Deuteronomy 25 … Consider His Scales of Justice

Originally posted: 08/08/2019

Scales of Justice: a symbol used in many Western presentations of modern law, symbolizing the idea of the fair distribution of law, with no influence of bias, privilege or corruption.

Okay, let’s just get this out in the open. Deuteronomy 25 is, well truthfully, difficult… until verse 13… and then everything falls into place.

Although we likely find it challenging to consider the punishment of the wicked by beating, a brother-in-law going into his dead brother’s widow to carry on her dead husband’s name, cutting off hands without pity, and blotting out the memory of a nation, we can be assured His Scales of Justice are perfect and fair, “with no influence of bias, privilege or corruption.”

“You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a large and a small. ¹⁴ You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. ¹⁵ You shall have a full and just weight; you shall have a full and just measure, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. ¹⁶ For everyone who does these things, everyone who acts unjustly is an abomination to the Lord your God,” (25:13-16).

Consider His Scales of Justice

His Scales of Justice measure every action, every word, and every motive against His standard of perfect righteousness. His Word, His Ways, His Work, and His Will are the known weights by which everything is weighed and tried.

A just balance and scales belong to the Lord;
All the weights of the bag are His concern, (Proverbs 16:11).

• The Weight of His Word: Blameless and Proven.
  • As for God, His way is blameless;
    The word of the Lord is tried;
    He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him, (Psalm 18:30).

• The Weight of His Ways: Righteous and Kind.
  • The Lord is righteous in all His ways
    And kind in all His deeds, (Psalm 145:17).

• The Weight of His Work: Perfect and Without Injustice.
  • The Rock! His work is perfect,
    For all His ways are just;
    A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
    Righteous and upright is He, (Deuteronomy 32:4).

• The Weight of His Will: Perfect Faithfulness.
  • O Lord, You are my God;
    I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
    For You have worked wonders,
    Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness, (Isaiah 25:1).

How do we respond to His Scales of Justice?

His Scales of Justice are true, righteous and impartial, and proven in His Word, His Ways, His Work, and His Will.

For there is no partiality with God, (Romans 2:11).

In His grace He has provided a full and just weight by which to impartially balance His Scales of Justice.

• The Weight of His Word…
  • Let us we place our faith in His blameless and proven Word that gives life and balances His Scales of Justice.
    • “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life,” (John 6:63).

• The Weight of His Ways…
  • We can only come to the Father through His righteous and kind Way, through His Son, Jesus Christ, to balance His Scales of Justice.
    • “And you know the way where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” (John 14:4-6).

• The Weight of His Work…
  • We must believe in the Work of God, manifested in Jesus Who is perfect and without injustice, to balance His Scales of Justice.
    • Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent,” (John 6:29).

• The Weight of His Will…
  • May we bow in humility and adoration as we consider the LORD’s perfect faithfulness in fulfilling His Will when He crushed His Son to balance His Scales of Justice.
    • Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
          he has put him to grief;
      when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
          he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
      the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand, (Isaiah 53:10 ESV).

And…

• The Weight of His Wounds
  • May we never forget what it cost our Savior to balance His Scales of Justice. As we consider His Wounds, let us surrender to Him daily in obedience, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that our lives would truly bear witness to the healing we have so graciously received.
    • …and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed, (1 Peter 2:24).

Let’s Grow Together!