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Letters of Truth - Spirit of the Word - Covenant Eschatology - Introductory Note - New Stuff WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE-- OF MERCY
by Ray PrinzingBelshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and proceeded to drink wine out of the golden vessels which they had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, while they praised their own idols. Suddenly their appeared the fingers of a man's hand writing on the wall, and the king was greatly troubled. When none of his own astrologers, Chaldeans, soothsayers and wise men could read what was written, and interpret it, they finally sent for Daniel, who was able to give the message to the king. Our particular interest right now is in just one of the four words written: Daniel 5:27.
"Te-kel; you are weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."
Out of deep concern for a certain individual, I was praying one day, and out of my mouth came the words, "weighed in the balance," and I spoke this several times, when suddenly the Spirit finished the sentence, "of mercy," and I knew it was the word of the Lord. Certainly there is a sense in which we all "are found wanting," "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23). But the Spirit was imparting a message beyond this, giving tremendous encouragement, that this one for whom I was praying was "WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE OF MERCY." out of this quickening came the following thoughts to share.
The Hebrew word for "balances," is "moznayim" meaning: a pair of scales. It speaks of a beam supported exactly in the middle, having a scale suspended on either end. On one scale is placed a certain weight (be it a pound, or whatever), and on the other scale they place what is being weighed out to that amount. When both scales are in perfect balance with each other, they know that the commodity being measured out is exact with the weight on the other scale.
Often, the first time a word is used in the Scripture sets its meaning, or standard. The first time "balances," is used is in Leviticus 19:35-36, "You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. You shall have accurate and just balances, just weights, just ephah and hin measures. I am the Lord your God." (Amplified).
God set the standard, there must be ACCURATE AND JUST BALANCES. "A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is His delight." (Prov. 11:1). God Himself is the final Authority on weights and measures, for HE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS PERSONIFIED. There were those corrupt men that would place a false bottom in a measuring vessel, and thus not give a true measure. Or, they had false weights which might be marked for a certain weight, but were actually less. Such balances of deceit are truly an abomination to our God who is righteous and true. His righteousness, His holiness, His glory IS THE WEIGHT on the scale on one side, and all else must be weighed over against this standard. And He has purposed a day when all shall be brought into account. For Belshazzar that hour had come-- and when he was placed in the DIVINE BALANCES, he was found wanting. The Hebrew word is "chassir" from a root corresponding to "chaser" which means: to be deficient, lacking. Belshazzar was given over to having "party-time," making mockery of the sacred vessels of the temple, directing worship to his own idols, he certainly was coming far short of holiness and giving glory to God, suddenly it was reckoning time, and he was called into account.
In distinct contrast to this, David declared, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." (Ps. 23:1). I shall not be deficient, be lacking. Or, to use the New Testament phraseology, "I shall not come short of the glory of God." How can this be? Because the LORD, who is my Shepherd, will make sure that all is in balance-- He will lead me beside the waters where I might be refreshed, He will cause me to lie down in green pastures where I am richly fed. Yes, my Shepherd will make sure that I do not COME SHORT. The responsibility to make sure that there is no lack is on the Shepherd's part-- "For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand." (Psalm 95:7). The challenge on our part comes in the next line, "Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart." There is a responsive action on our part-- He speaks, we LISTEN AND OBEY. When He puts forth His sheep "He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice." And He said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:4, 10). Thus, in using the analogy of the scales, HE FILLS UP OUR SIDE OF THE SCALE until it overflows-- guaranteeing that there will be fulness-- fulness that meets all the requirements of the DIVINE weights and measures.
But let us consider some more the phrase, "Come short of the glory of God." The Greek word is "hustereo" and means: to be later, be inferior, to fall short, be deficient. All of-these meanings hold their own illustrative application. To be later would signify the time element. How often golden opportunities of enrichment are missed because we have been "too late" to yield to His calling. No matter how you look at it, man continually comes short-- as the proverb goes, "always a day late, and a dollar short," and so he is found wanting. To be inferior would not measure up in quality. To be deficient or fall short bespeaks of lacking in quantity. So in regards to quantity or quality, in himself, man is surely "found wanting."
