Read Deuteronomy 25:13-16 at Bible Gateway.
Previously: deuteronomy 25:1-12, do not withhold what is justly due
(Please review the teaching tools of scripture, especially the Hebrew paragraph divisions and chiastic structures. The paragraphs marked by an “s” at their close are weak paragraphs, which indicate a change of facet but not a change of theme or topic. The paragraphs marked by a “p” at their close are strong paragraphs, which indicate the completion of a theme or topic.)
The Tenth Commandment, Do not covet, is explained in Deu 24:10-26:15. There is one Hebrew paragraph division in this third section:
Deu 25:13-16 {p} Do not covet gain from unjust weights or measures
“You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God.” Deu 25:13-16
“You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume.” Lev 19:35
Diverse weights and diverse measures, they are both alike, an abomination to the Lord. Pro 20:10
“Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the short measure that is an abomination? Shall I count pure those with the wicked scales, and with the bag of deceitful weights?” Mic 6:10-11
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Mat 7:1-2
Business was conducted in the ancient world with a balance scale and weights, rather than coins, at first. Let’s say something you wanted to buy was valued at a certain amount of silver. The merchant would put a set of brass or bronze weights on one side of the scale, and the customer would put his silver pieces on the other side of the scale until the scale balanced. And then both parties would know that the proper amount of money had been given to the merchant.
Unrighteous merchants would have a set of heavy weights they used to cheat customers, so that the customer would have to pay more silver than the stated value, and they would have a set of light weights for themselves, so that they paid less than the stated value.
It was the same with merchants who traded in flour or wine or olive oil, anything that was measured by volume instead of by weight. Unrighteous merchants would have a set of slightly smaller measures they measured to customers, so that the merchant retained more than his fair share of product at the end of the day while still making the full money for it.
The standard of righteousness of Torah is to have a just or true weight and measure. Do not covet gain that might come from unjust weights and measures. Do not shorten or lengthen your measure in order to give someone an unjust advantage or disadvantage (as a standard of fact finding for courtrooms, or research labs).
As well, do not measure judgment strictly with others and lightly with ourselves – having a double standard. Parents especially need to be on guard for this, that they maintain a just weight and measure in their household. If a parent requires righteous behavior of their children, they had better require that same righteous behavior of themselves and not give themselves a pass that they do not give their children. That is measuring with an unjust weight and measure. It is an abomination to the Lord, and a contributing factor to teenagers’ disillusionment with their parents.
Continued: deuteronomy 21:1-25:16, do no harm
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