In our living the church life under the government of God, we should not have different weights or measures – not judging others, but rather have mercy on them as God has mercy on us.
In the book of Deuteronomy there are at least twenty-four items that are mentioned by Jehovah with statutes, ordinances and judgements, in the children of Israel’s living a life in the kingdom of God.
First, they had to see that they are Jehovah’s personal treasure, so they had to eat a proper diet, and they also had to offer the proper worship to God.
There was no mixture with any idolatry but rather, bring all the sacrifices to the place that God had chosen.
Just as God was a God of mercy and helped those who are in need, so the children of Israel had to help the needy, the poor, the widows, the orphans, and their brothers in need.
God had ordinances concerning the government among the people: the appointing of judges and officers, the ordinances concerning a complicated civil suit, the setting of a king over the people, the ordinance concerning any iniquity or any sin, the hanging of a criminal on a tree, the ordinances concerning matters related to marriage and divorce, the ordinance concerning weights and measures, etc.
God had something to say concerning the supply of the Levitical priests and the whole tribe of Levi, concerning the prohibitions against contacting evil spirits or the spirits of the dead, concerning Jehovah God’s raising up of a prophet (the coming Christ) like Moses for the children of Israel, and concerning the false prophet.
God had an ordinance concerning the setting apart the cities of refuge, concerning the moving of the neighbour’s boundary marker, concerning the children of Israel going forth into battle against their enemies, concerning marrying a beautiful woman among the captives, concerning the right of the firstborn son, and concerning the right of the firstborn son.
God’s ordinances included ordinances concerning taking care of others’ interest, concerning mixtures of any kind, sparing the producing animals, concerning the losing of the right to enter the congregation of Jehovah, concerning keeping the camp clean, concerning a harlot and a dog, and concerning the neighbour’s produce.
God had an ordinance concerning a man taking a new wife, concerning a case of leprosy, and not forgetting to blot out the memory of Amalek.
All these ordinances were for the children of Israel to know who God is, what is His heart’s desire, and what He wants from them; these we not for them to keep in and of themselves, but to breathe in God in His word so that He may do it in them.
This is what we have to do with the word of God – we need to breathe in in, be infused with God’s element and essence, and have God in Christ live in us as the living word of God.
Not having Different Weights and Measures – not Judging others but showing Mercy to others
In Deut. 25:13-16 we see the ordinance concerning differing weights and measures; God did not want those of His people to have different weights and different measures, that is, to lie and be dishonest.
The dishonest practice of having differing weights and measures is a lie and is surely from Satan (John 8:44).
Some people carry around different kinds of measure – they measure themselves by one kind of measure, but they measure others with a different kind of measure; this is to lie, to be dishonest.
In spiritual application, to condemn a certain thing in others while justifying the same thing in ourselves indicates that we have different weights and measures, that is, different scales – one scale for measuring others and a different scale for measuring ourselves.
In Deuteronomy the children of Israel were to have a full and righteous weight and a full and righteous measure in order that their days may be extended upon the God-given land.
For us to have a long life in the land God has given us, we need to practice not judging others but rather having mercy on them and judging ourselves.
Sometimes, however, we may have a different scale for measuring ourselves than for measuring others; we may have a lot of mercy on ourselves but we are very strict on others.
We may condemn a certain thing in others while justifying that same thing in ourselves. Oh Lord!
We all have failed in this matter, for we always “debit” others while we “credit” ourselves.
Some saints even move from one locality to another locality, hoping to find a more satisfactory church with more satisfactory saints and elders; they have different scales, so wherever they go, they can’t find the church and the elders to be satisfactory. Oh Lord Jesus!
This becomes the source of discord for them in the church life. The best picture of this is when the Lord speaks of us noticing a splinter in our brother’s eye, while we have a beam in our own eye.
Whenever we see something to judge in others, we need to know that we also are to be judged, so we should not judge others. We should not justify ourselves while judging others.
Rather, we need to be full of humility and mercy. The safest thing is not to judge and not to measure others.
This doesn’t mean that we are undiscerning but rather, that we do not judge, or we also will be judged, and the measure we measure others with, we also will be measured.
Mercy trumps judgement; we should measure ourselves righteously, and we should have mercy toward others.
A lot of problems in the church life are due to the fact that we have different weights and measures; we do not have the ability to forgive and let go and have mercy on others, but rather we hold on to offenses, thinking we are better and we have less problems than others.
