Wise Sayings
“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin’? Diverse weights and diverse measures, they are both alike, an abomination to the Lord.” Proverbs 20:9-10
Though these verses treat two different subjects, they both condemn the sin of lying. Verse ten puts the sin of lying in the context of the seventh commandment, “You shall not steal.” If you’ve ever paid for produce at a grocery store, you know that the cost of some items depends on how much they weigh. The same was true in Old Testament times, however, their scales were not digital. Back then, to determine the price, they used a balance scale which had a horizontal bar in the middle with two pans hanging from either end. On one end was the produce, and the other end a measured weight, usually a stone of some kind, that served as a standard of comparison. These standards were supposed to be honest and uniform within a region.
Say the measured weight was hollowed out. It may look like the same stone, but now it is lighter. When put on the balance scale opposite the produce, the produce would weigh more than usual, thus costing more. The Lord hates this sort of dishonesty and the motivation behind it. Greed is a horrible thing, and all forms of cheating money out of people are displeasing, no matter how “fair” they appear.
When compared to what is expected of us in the seventh commandment, we fall short of God’s glory. To double down in our sin, make our lies more convoluted, and not confess them would be a shame. Solomon is right; our hearts are full of sin, and we can’t make them clean. In contrition, our hearts are exposed, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin. All the sins of lying we’ve committed have been washed away by the drops of saving truth that poured from Immanuel’s veins.
With broken heart and contrite sigh, a trembling sinner, Lord, I cry.
Thy pard’ning grace is rich and free—O God, be merciful to me!
The Lutheran Hymnal 323:1