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Deuteronomy 25:13-16 is the ordinance concerning differing weights and measures:
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The dishonest practice of having differing weights and measures is a lie and is surely from Satan—John 8:44.
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In spiritual application, to condemn a certain thing in others while justifying the same thing in ourselves indicates that we have different weights and measures, that is, different scales—one scale for measuring others and a different scale for measuring ourselves.
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In the house of God, the church (1 Tim. 3:15), only one scale should be used to weigh everyone.
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If we have only one scale, we will be fair, righteous, and just, even as God is, and we will keep the oneness and one accord in the church—Matt. 7:1-5.
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The prohibition against sowing two kinds of seed in one’s vineyard may typify the prohibition against teaching differently in the church—Deut. 22:9; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 6:3; cf. Luke 8:11:
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The church is God’s vineyard, and in this vineyard only one kind of seed, one kind of teaching, should be sown—1 Cor. 3:9b; Acts 2:42.
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If we teach differently, sowing more than one kind of seed, the “produce” in the church will be forfeited.
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The apostles taught the same thing to all the saints in all the places and in all the churches—1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33b-34:
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We also must teach the same thing in all the churches in every country throughout the earth—Matt. 28:19-20.
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There is no thought in the New Testament that a teaching is good for one church but not for the other churches; rather, the New Testament reveals that all the churches were the same in receiving the teachings—Titus 1:9.
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Only by faith can we live the church life under the government of God—Eph. 1:22-23; 4:15; Col. 2:19; Gal. 2:16; 3:2, 5-9, 14:
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God wants His people to do whatever He requires not by self-effort but by faith—Heb. 10:39—11:1, 6, 9-12; 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:7-8.
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God’s economy is in faith, and faith is the unique way for God to carry out His economy—1 Tim. 1:4; Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:7; 4:13.
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The church is “the household of the faith”—Gal. 6:10:
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The household of the faith is composed of all who are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus—3:26.
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All the believers in Christ together constitute a universal household, the great family of God—a family that believes in God—6:10; Heb. 11:6.
Morning Nourishment
Deut. 25:13-15 You shall not have in your bag differing weights. …You shall not have in your house differing measures….A full and righteous weight…and a full and righteous measure you shall have…that your days may be extended upon the land which Jehovah your God is giving you.Gal. 6:10 …Let us do what is good toward all, but especially toward those of the household of the faith.
Deuteronomy 25:13-16 covers the judgment concerning weights and measures. The children of Israel were not to have in their bag differing weights, one heavy and one light, nor were they to have in their house differing measures, one large and one small (vv. 13-14). To have differing weights and measures is a lie, and all lies come from the enemy, Satan. The dishonest practice of having differing weights and measures is surely from Satan.
The children of Israel were to have a full and righteous weight and a full and righteous measure in order that their days might be extended upon the God-given land (v. 15). Here longevity is related to righteousness. Those who have lived a long life often attribute their longevity to such matters as taking care of their health, getting adequate sleep, and having a proper diet….In this verse living long upon the land is clearly related to having full and righteous weights and measures. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, p. 134)
Today’s Reading
Those who have differing weights and measures actually have differing scales. In the church life today, we may have differing scales—one scale for measuring others and a different scale for measuring ourselves. Having differing scales, we may condemn a certain thing in others but justify the same thing in ourselves.In the house of God, the church, there should be only one scale….The same scale should be used to weigh everyone. If we have only one scale, we will be fair, righteous, and just, even as God is. Because God is fair, righteous, and just, He measures everyone according to the same scale.
Although we should not have differing scales in the church life, one scale for weighing ourselves and other scales for weighing the brothers and sisters, we all have failed in this matter. Not one of us is an exception. Using the language of accounting, we may say that it is easy for us to “debit” others and “credit” ourselves. Instead of doing this, we should give others more credit and ourselves more debit.
Some saints who have the practice of using differing scales may move from one locality to another, hoping to find a more satisfactory church with more satisfactory elders. But because these saints have differing scales, no matter where they may go, they do not find the church and the elders to be satisfactory.
I emphasize the practice of having differing scales because this practice is a sickness, a disease, in the church life. This is the source of disaccord. Instead of keeping the oneness and the one accord, we have disaccord. May we all receive mercy from the Lord to no longer have differing scales but, like our God, to have the same scale for everyone. (Life-study of Deuteronomy, pp. 134-136)
For more than fifty years, I have been living by faith in the Lord. Often I have been very poor. Nevertheless, I can testify that even though I have been in extreme poverty, I never had any lack. I gathered little, but I had no lack. At other times I had an abundant supply, even large sums of money. However, I must testify that I did not have any excess. Therefore, I can testify from my experience that whenever I have gathered much, I have had no excess and that whenever I have gathered little, I have had no lack. Who balances the supply in this way? It is done by God with His heavenly balance. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 423)
Further Reading: Life-study of Deuteronomy, msg. 19; Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 48