In the house of God, the church (1 Tim. 3:15), only one scale should be used to weigh someone.
If we have only one scale, we will be fair, righteous, and just, even as God is, and we will keep the oneness and one accord in the church (Matt. 7:1-5). In this way we will keep the oneness.
Lord Jesus, save us from having different weights and measures; save us from judging others while having a lot of mercy on ourselves. Save us from condemning a certain thing in others while justifying the same thing in ourselves. Oh Lord, save us from having one scale for measuring others and a different scale for measuring others. May we not judge others but rather have mercy on them, and may we apply the measure of the kingdom to our being and not to others. May we have only one scale to be fair, just, and righteous, even as God is, so that we may keep the oneness and the one accord in the church!
Not Teaching Differently but Living by Faith a Life under the Government of God
In Deut. 22:9 there’s a prohibition against sowing two kinds of seed in one’s vineyard, which may typify the prohibition against teaching differently in the church (1 Tim. 1:3-4; 6:3; cf. Luke 8:11).
The children of Israel were not to sow two kinds of seeds in their vineyard, for no mixture or confusion was allowed by God.
In the church as God’s vineyard there should be only one seed being sown, which means that we should only have one kind of teaching (1 Cor. 3:9; Acts 2:42).
Our teaching is like sowing; when we teach something, we sow seeds. If we teach differently, sowing more than one kind of seed, the “produce” of the church will be forfeited.
If we speak different things than God’s
economy, the result may be division, for the others may focus not on God’s economy which is in faith but on many other things.
The apostles taught the same thing to all the saints in all the places and in all the churches (see 1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33-34).
Whether they were in one church among the Gentiles or in a church in Israel formed mainly of Jewish believers, they taught the same thing – the economy of God concerning Christ and the church.
We also must teach the same thing in all the churches in every country throughout the earth (Matt. 28:19-20).
There’s no thought in the New Testament that a teaching is good for one church but it is not good for other churches.
Rather, what the New Testament reveals is that all the churches were the same in receiving the teachings, and the apostles talked the same thing in all the churches (Titus 1:9).
This was Paul’s practice; he taught the same thing in all the churches, and we also should speak and teach only God’s economy, which is in faith.
God’s economy is the only teaching God wants to be taught among the believers, and this is the one seed we must sow in the hearts of the saints.
As we take a look at all the ordinances and judgements and statutes in Deuteronomy we realize that it is only by faith that we as God’s people can live the church life under the government of God.
How can we keep all the statutes, ordinances, and precepts in the Bible? Is it by trying to fulfill them in ourselves?
No, the only way we can live the church life under the government of God is by faith (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:15; Col. 2:19; Gal. 2:16; 3:2, 5-9, 14).
God wants His people to do whatever He requires not by self-effort but by faith (Heb. 10:39-11:1, 6, 9-12; 12:2; 1 Pet. 1:7-8).
God’s economy is in faith, and faith is the unique way for God to carry out His economy (1 Tim. 1:4; Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:7; 4:13).
The church is the household of faith (Gal. 6:10), being composed of all who are the sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus (3:26).
All the believers in Christ together constitute a universal household, the great family of God – a family that believes in God (6:10; Heb. 11:6).
Without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing to God; the only way we can carry out the things God requires of us is by our organic union with Christ.
Lord Jesus, thank You for faith – thank You for our organic union with You! We want to live by faith and in faith, as those of the household of faith, so that we may do all things in the organic union with the Lord. Amen, Lord, we don’t want to do anything by our self-effort but by faith, for without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing to God! Hallelujah, God’s economy is in faith, and faith is the unique way for God to carry out His economy!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Deuteronomy, msg. 19 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Deuteronomy, week 11, Aspects of the Church Life under the Government of God.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Built up in love together, / Not one would criticize; / To perfect one another, / We all would exercise. (Hymns #867)
– Let’s go on! / Forward come! / Spirit releasing, / Saints that are feasting, / Not analyzing, / Or criticizing. / Let’s go on! / Forward come / To the Son! (Song on, Let’s go on)
– Today we must learn to submit to His throne, / How to have a strict life and His government own; / His authority then we’ll be able to share, / o’er the nations to rule with God’s Son as the heir. (Hymns #947)
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