Saturday 15 August 2026
Theology and Money
Deuteronomy 25:13–16
You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, large and small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, large and small. You shall have only a full and honest weight; you shall have only a full and honest measure, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are abhorrent to the Lord your God.
Reflection
We take accurate weights and measures for granted: we simply don’t expect to be cheated or sold short. Yet the fact is that we probably ought to be slightly more suspicious. I’m not suggesting that we ought to worry about getting less in the bottle than we should when we buy what is marked as a pint or a litre of milk—but when packet sizes of biscuits or pasta, say, are not conveniently in round numbers of grams, we have to be on the ball to spot when the manufacturer reduces the amount slightly – changing the weight value on the package, for sure – but keeping the price the same. In these days of food inflation, it’s a pretty common practice, and perfectly legal – even if we may feel it is in a grey area ethically.
We have evidence of rules about fair measures and weights dating back to the earliest written law codes, over 17 centuries before the time of Jesus, and probably over a millennium before the Book of Deuteronomy. To me, that suggests two things: first, rather sadly, that humans have a propensity to benefit unfairly in their dealings – to pull a fast one, so to speak. And second, that lawmakers have understood from the earliest times that, societies and economies function best when the opportunities for unfair dealing are restricted.
Legislation can set standards and impose penalties regarding weights and measures. It is much harder to create – let alone enforce – legal frameworks to prevent or restrict dishonesty and profiteering in how we deal with money and pricing. That human instinct to gain the advantage in any transaction still governs all too much of our behaviour. It can for example lead us into the sort of bargain-hunting that doesn’t really care where the goods we are after came from, or whether the fantastic price is only possible because the vendor isn’t paying proper wages, or operates unsafe premises, or has an ambivalent or non-existent relationship with HMRC.
Prayer
Lord,
I do truly want to be
a good and honest person
in my dealings with everyone.
When I am tempted by opportunities
that may compromise those standards,
strengthen my resolve
not to take advantage of others –
and when I fall short,
give me the grace to admit it to myself
and to those I have wronged. Amen.