A Double Take
Deuteronomy 25:13-15
“You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and fair weight you shall have. … For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.”
Doubtless any among us read Deuteronomy 25:13-15 just now with a sting of conviction and ran to that miscellaneous drawer in our kitchen to quickly throw away the unequal weights we’ve been hiding. The particularity of this law is of course a relic of a bygone era, a seeming triviality to many among us who would need a lecture on ancient modes of banking; but while the meaning of this law has faded with time, the principle undergirding it is as relevant as ever. In fact, you’ve probably addressed it already this week unwittingly, in an argument with a friend or while listening to your favorite podcast. Because this archaic law against double measures is equivalent to our modern ethic against double standards.
If I claim to love my neighbor as myself, but I practically pursue one neighbor over another; for instance, if my wife and I bake cookies for the neighbors who came to our community party but not for the ones who didn’t, our love has a double weight. If we cozy up to people in church who can help our private business, if we’ve joined certain fellowship groups or outreach projects because of how they’ll enhance our network or our tax write-offs, while shunning other ministries that need our help but can’t offer anything tangible in return, then we’re serving dishonestly. We aren’t alone, though. Even our biblical heroes struggled in this regard. In fact, the very first church schism in Acts 6 took place because Jewish widows were being preferentially treated to Gentile widows. And likewise, Paul confronted Peter in Galatians for trying to look good to the Jewish elites. Yet, even Paul himself, the great preacher of grace, who forgave so many of his Roman abusers, couldn’t offer the same grace to John Mark at first.
The point: let’s strive today to be fair and just and unbiased like our Lord and Savior is to us. Our double standards are still abominations even if they’re covered by a greater grace.