The Nugget:
Deu 25:13 Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
Deu 25:14 Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small.
Deu 25:15 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 25:16 For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. (KJV)
Deu 25:13 Don’t try to cheat people by having two sets of weights or measures, one to get more when you are buying, and the other to give less when you are selling.
Deu 25:14 (SEE 25:13)
Deu 25:15 If you weigh and measure things honestly, the LORD your God will let you enjoy a long life in the land he is giving you.
Deu 25:16 But the LORD is disgusted with anyone who cheats or is dishonest. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)
My Comment:
Statistically, mathematically, honest mistakes should happen about an equal number of times in your favor and against you.
I have noticed for the past several years that pricing mistakes in the grocery store, for example, are uniformly against my favor.
That being the case, the mistakes are not random, but intentional. Thus, I as the customer am purposely being cheated.
Most aggravating is what happens when I buy apples in bulk from a bulk food store or an apple orchard. We are almost always short-changed in this transaction. The bushel baskets are not filled to heaping full like they should be. The half-bushel bags will vary in weight from 18 to 22 pounds, most filled to the lower range. That has presented a problem when my wife has planned to make a specific quantity of apple pie filling to fill a given number of empty canning jars she has available. Because we were shorted, it looks like there will be a number of jars that remain empty.
Most people, I would guess, would consider this a small matter.
But those who have read their Bible carefully will know the Bible has much to say about this and it is not a small matter.
In very plain English, the Bible tells us that God hates cheaters:
Deuteronomy 25:16 The LORD hates people who cheat. (GNB, Good News Bible)
At one point when Jesus was enumerating the commandments, He included the commandment, “Defraud not” (Mark 10:19):
Mark 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. (KJV, boldface emphasis added)
Now where did Jesus get the commandment, “Defraud not,” from? A little study using Bible cross references will lead to the source of this quotation in Leviticus 19:13,
Lev 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
Jesus has told us in equally plain language how we are to engage in business transactions with others:
Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (KJV)
Luke 6:38 If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated. (CEV)
Luke 6:38 Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you.” (GNB, Good News Bible)