31:6

“Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity”, Job want to be weighed in an even balance. I know that I desire to be weighed in an even balance when I am judged. In Guatemala, I saw a lady selling chicken. She had made herself a balance to weigh out the chicken pieces that she was selling. She also had some weights to place in the other basket to compare against the weight of the chicken. To buy from this lady you must trust that her balance was even and her weights were just.

Prov.16:11, The Lord’s balance and weights are just (correct or perfect). I believe that God has an even balance for each of us, and we should have no problem in trusting him. The verse also says that “all the weights of the bag are his work”. Do you ever feel as if something in this life is unfair? I have been known to have a pity party and invite as many as will come. I believe that two things that are the “weights of his work”, truth and mercy. For God’s balance to be even he must supply us with equal amounts of both. Too much truth without mercy is not good, and too much mercy without truth is just as bad.

Ps.25:10, “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.” If your path is in the will of God, then mercy and truth from the Lord is available to you.

Ps.86:15, “But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” When you feel as if you are getting way too much truth and not enough mercy, it is not because God has run short on mercy, He has plenty. He is probably adjusting your balance to keep it even. When we throw a bunch of sin into the balance the Lord must even it out with truth. On the other hand if we honor his truth and add to it, he must add to the mercy side to keep it even.

Ps. 100:5, “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” His mercy and truth are timeless. Our generation does not get a “pass” on truth because of the amount of wickedness that is in our world today. God had never changed his mind on how he feels about sin.

If God has an even balance for each of us, then it would stand to reason that he would expect us to have an even balance with others. Prov. 11:1, false balance and Prov. 20:23, divers weights, are an abomination unto the Lord. When you deal with another person with deceit or trickery, God really doesn’t like it. If you give nothing but mercy to your children, the balance is not even, and your children will suffer. If you give your children only the truth and never mercy, it is also bad.

Dan.5:17-31, the king was “weighed in the balances,” and found wanting (come up short). He had done as his father and not run his kingdom with an even balance. What does your balance look like? Do you hand out just amounts of truth and mercy? Do you add sin to your balance and make it uneven? Are you having a pity party because you think that God is unfair to you? God’s balance is even and his weights are just.