A stone & a stone

As we all know, there are multifarious things that can grieve God’s heart, and regrettably most of them have to do with human behavior. In this brief post I will draw your attention to a subtle practice which is—in all aspects—an abomination to the Lord. It is presented to us in the Book of Proverbs with unreserved terms:

Diverse weights and diverse measures, they are both alike, an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 20:10).

The original text reads:

A stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah, even both of them [are] an abomination to Jehovah” (YLT).

“A stone and a stone” refers to the weights used in an “equal arm balance” (see picture above). Some merchants were using two different stones pretending both of them had the same weight, for instance, a mina. But in reality one of them weighted less than a mina. Therefore, when it was used, the buyer was paying for more than he had received. The same deceit was practiced with measures as well, as indicated by the ephah.

The idea is expressed in greater details in Deuteronomy:

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” (Deut. 25:13–16).

We read also in the Book of Proverbs: “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight (lit. stone) is His delight” (Prov. 11:1).

For whom are these words written?

Granted that these scriptures—in their original context—refer mostly to merchants, what about us who are not salesmen? Are these words appliable to us as well?

The plain fact is that we, as these merchants, can be tempted to use “a stone and a stone” so to speak, “an ephah and an ephah”. I am referring here to the common custom of using double standards when dealing with people. By double standard I mean: the application of different sets of principles for situations that are, in principle, the same, and is often used to describe advantage that is given to one party over another. Hence, with certain individuals we use this yardstick, and with others that yardstick. The staggering thing is that this despicable bias is often tolerated and looked upon as a normal way of behaving under certain circumstances.

The trap of partiality

When this happens we fall into partiality. The word itself infers the existence of parts. The heinous thing about partiality is that some parts are dealt with unjustly. No wonder the Scriptures urge us to stay away from such an abomination.

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality” (James 2:1).

Such scriptures reveal that it is possible for us Christians to have a stone and a stone, an ephah and an ephah. In fact, it is not only possible but also foreseeable because this is precisely the way the old man proceeds. It follows that the use of different weights is so ingrained in our society that we have become nearly blind to it. Therefore, we can fall into that snare almost unconsciously and dwell there peacefully as if everything is normal.

A stone and a stone in judgment

There are two basic areas in which partiality can be shown, namely, judgment and favor. Let’s begin with judgment.

You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s” (Deut. 1:17).

How can I show partiality in judgment? Here is an example: Let’s say Alice—my snobbish neighbor—takes my rake without asking, leaving me deprived of the tool I need so badly. At one point, realizing she has it, I run to her in a stormy mode and get all-over her case, telling her with a choleric voice that this is very disrespectful and extremely annoying. But strangely enough, when graceful Harriet does the very same thing I smile gently and say hello.

Or maybe Claude parked his car right in front of my driveway, leaving me trapped in as a bird in a cage. Fierily I dart to his door and tell him that next time I will have his car towed away without any warning. But when Karl, the banker, does the same thing on a regular basis I keep silent while grinding my teeth in utter frustration. And if peradventure the circumstances oblige me to leave my house, I gently ask him if he could move his car for a moment.

These sort of judgmental disparities can prowl into our heart and contaminate the way we behave. What I am saying is that a person doesn’t need to work in a court of law to show partiality in judgment. The practice can pop up at anytime, and if we are not careful it can invade our very character.

A stone and a stone in making favors

In the area of favors we come to favoritism in its narrowest sense. James, in his Epistle, expresses the ugliness of such a conduct and claims that it arises from evil thoughts.

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1–4).

Such favoritism can appear when we help healthy George to clear his entrance after it has snowed all night, but don’t consider Alex who has a broken arm.

Or we might pass our car to Sandra who is always nice to us, but deny the favor to cold Cathy who needs to bring her mom to the hospital urgently.

Conclusion

It is important to realize that such injustice is a serious offence and an abomination to God. As I mentioned, it is so ingrained in our society that it can splash on us as something acceptable and normal. To say the practice has leaked into our churches would only verbalize a reality that is often belittled, or worse, altogether ignored. I leave you with a few words from the wise: