“The Lord hates cheating scales, but accurate weights are His delight.”
I heard that quote last night while watching 3-2-1 Penguins: The Cheating Scales of Bullamanka. And I had a thought from hearing it that I am not sure I had before: God loves business.
If one spends much time in religious circles today, it is easy to think that God does not like business. Those who want to make money are evil, the poor are good just because they are poor, everything needs to be shared equally among everyone. These are the sort of sentiments needed to have a proper “religious” view of the world.
But that isn’t what the proverb says. “Accurate weights are His delight.” Weights that allow for good and free commerce, weights that deal justly with buyer and seller, rewarding those work through the just exchange of the works of their hands with others, are blessed by God.
Scripture says a lot about taking care of the less fortunate. It also discourages rewarding the lazy — “He who shall not work shall not eat,” Paul told the church at Thessalonica.
“He has shown thee, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee: but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
The scripture constantly emphasizes justice. The scripture constantly emphasizes justice to individuals. It doesn’t emphasize equality. It doesn’t emphasize fairness. Most mentions of equality in the scripture are actually negative cases.
For what scripture emphasizes is freedom. Justice ensures freedom. Honest scales ensure freedom and encourage honest labor. Honest labor creates goods that provide for the needs of all. Freedom and justice encourage generosity.
At The Rainbow 