Just Weights and Measures Essential Immutable Yardstick
By Al Cronkrite The Covenant News ~ February 25, 2008
Recently, droll essayist Fred Reed, one of my favorite writers, began with this bit of candor,
“Fraud is rife, I tell you. At a glance the citadels of power in Washington seem imposing. One thinks of imperial Rome, or the intergalactic empires of science fiction. Along Pennsylvania Avenue, on Capitol Hill, in Foggy Bottom, in monumental buildings in Federal Greek style, men and women of erudition seem to manage the world. Across the river in the Pentagon, spangled generals operate an inconceivably powerful military that can strike anywhere within hours of deciding to do so. At Langley in Virginia and Fort Meade in Maryland the intelligence agencies spy on the world, sucking in vast amounts of information from secret satellites and undersea taps and massive antenna farms. The whole enterprise reeks of inexorability and omniscience.”
Yes, fraud is rife. Dishonesty, trickery, cheating, and deception are pandemic. Evil is a fast spreading weed in the garden of righteousness. It stamps out justice and threatens the peaceful existence of society. Not plucked, it has spread into the entire garden.
In response to the famous quote attributed to P. T. Barnum, “There is a sucker born every minute”, the world seems to overflow with those willing to deceive the suckers. There is the almost illegible fine print at the bottom of ads, sale signs on retail merchandise are phony, water is added to meats, state lotteries steal from the poor, the value of our currency is stolen by our government, our politicians lie to us, the courts fail to dispense justice, churches are saturated with dishonest motives and often preach a dishonest Gospel. World government, tyranny on a global basis, the dream of countless historic despots, is well along its deceptive route. Contaminated by pragmatism from pulpits, Christian laymen are often as unscrupulous as their pagan counterparts.
Fraud, dishonesty, and injustice are so “rife” that our Christian population has become inured. They no longer react with outrage or even show revulsion. The arrogance and pomposity of our political class is accepted and illegal activities are ignored by the media and the electorate.
In his presidential campaign, Ron Paul repeatedly mentioned the fraudulent Federal Reserve System. This system allows our government access to unlimited financial resources that year after year rob the people of up to ten percent (sometimes more) of the value of their currency. The American Empire and the wars that support it are hugely expensive. If direct taxes were used the people would revolt. Instead, money is created through the Federal Reserve System that is used to finance not only wars and empire but deficit spending as well. This procedure adds to the power of government and comes with hidden costs. One cost is a massive financial deficit accompanied by appropriate usury which is being passed on to future generations and the other is the devaluation of the currency assets held by the people. Today we are experiencing the results of increases in monetary units needed by our government. Inflation is everywhere! Of the 535 members of Congress Ron Paul is the only outspoken adversary of this dark injustice. Government theft through inflation should be confronted by every pulpit, every newspaper and every TV outlet in the nation. We are sinfully silent about the failure of the fourth estate to fulfill their duty by ferreting out crime and holding our government accountable. Godly courts would require re-imbursement in multiples of the amount involved.
The words just, justice, honesty, truth, fraud, and theft are all related to the concept of maintaining just weights and measures. One might refer to a just weight and measure as being true or honest. God’s mandates are interrelated with justice as the centerpiece. When His Laws are replaced by human laws justice begins to wane. A peaceful society is impossible without the steady yardstick of God’s unchanging mandates which are the ultimate source of truth and justice.
From a human perspective we think of truth as being honesty. Personal honesty is necessary in our relationship with God. Since He already knows our thoughts, wholeness waits on a truthful witness. He cannot forgive lies. One interpretation of worship in “spirit and truth” might be spirit and honesty.
The word “honest” is not used as frequently in the Bible as the word “just”. There are times when we are to be sly as a fox and harmless as a dove. In some situations justice might not require a true statement. Deception, however, does not apply in civil dealings where justice is required. “You shall not have in your bag different weights, a large and a small.You shall not have in your house different measures, a large and a small. You shall have a full and just weight; you shall have a full and just measure that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you”. Deuteronomy 25:13-15
As inflation thieves our wealth, you may or may not have noticed tampering with the weights of food packages. Manufacturers must increase prices to account for the decreased value of the currency and they often do it with an obvious intent to deceive the public. Your latest bank statement may contain a charge of a dollar or two taken from your account by the bank without notice or permission. Little arrogant thefts are a precursor to larger injustices.
A new leniency has allowed an almost unlimited number of corporate mergers creating massive corporations that have taken over the marketplace and distorted the quest for customer satisfaction. Decades ago, when businesses were locally owned, pleasing the customer was of great importance. Disgruntled customers talked to their neighbors and could severely damage business. Today, monopolistic enterprises have a diminishing interest in customer complaints; they have cheap prices, little serious competition, no regard for customer preferences, and a severe self-righteous attitude. When the individual customer is insignificant injustice is facilitated.