The same word is used in Heb. 4:1, "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to COME SHORT of it." An obvious indication that we are falling SHORT of His rest would be our continuing in our own works, for "He that is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works." (v. 10). This is a very interesting thought. HIS REST is on one scale, and our self-effort works are on the other scale, and our works are utterly deficient, inferior, and cannot balance out. But as soon as we cease our own works, and put our trust in HIS WORKS, and by faith enter into HIS REST, then our side of the scale matches His, for it has become HIS REST ON BOTH SIDES. The challenge is TO BELIEVE. When you HEAR HIS VOICE, believe it! Believe in the promise that HE is our righteousness! Then as we BELIEVE INTO HIM, He fills the scale on our behalf-- and "you are complete in Him." (Col. 2:10).
Significant also that the same word is used in Matthew 19:20, where the young man says, "All these things have I kept from my youth up; what do I still LACK?" For all his keeping of the law, and doing those things required of him, he sensed, he knew that he was COMING SHORT, deficient, because he was not enjoying the peace of inner knowing that he had age-abiding life. LIFE was on one scale, all his "doing" was on the other scale, and it was not coming into balance-- the lack was so apparent that he questioned, "What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" But when Jesus told him what he must do to balance it out, he couldn't do it-- for it required that he sell all that he had, give up all the possessions which he thought were necessary for "life." He knew not that "A man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses." (Luke 12:15). Yet it would only be as he followed Christ, that he would ever enter into LIFE. Somehow he did not see that CHRIST HAD TO FILL UP HIS SIDE OF THE SCALE. It was time for him to jettison all the things of earth, and let Christ fill his heart. Yet how hard it is for some to relinquish everything-- be stripped of all that self would hang on to-- for they are afraid it will only add to their lack, not knowing that it is in CHRIST ALONE THAT WE FIND FULNESS. You will never come short of the glory of God when you are dwelling in Christ, and Christ in you, for HE IS THE BALANCE. It matters not what you put as the weight measure on the one scale, righteousness, joy, peace, etc. when Christ fills up your side of the scale, it will balance with all the blessings on His side. Full weights and measures are IN HIM!
The second time the word "balances" is used in the Scripture is found in Job 6:2-3, where it is used illustratively. Job and his three friends had just sat on the ground for seven days and nights without uttering a word, for Job was suffering greatly from the many calamities that came his way, including being smitten with boils. Finally he spoke out with a very heavy complaint-- cursing the day of his birth, wishing for the ease of death, etc. Eliphaz gave answer reproving Job for his hasty censure of the Divine Providence, and his intemperate language. Job was hurt by the speech of Eliphaz, which was devoid of sympathy and tenderness. And then he offers his own defense-- that his calamities should be duly weighed and then his speech would not seem to be so out of line.
"Oh that MY grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up." Job felt that all of his grief far outweighed the words he had uttered, though he admitted that his words had been rash and wild.
We make no justification for Job's outburst, but there is a valuable lesson to be gained here. People make judgments using their own standard of weight and measure-- and then are swift to condemn another. Job then offers a very interesting point, verse 5, "Does the wild ass bray when he has grass? Or does the ox low over his fodder?" In effect, he was saying to his friends that they were abounding with the blessings of life and had no need to weep and complain. They were strangers to this whole area of trial, and so they could well stand by and argue about his afflictions but how could they know what he was going through, when they had it so good? Yet now his body was tortured with pain, and his mind was in turmoil because of all that had befallen him. They might judge him, but not righteously, for they could not understand where he was coming from, since they were not experiencing the severity of his grief and pain.
But there is One who does know-- "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; BUT WAS IN ALL POINTS TESTED like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:15-16).
Read it carefully, not one hint of condemnation, not one negative word, but because He was tested in all points-- all He offers is MERCY AND GRACE! HE knows the way that we take, and all He places in the scale to which we are measured, is MERCY. Weighed in the balance of MERCY! And ever finding "grace to help in time of need." Herein is the answer to every deficiency and coming short, the answer for every lack-- HIS GRACE AND MERCY! When they are present to fill up our scale, it will balance us out with the standard of the other side. And so the writer to the Hebrews cautions us, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man FAIL (fall from, come short) of the grace of God." (Heb. 12:14-15). Since GRACE ALONE will fill up our side of the scale, if we come short of His grace-- we are found wanting. But there is no need to fall from, be short on grace, it is the GIFT OF GOD, freely given, and all we have to do is believe and receive. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power (the right, the privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.-
And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."
