“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, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God.” (v13-16)
Have you ever used the phrase “life’s not fair”? I Have. Why do we use such a phrase? Probably so the world can make sense of how “bad things can happen to good people”. Though many things in this world are outside of our control, God does command us to be fair and honest in our treatment of others when it is within our control.
Have you ever cheated someone, or lied to them? Ashamedly, I admit that I have. It’s clear from the text that God doesn’t want people being dishonest toward one another. Scripture says that dishonesty is an abomination to the Lord.
One might suggest that sometimes it’s okay to mislead someone if telling the truth may cause them hurt. The Bible doesn’t allow for such a concession – half-truths and “white lies” are not taught as being acceptable.
The Bible also talks about “sins of omission” (withholding truth or fair treatment). One example is the priest and Levite who leave the beaten man at the side of the road. “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (Jas 4:17) Jesus and James are clear that not doing what we know to be the right thing, is sin.
So now what? We go around blasting everybody with truth, regardless of the outcome? That’s not exactly what the Bible teaches either. Let’s look to Jesus’ for examples. Jesus doesn’t ignore or white wash over the truth, but He handles it with grace. He treats people with the utmost respect (even though they don’t deserve it), loves them, and shows a better way of doing things.
Though there are several examples, one of my favorite examples of Jesus’ grace and truth is the woman forgiven of adultery. In Jn 8:1-11 a woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus. After Jesus issues a very wise statement “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” the crowd slowly disperses, leaving Him alone with the woman. He simply tells her “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
Another great example we won’t cover in detail is the woman at the well who had a long line of different husbands, who was also forgiven by Jesus, rather than condemned. Jesus never ignored the truth, that we have all sinned – He simply didn’t beat us up over that truth. He poured out grace, mercy, and forgiveness along with the truth.
So, if we are to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we need to be truthful, yet, we need to be gracious, merciful and sometimes forgiving (as needed) in how we speak the truth. My challenge is that with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we learn to speak the truth in grace toward others. Let’s not lie or omit anything, but let’s not blast someone with the truth either. The truth is meant to set someone free, not shackle them or be a weapon with which we beat them. Let’s honor, love and respect each other as Jesus does, treating them fairly and honestly.
Father God, Most High Lord, God of all Creation, we praise Your holy name. We come before You a broken and wretched people, who have sinned against You. Father thank you for being gracious and merciful, extending us forgiveness through the sacrifice of Your Son. Jesus, thank you for modeling the perfect balance of truth, grace and forgiveness. Please teach us to model that same grace as we speak to one another, having the utmost honor and respect for those created in Your image. Spirit, please grant us the wisdom and courage to do this, for being honest takes more boldness than being dishonest. In the powerful and life-giving name of Jesus we ask this, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training