Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–
September 4– Evening
by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff
“You must have just balances and weights– a just ephah and hin.”
—Leviticus 19:36
Weights, scales, and measures were all to be kept according to the standard of justice. Surely no Christian man will need to be reminded of this in his business, for if righteousness were banished from the whole world it should find a home in believing hearts. There are, however, other balances which weigh moral and spiritual things, and these often need examining. We will call in the weights and measures officer tonight.
First, regarding the balances in which we weigh our own and other men’s characters, are they accurate? Do we not turn our own ounces of goodness into pounds and other people’s bushels of excellence into pecks? O, let us recalibrate our weights and measures!
The scales in which we measure our trials and troubles, are they according to standard? Paul, who had more to suffer than we have, called his afflictions light, and yet we often consider ours to be heavy. Surely our weights must be out of calibration. We must correct this imbalance lest we get reported to the court above for unjust dealing.
Those weights with which we measure our doctrinal beliefs, are they fair? The doctrines of grace should be balanced by other teachings of the word. But it is to be feared that, with many, one side of the balance or the other is unfairly weighted. It is important to keep just measures when handling truth.
The measures in which we estimate our obligations and responsibilities to God and others look rather small. When a rich man gives no more to the cause of God than the poor, is that a just ephah and hin? When ministers are half-starved, is that honest dealing? When the poor are despised while ungodly rich men are admired, is that a just balance?
Dear reader, we might lengthen the list, but let’s stop here and leave it as our evening’s work to discover and destroy all our unrighteous balances, weights, and measures. [M&E]