(John 1:12, 16). Praise God!Again we return to Job, for in 31:6, he says, "Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know my integrity." And the margin reads, "Let Him weigh me in the balances of justice." His three friends had thoroughly taken him to task-- miserable comforters, all of them, and their balances were not just-- they had their own standards by which they measured him and Job knew some of their accusations were false. So he appealed to the JUST BALANCES OF GOD. God knows the integrity of the heart. "For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
(1 Sam. 16:7).Herein is tremendous consolation, that on those occasions when we are quite misjudged by man, we can trust in the just balances of God, and know that HE understands our attitude, motivation, desire, etc. and then, even when we do fall short, He just weighs us in the balance of mercy-- and His love covers a multitude of sin. Who could ask for more than this? "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)
Propitiation-- the Greek is "hilasmos," meaning: atonement, or appeasement, the MERCYSEAT, or place of mercy. A derivative of the word, "hilasterion," has been translated as "propitiation" in Romans 3:25, and as "mercy seat" in Hebrews 9:5. The message becomes clear-- HE, THROUGH HIS MERCY, makes atonement for our sin-- therefore all of our sin is dealt with by MERCY! We have sinned and come short of the glory of God, HE KNOWS THAT, therefore in grace and mercy HE has become the atonement for us-- forgives us of our sin and proceeds to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and fill us up with Himself. Then place us on the scale, and how does it balance out? Exactly as God requires, for THROUGH HIM, IN HIM, BY HIM we shall be brought "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (Eph. 4:13). And of this stature the Father declared, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (2 Peter 1:17). The STANDARD IS CHRIST! He is on the one side of the scale-- the righteous weight and measure which is the criterion for all else. But, knowing that we, in ourselves, come far short of that measure, HE CLIMBS UP ON OUR SIDE OF THE SCALE TOO, and so we, IN HIM, HE IN US, measures up to the Divine Standard-- that's MERCY!
We note that the word "balances" is only given once in the New Testament, in Revelation 6:5. Speaking of the Rider on the "black horse; and He that sat on him had a pair of balances in His hand." Undoubtedly this bespeaks of the Christ RIDING WITHIN, to bring us into balance. It is in HIS HAND, it is HIS HANDIWORK-- that "every valley shall be filled, and every hill and mountain shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord." (Luke 3:5-6). The ultimate goal is total restoration for every creature! And only He can FILL UP that which is lacking in every man. "He makes peace in your borders, and fills you with the finest of wheat." (Ps. 147:14). He is the One that "binds up our wounds, pouring in oil and wine." (Luke 10:34). In His abounding mercy He is our Physician, our Healing Redeemer! He is riding prosperously to bring us into balance!
We note that the Greek word translated here as "balances" is "zugos" and elsewhere is translated as "a yoke." The reason is obvious, for a yoke is actually a BALANCING BEAM-- used individually, it was a frame of wood fitted a person's shoulders for carrying pails, etc., suspended on each side. Or, that bar or frame of wood which joined two animals together for drawing a plow, and fitted so that the load was evenly distributed between them both. So the thought of "balances" is easily transferred to a "yoke."
When certain men began to teach that "Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved," (Acts 15:1), it caused a dissension, and so Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem for counsel. When the elders and apostles came together, Peter stood up and gave answer-- "Why tempt God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they." (v. 10-11).
There is no way that adding works of the flesh would balance out the scale of salvation. Whether it was circumcision, keeping the sabbath, eating the right foods, speaking the right terminology, none of these things could be added in to merit salvation-- it was/IS BY GRACE, and grace alone. We are weighed in the balance of mercy, not in the balance of works. As already noted earlier, works will always fall short, leave you wanting, lacking. A true balance can only be accomplished through the grace of our Lord. When He fills up our side of the scale we will balance with the measure on the other side. This cannot be emphasized too strongly, it is GOD ALL THE WAY!
