Unjust Measures
Leviticus 19:35-36
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.
God is teaching in these verses that it is important to have the right measures. The reason for this was because each sin, guilt, and peace offering under the Mosaic law had a weight or a measure attached to them. Believe it or not, they used the measures much like our cooking recipes of today. The Old Testament priests and people were asked to use the correct measures when weighing the individual offerings. This was not simply a commonplace exercise of banality and ritualism to know the exact weight of each. Jesus continues this principle throughout the Scripture. For instance, he knows the value of the smoking flax and the burning wick in bringing his enemies to justice according to Isaiah 42:3. He values the sparrow, a penniless bird, sold just for its song in Matthew 10:29. He says "I know your works" to each of the churches of Revelation 2:19 and along with them their true weight. The importance of right measures cannot be underestimated. They serve a threefold purpose to determine the blessing, the sacrifice, and the judgement of the giver. Incorrect measures were associated with the pagan priests; for example, the sons of Eli stole from the offerings what they would in 1 Samuel 2:12. There were also other priests as well who failed to correctly judge such as Eli; he refused to govern his own family to their detriment as in 1 Samuel 3:13.
Why is it important to learn to use these measures correctly? He has made us a nation of kings and priests unto his Son; then, we will reign with him in the end on this earth according to Revelation 1:6. So often we look for the title without the authority. What does it profit if a man gained the whole world and lost his own soul in Mark 8:36? Some people want salvation to be called heirs of God, but they do not want to deal with having all things under their feet in Ephesians 1:22. We tend to see the life of Christ as linear like time. He faced the testing, trials, cross, death, and exaltation where he sits at God's right hand as in Hebrews 10:12. Let me tell you, by faith even on the cross he was reigning. Even in the grave, he was reigning. How do you think he could turn to the thief beside him and say today you will be with me in paradise; his bodily image and integrity was being torn apart in Luke 23:43. How do you think while his body faced decomposition, he could preach to the souls of the underworld; these disobeyed him long before the flood in 1 Peter 3:19. After all this, he had the authority to get up and walk away.