Proverbs 16:11
A just weight and balance are the LORD'S:
All the weights of the bag are his work.
A literal translation would read: ‘A scale and just balances are Gods’; His deeds are like weights in a pouch’.
Here is Rashi’s reflection on this proverb: ‘Just as each item weighed on a balance sale offsets a different combination of weight, depending on its mass, so God deals with everyone individually, depending on their deeds.’
How beautiful is the Creator’s sense of justice. There one Commandment, one Torah and one rule of law for all men, but yet, He knows how to apply it on a personal basis according to our individual parameters. Only the God who has created and personally knows each one of us could do that. It is so easy to resort to the uniform ‘cookie-maker’ type of justice, and it certainly simplifies things. Actually, our author was known for his extreme wisdom in judging matters between people.
We have a God of love, a God of peace, harmony, truth, as well as of justice mixed with mercy. The end of all matters should rest in these virtues if they are to be found in Him. But only He has the right weights that belong to each person; we as humans are poor judges and need to rely on His determinations.
In our judgments and determinations, may we borrow from God’s scales; may we let His spirit weight on our hearts to influence us so we can judge not by the seeing of the eye, nor by the hearing of the ears, but judge righteous judgments.
A just weight and balance are the LORD'S:
All the weights of the bag are his work.
A literal translation would read: ‘A scale and just balances are Gods’; His deeds are like weights in a pouch’.
Here is Rashi’s reflection on this proverb: ‘Just as each item weighed on a balance sale offsets a different combination of weight, depending on its mass, so God deals with everyone individually, depending on their deeds.’
How beautiful is the Creator’s sense of justice. There one Commandment, one Torah and one rule of law for all men, but yet, He knows how to apply it on a personal basis according to our individual parameters. Only the God who has created and personally knows each one of us could do that. It is so easy to resort to the uniform ‘cookie-maker’ type of justice, and it certainly simplifies things. Actually, our author was known for his extreme wisdom in judging matters between people.
We have a God of love, a God of peace, harmony, truth, as well as of justice mixed with mercy. The end of all matters should rest in these virtues if they are to be found in Him. But only He has the right weights that belong to each person; we as humans are poor judges and need to rely on His determinations.
In our judgments and determinations, may we borrow from God’s scales; may we let His spirit weight on our hearts to influence us so we can judge not by the seeing of the eye, nor by the hearing of the ears, but judge righteous judgments.
No comments:
Post a Comment