Title: The Touchstone of Faith
Contents
Deuteronomy 25:13-16
touchstone of faith
There is a thing called a touchstone. Touchstone is a term originally used to refer to a black siliceous rock used to investigate the purity of gold. When we use it in a metaphorical way, we often refer to it as ‘a standard for judging and evaluating a situation’ as a touchstone.
This is the story of the Greek mathematician Archimedes. The king ordered the goldsmith to make a crown out of pure gold. Later, however, the king was troubled when he heard complaints that the crown had been mixed with silver. Since the crown weighed the same as the gold ordered, there was no way to confirm this rumor. Eventually, the king ordered the mathematician Archimedes to investigate the matter. Archimedes, who was intensively researching the problem, one day in the bathhouse, suddenly found a clue to the answer. He was so happy that he ran to the house naked in the bathroom saying, “Okay, okay!” What did he realize? The fact is that silver weighs less than gold, so it takes more volume (volume) than gold to, for example, weigh 1 kg equally. He prepared a nugget of pure gold weighing the same weight as the crown. Then, the crown and the chunks of pure gold were placed in a bowl of water, and the amount of overflowing water was compared with each other. In this way he could easily tell whether the crown was pure gold or a crown mixed with impurities.
Even in faith, there is a touchstone that determines whether a person's beliefs are true or false. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and perform many mighty works in your name? I will never know you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” If we are like us today, if someone serves as a prophet, casts out demons, and performs many miracles, we will think that that person's faith is great. But the Lord flatly rejected him. You did not acknowledge that person's faith.
It is really important to cover up the gemstone of faith. In today's text, it is said that a person who uses two types of weights and two types of weights is an evildoer. Such a person is detestable to God. God hates it very much and never approves it. “The equitable scale and the dish scale are the Lord’s, and all the weights in the pocket are his work.” “A weight that is not consistent, and everything that is not consistent, is an abomination to the Lord.”
If you are a believer in God, you should use a perfect and fair weight and a perfect and fair weight. It is a measuring instrument used to weigh the same weight as the scale we are talking about in today's text, but at the same time, it is the fact that it serves as a touchstone to determine whether it is real or fake. So, what exactly does the saying, “Do not put two kinds of weights in your pocket, or two kinds of weights in your house” mean specifically?
First, it means being honest.
It is said that the ancient Hebrews used stone weights for weighing. By the way, in the text, saying that you have two types of weights in your pocket is an idiomatic expression to point out that the same weights are not used. It means being dishonest. For example, when you buy something, you use a large scale to measure its weight. So it takes much more than the quantity. On the other hand, when selling goods, small scale weights are used to measure the weight. So I give it much less than the quantity. They took unfair advantage by using different weights like this.
Be honest. God is pleased with the honest. He acknowledges the honest. “The LORD is righteous, and he delights in what is right; the upright will see his face.” “Behold, thou desirest sincerity in the heart, and thou shalt teach me wisdom in secret.” “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew in me an upright spirit.”
Second, it means being fair.
It would be unfair to have two kinds of weights and two kinds of weights and apply them differently depending on the occasion or the person. You must not have different application criteria. It has to be fair. When applying to yourself, use the favorable weight, and when applying to others, do not use the unfavorable weight. To be tolerant to yourself and very demanding to others is the same as having two different weights.
However, when you look at people who use these different application standards, they tend to be negative and critical. While they dislike what others do, they appreciate what they are doing. While you are unforgiving of the small mistakes of others, you are tolerant of your own mistakes. They discriminate when dealing with people. If the other person is good-looking, has learned a lot, has many things, and is socially successful, it is valued, whereas if the other person is ugly, learned nothing, has nothing, and is not successful socially, it is considered funny. They also discriminate when they apply the law. For example, there is a saying, 'not guilty of hereditary'. The more dictator the law is tolerant of those around him and stricter to those who oppose him. In some cases, even innocent crimes are unfairly covered and killed. Aren't we carrying two different weights or different weights in our pockets today?
“If a man with gold rings and fine clothes enters your synagogue, and a poor man comes in with ragged clothes, look at the man in fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place.” And he said to the poor, “You are there If I tell you to stand or sit under my footstool, do you not discriminate against one another and judge with evil thoughts?” “If you treat others with respect, you are sinning, and the law will condemn you as transgressors.” There should be no such discrimination in the church. God is fair to all of us. He is a righteous God. He treats us all fairly. You don't discriminate.
Someone told me three ways to be successful in Korea. “First, you have to drink well, second, you have to be good at lying, and third, you have to be good at offering white envelopes. Isn't the envelope a request to 'look at me better than others'? That's not fair.
Third, it means to be precise.
When talking about scale weight, the Chinese word for chu (錘) is called scale weight or hanging weight. So, when we talk about weights, we first think of scale weights and clock weights. What do scales and watches have in common? that there is an addition. Scales and watches need to be accurate because they have weights. In today's text, the word not to use different weights or different weights means to use accurate weights or exact weights for fair trade. All around us, there are obscure people. There are people who are vague, especially when it comes to money matters. Money calculations must be accurate.
Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was the right man. When I was 20, I was working as a clerk in a store. One day, after I sold something, I counted and I had three cents left. As I pondered, it belonged to a woman who paid eight dollars and three cents to buy it. Lincoln immediately went to the wife's house and returned it. "I'm really sorry. I brought it because it was my fault that I paid 3 cents more. Forgive me.” Even though it's only three cents, he didn't go overboard.
This is the true story of Elder Choi Tae-seop, chairman of Korea Glass, published in the book “The One Indebted to Love.” I got a loan from the bank and I tried to pay the bank back when 1.4 retreat. Then the counter staff told me to just evacuate, saying that I don't have to pay because I don't know what will happen to this chaos. However, he was forced to evacuate only after repaying the money. Later, he got the opportunity to jump into the deep-sea fishing industry, supplying fish to military bases on Jeju Island. But with no money and no collateral, I went to the bank to apply for a business loan. However, the bank manager repays the borrowed money during the 1.4 retreat, recognizes him and tells him that he will eventually lend a large amount of money without collateral.
The book of Numbers records the census of the Israelites in the wilderness. In Numbers 3:40-51, God specially took a Levite in place of the firstborn of the people of Israel. However, the number of the firstborn of the Israelites was 22,273, and the number of Levites was 273 fewer than that. God demanded ransom (贖錢, verse 48) as much as the number was short. The ransom was 5 shekels of silver per person. This is a valuable passage where you can read the figure of God who is very clear in his calculations.
tidy up.
I told you not to put two types of weights in your pocket, and not to keep two types of weights in your house. What does it mean? First, it means being honest. Second, it means being fair. And third, it means to be precise. That's right. Honesty, fairness, and accuracy are the touchstones by which our faith is measured. Why should we be honest, fair, and accurate? There are five reasons. First, because God is the truth. Second, the eighth of the ten commandments (“You shall not steal”) must be kept. Third, we need to build a community. Fourth, because believers must be the light of the world. And fifth, as in verse 16 of today's text, it is because God hates it.