A false balance is an abomination to the Lord:  but a just weight is his delight. (Proverbs 11:1)

With all the “big” sin issues in play in our culture and around the world, does cheating the scales rate that high on the scale of divine importance? According to Proverbs 11:1, it does.

3000 years have not changed this problem very much. Whether it is a finger on the scale or an inaccurate scale altogether, the problem that existed in Solomon’s day also exists in ours. Stones were used as weights on the scales in ancient times. Unscrupulous merchants would use heavier weights when purchasing, and lighter weights when selling, to skim deceitful profits from unsuspecting customers.  Even today this is an issue.  This is why every state has a department of weights and measures that ensures fair trade in their state. In Arizona, the DWM is part of the Department of Agriculture licenses and tests everything from gas pumps to truck scales. This type of accountability is essential for a fair and orderly society.

God calls a false balance an abomination. He hates it. The word abomination is used here is also used to describe God’s attitude toward idolatry, false sacrifices, and all kinds of moral sin. In human terms, it describes a sort of physical repulsion. We classify sins in different ways than God does. Cheating on your wife is horrible, but cheating on your customers is just business. Well, not according to God. He puts those sins in the same category here.

The most politically sensitive application of this principle is the integrity of elections. Since the 2016 election, both Democrats and Republicans have taken turns crying “cheater” over national and local elections. It is hard to imagine that in a country this size, with as many votes cast, and with how we conduct elections, there has not been some cheating going on. So how are Christians supposed to think about this? …

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