Proverbs 16.11
“A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.”
This proverb addresses commercial transactions, and the message is clear: Be honest and fair. The “balance and scales” refers to making sure that an equitable price is set and paid for the thing purchased.
The last half of the verse says something very important that I don’t want anyone to miss … “all the weights in the bag are his work.” The “weights in the bag” refer to the weights used on one side of the scale to assure that the amount paid for the produce is fair and equitable.
The Hebrew word for “work” here is maaseh, and it means making, doing, or labor. And it says that weights of fairness are the work of God. In other words, God is the author and architect of the standards of justice.
There is necessary work that needs to be done in order to produce things. God labored and worked to create the world, and he gave man the responsibility of managing and cultivating the planet he created. This is the dominion commandment in Genesis … do the work required to take care of the world that God created.
The Lord intended man to work, labor, create, and produce … and then engage in fair trade and equitable transactions with other people. The followers of Jesus are called to model this: hard and skillful work, plus fair buying and selling of goods produced.
Proverbs 16.12
“It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.”
In addition to commerce being fair and just, God wants leaders to be fair and just. Again, the example here is a king, but it extends to all leaders in society.
It all begins with leadership, especially leadership at the top. If our political leaders are unjust and do evil, it is a serious offense — an abomination — against God. It violates his purpose for those who rule. This is because the leader’s immoral deeds affect the entire nation, not just himself.
God established human government for the purpose of bringing right moral standards and fair and just policies to a nation. If, however, the political leaders of a country engage in evil things, and if the leaders establish immoral and unjust policies, great harm is done to a great many people.
We do not need politicians who seek position and power, we need political leaders who seek to serve the people of our country. We do not need politicians who promote personal agendas and special interest groups, we need political leaders who honor God’s standards. We do not need politicians who promote socialist ideology, we need political leaders who honor the principles of liberty and personal responsibility in the Constitution.
The “throne” of our country … meaning the political leaders in Washington DC and state capitals through the nation … are intended to be places of rightness and wisdom, not a battleground for political manipulation and power.
May the Lord have mercy on America if we fail to wake up and turn this around.
