What Turns God’s Stomach

December 22, 2021

Proverbs 11:1–3

A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is His delight. 

When pride comes, then comes shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. 

The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. 

Our God delights in honest trade and honest money. Indeed, we may safely say that when God delights in an economy, He will bless that economy. There are a thousand factors that go into the establishment of a blessed economy, and economists write thousands of books on the subject. But even in a scientific age when man thinks that he can guarantee himself a good economy by centralized controls or by a Federal Reserve System, he will fall on his own ignorance and depravity if he fails to win the blessing of God in his efforts. 

It is a false balance that the Lord God abhors. Would you be irritated if somebody drove his automobile across your garden and ran over your bicycles several times? Or, if somebody poured toilet residue from the septic system into your bed, how would that affect your attitude or heart sentiment? In the same way, a dishonest system of trade is extremely disturbing to the heart of our God. 

You may notice that some coins are manufactured with a serrated edge. This is because the value of money used to be derived from the rarity of the metal and the weight of the coin. But some dishonest people would shave off a little from the edges of the silver or gold coins and thus devalue the money in order to enrich themselves at the expense of others. In a trade or exchange, people should know exactly what they are receiving in the weight or substance of the product for which they are trading. For example, if you are trading one ounce of 99% silver for twenty pounds of peaches, you want to make sure that the silver is one ounce and 99% pure, and you want to make sure that there are exactly twenty pounds of peaches in the box and somebody did not mix an apple into the peaches! While weighing out the peaches, the scale should be properly calibrated, and you may want to make sure no one is putting a finger on the scale. This could add a pound of pressure to the scale, and while you were expecting twenty pounds of peaches in the purchase, in truth you only received nineteen pounds.

Without exception throughout history, nations (including Rome, Spain, Israel, Byzantium, etc.) that have tried to debauch their money supply by mixing a little copper or dross into the silver coin have subjected their economies to the judgment of God. This is the problem with our world economy ever since John Maynard Keynes and others recommended centralized controls and fractionalized banking systems nearly one hundred years ago. A massive worldwide depression is almost certain now unless the modern nations repent of their failure to provide a fixed means of exchange. The paper dollar is worth as much as one piece of toilet paper, yet people are deceived into thinking that it is worth more than it is, or about four thousand pieces of toilet paper (four rolls). This is what turns God’s stomach. 

Men wish their lives to be worth something. They hope for dignity and value in their lives, and yet they seek that dignity in the wrong way. Lifting up their hearts in pride, they refuse to give God the glory and submit in obedience to His laws. As they ignore God, they build their towers, take positions of authority over others, and usurp the glory that is due to God alone. But their end is certain shame. God will bring them to grovel in the bowels of hell. There they will writhe in pain and grind their teeth as the worms eat out their intestines and the fire burns. Would that they had humbled themselves on earth and lived in the fear of God all the days of their lives! It would have been so much better had they resisted the lure of power and pride that dominates the entertainment industry, the corporate world, and Washington D.C., and lived the life of lowly, humble men who worked hard but gave all the glory to God. 

You are defined by your actions. Were you to make a wise decision today that led you to a wise action, the action taken would not only define your character but also serve to guide future actions. It would set your life on the right course. And this principle applies every day of your life. Thus, one good decision leads to another good decision, and so on. But conversely, should you base your decisions upon deceit, should you look at the world around you through deceitful lenses, or should you look at your own heart motivations deceitfully, your steps will be guided by deceit, and those steps will lead to destruction. 

Family Discussion Questions: 

1. Does an economy based on a false balance turn your stomach? Why or why not? 

2. To what extent are we seeking our own glory versus seeking the glory of God? How often do we say, “To God be the glory”?