Honest Standards

"Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19: 35-37)
 
God demands honesty in our dealings with others. His laws are not arbitrary, rather they are a reflection of Him. That should give us comfort in knowing that He will use an honest measure with us. (Or maybe not) As HE established the laws that would govern the conduct of His people, He established the rule of honesty. His people would be different, they would always use honest standards in their business dealings (as well as in their personal lives).
This law gets directly to the heart of trust. Could His people trust each other and more imortantly, could they trust Him. As law abiding citizens, they would know that each of them had a standard that they were to live by and they knew that there was punishment for deviating from that standard. This was surely something new for them as they had come out of slavery and had been subjected to every kind of dishonesty. Trust was something that would be built upon honesty. Over time, as they dealt properly with each other, they would come to trust one another. As the results of each transaction were determined to be honest, they would learn to trust.
This was especially true with their relationship with God. As they saw that He dealt with them honestly, their trust in Him would grow. He promised to bring them out of slavery, He did! He promised to give them a home, He did! He promised to give them victory on the battlefield, He did. By any honest measure, He delivered on His promises.
So, how does this apply to us? What can we learn about God and how He deals with us? What can we learn about how we are to treat others? First, our dealing in business and in life must be above reproach. We must be honest in our transactions. If we work two hours, we don't bill for four. If our bull is sick, we don't tell the buyer that he is in great health. If our house is termite infested, we don't tell the shopper that all is well. You get the idea. It is a faith issue. Do we believe that God will in fact take care of us? Or, do we believe that we have to get what we can get, while the gettings good? How honestly we treat others is in direct proportion to our faith in God.
Paul tells us in Romans 8: 28 that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Do we believe that? Do we believe that if we trust in Him, if we conduct our lives according to His will, that everything is working together for our good? How we see God, how much we trust Him is demonstrated in our conduct towards our fellow man. When we use "honest standards" we are saying to God, "I trust you to take care of me, I don't have to cheat others to get by".
Lastly, "honest standards" requires us as His people to speak His truth to those around us. Keeping the truth of the gospel, His honest standard to ourselves is being dishonest. When we hear the Gospel distorted or watered down, we have the responsibilty to hold to His standard. Anything else is a lie. Anything else is using dishonest scales and weights. I know I am treading on thin ice here with some of you, but an honest reading of the scripture is needed. I encourage each person to read through the Book of Acts, write down how each person becomes a Christian. You will find that every account is very consistant, then consider if that is what you were taught. Did you obey the truth of the Gospel or something else? In the end, God will use an honest measure, that is His standard. May God bless you as you study His word.