It appears the ruling elite have baptized John McCain as the Republican candidate for President. He may have been selected before the process began. McCain is detested by many voters and if the media fails to crown him with a new image a Democratic victory is almost assured.
Have you ever wondered why our leaders speak only of “Democracy” and never of Republican government? By controlling information and restricting choices the democratic process in the United States has been successfully controlled for several decades. This brand of manipulated democracy qualifies it as an export to despotic governments all over the world.
Justice seems to have evaded the thinking of Christian political leaders like James Dobson and Pat Robertson. How can any individual who fails to support the law of the land be expected to support the Will of God? Violation of law is an injustice and John McCain and Mike Huckabee have given their tacit support to ignoring the Constitution. Ron Paul remains the only law abiding candidate in either political party.
During the last few months we have witnessed the entire media engage in a blatant manipulation of the electoral process. Congressman Ron Paul with a sizeable popular support was purposely prevented from gaining recognition by every media outlet. The results of his high polling data were questioned and his triumphs were ignored. His participation in the debates was stunningly marginalized and with the complicity of media hosts his pompous fellows openly sneered at him.
When reliable pre-election polling figures are substantially different from the final vote count, the outcome is suspect. It now seems acceptable for the reigning powers to openly manipulate our electoral process by shutting out particular candidates and tampering with the vote count.
United States politics and government is deceptive, dishonest, disobedient, arrogant, and despotic. The justice God seeks has been lost in those that lead our nation.
Governments do not produce wealth, they are sustained by the work of the people they govern. When the ruling entity begins to manipulate the people an evil injustice takes place. Philosophers like Niccolo Machiavelli and Leo Strauss wrote and taught in promotion of this process. Read about these men here.
Christians who understand the doctrine of original sin should of all people have a healthy distrust of government and an overarching desire to elect obedient, trustworthy legislators who adhere to an unchanging standard.
When dishonesty and injustice invade a society, anarchy, brutality, and tyranny soon follow.
Arminianism (free will) and antinomianism (Grace without Law) allowed the humanistic camel to get his nose under the tent and the results have been disastrous. Most Christians have little appreciation for the doctrine of Choseness (Unconditional Election). Apparently they have never read through the Bible where God is always the chooser. Without this basic understanding they lack a proper appreciation of their own importance to His creation and are unable to boldly advance His Kingdom. God chooses each individual Christian creating a unique race empowered to return His creation to His dominion.
The first and greatest Biblical commission is to “fill” and “subdue” the earth. An earth subdued is an earth that functions under God’s authority. Yes, we are to spread the Gospel throughout the world but the Gospel we are to spread must have King Jesus securely on His Throne and God’s Laws firmly in place. Arminian conversions into antinomian churches are useless. We must be obedient and clearly understand our mission. He creates the harvest, we do the gathering. We gather those He has chosen. We are to teach them His Laws as recorded in His word and adjure them to obey and use their gifts to subdue the world as His Laws allow.
My own dear mother came from a Methodist background that extended back several generations. We had clippings in the family Bible that listed the exact date her ancestors had “come to Christ” and the date they “died in Christ”. John Wesley and the Methodists believed in free will and that individuals chose to accept Christ as their Savior. This apostasy converted multitudes into a sterile Christianity that centered on the creature rather than the Creator. I was converted under an Arminian message and for many years listened to humanistic sermons that failed to impact the creation with God’s peace and prosperity. The full gospel is not the Charismania preached at Full Gospel meetings. The full gospel is preaching obedience to the people God has chosen and encouraging their quest for Godly dominion.
Arminianism came to America before the United States became a nation. The Puritans and Pilgrims brought a sound Calvinistic theological foundation. They believed in God’s absolute sovereignty, that He chooses whom He wills, that He has given us an unchangeable legal code and expects us to obey His mandates. As Congregationalists, Baptists, Methodists, and Unitarians began to populate the fledgling nation, efforts by the Calvinistic Puritans and Pilgrims to stem the antinomian and Arminian rebellion were futile and a chaos spread through Protestantism that destroyed its continuity and sapped its strength. Today we are living in the culmination of this apostasy.
When the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached with humanistic motives there is a serious violation of God’s sovereignty. Arminianism tainted God’s servants with a desire to make The Savior attractive so that more “decisions for Christ” would be made. Attempts to tip the scales created disastrous theological error and contributed to the chaos of individual Biblical interpretation. Biblical doctrine properly preached will attract those whom God has chosen.
Obedience is the centerpiece of God’s Word. Obedience creates justice and justice brings peace and prosperity.