Paul admonishes us, "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness." (2 Corinthians 6:14). How can we ever be balanced out with unbelievers? How can they who are lacking in themselves help to fill up that which is lacking in us? What input can darkness give to the light, to increase the light? What input can the unrighteous, corruptible, give to that which is righteous? NOTHING! Therefore, trying to measure up by the help of that which is unholy is utterly foolish, and only increases our coming short of the glory of God. Be not so unequally yoked!
Again Paul instructs, "Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Gal. 5:1). BLESSED LIBERTY is not enhanced by entanglements that bring us into bondage and TAKE AWAY, rather than adding to our life in Christ. Peter also affirms this, stating, "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning."
(2 Peter 2:19-20). The message becomes clear, any man/ministry that would bind you unto itself, to lord it over you, and to become the standard by which you must measure up-- such entanglement leads to bondage, not to freedom. IN CHRIST ALONE is there total liberty, as He leads onward step by step.In contradistinction to being yoked with unbelievers, or with those who impose their laws and regulation, and bind you to their cause, etc. we have a precious word from Christ Himself. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matt. 11:29-30).
"Learn of-- literally, the Greek text reads, FROM Me." How we need to take His yoke-- be balanced HIS WAY. This is more than just learning about Him, an accumulation of knowledge and facts, it is an experiencing Him, coming to know Him intimately, and finding in Him all that we need, and HE brings us into rest. He does not add to our load, HE LIGHTENS OUR LOAD, for His yoke (balancer) is an instrument of mercy. Take the general burden of life itself, we all carry too much. For some, weariness; for others, failure; or tragedy; some struggle with pain. His solution, carry it as I do. Take My yoke, learn of Me, you will find it fits right to the shoulder and it is easy. HIS GRACE, HIS MERCY are clearly seen as we are balanced in Him. In Him is both the EXAMPLE and the PRESENT HELP. The people were burdened, not only with a heavy law of rites and ceremonies, but still more grievously with traditions of the elders, which scribes and Pharisees bound on their shoulders. Though these leaders could not follow their own teachings. "For they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." (Matt. 23:4). They were worthless as examples for the people, and they had no desire to ease the load the people carried. But in Christ we find THE MERCY for He is the initiator of the new covenant wherein He makes promise both for Himself, and for us-- and becomes IN Us THE ENERGY FORCE for its fulfillment. Oh, to experience more of Him!
"God, who is rich in MERCY, for His great love wherewith He loved us ... has quickened us together with Christ, by GRACE are you saved." (Eph. 2:4-5).
"For God has concluded them all in unbelief, THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MERCY UPON ALL." (Rom. 11:32).
"And that the NATIONS might glorify God for HIS MERCY; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to You among the nations, and sing unto Your name." (Rom. 15:9).
Yes, the judgments are necessary for the cleansing, but they are not the end of the matter-- for while under the dispensation of the law, "he shall have judgment without mercy, that has showed no mercy," yet now under the ministration of the new covenant, "mercy rejoices against judgment." (Jam. 2:12). LET MERCY MAKE HER BOAST, for mercy triumphs over judgment, turning all sorrow into joy. Weeping may endure for the night of judgment, but JOY comes in the morning of that "nevertheless afterwards." "In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have MERCY on you, says the Lord your Redeemer." (Isa. 54:8).
"For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and PLENTEOUS IN MERCY unto all them that call upon You." (Ps. 86:5). Plenteous-- the Hebrew word is "rabah" and has also been translated as: be in authority. Not only shall His mercy be ever increasing to cover our every need, and surpass it, but MERCY SHALL BE IN AUTHORITY! Mercy has the final word! Praise God!
To be weighed in the balance-- it is an awesome word,
And shall I be found wanting? what deep emotions stirred.
The standard is so holy, the weight and measure true,
How can I face the challenge? what works can I yet do?
When yoked with unbelievers, there's nothing they can add,
Self-righteousness means we are with filthy garments clad.
The darkness has no substance to give unto the light,
It but increases lacking, with shadows of the night.
In Christ alone is balance, in Him the scales are met,
No more will there be asking, "what am I lacking yet?"
He fills our scale with mercy-- and then when we are weighed,
We shall not be found wanting, for love and grace pervade
With life that's more abundant, no more in sin to fall.
Yes, He will be the fulness that filleth all in all!