The judgment in 25:11 and 12 concerns a wife who immorally helps her husband as he is fighting. When two men fought together, a man and his brother, and the wife of the one came to rescue her husband from the hand of his beater, and her hand took hold of the beater's private parts, her hand was to be cut off (vv. 11-12a). No eye was to pity her (v. 12b), for she had done something indecent. This judgment reveals that God is not only strict in His government but also that He is detailed.
Deuteronomy 25:13-16 covers the judgment concerning weights and measures. The children of Israel were not to have in their bag differing weights, one heavy and one light, nor were they to have in their house differing measures, one heavy and one light (vv. 13-14). For everyone who did these things, everyone who did unrighteousness, was an abomination to Jehovah their God (v. 16).
To have differing weights and measures is a lie, and all lies come from the enemy, Satan. The dishonest practice of having differing weights and measures is surely from Satan.
The children of Israel were to have a full and righteous weight and a full and righteous measure in order that their days might be extended upon the God-given land (v. 15). Here longevity is related to righteousness. Those who have lived a long life often attribute their longevity to such matters as taking care of their health, getting adequate sleep, and having a proper diet. Have you ever heard anyone attribute longevity to being fair, righteous, and just? In this verse living long upon the land is clearly related to having full and righteous weights and measures.
Those who have differing weights and measures actually have differing scales. In the church life today, we may have differing scales—one scale for measuring others and a different scale for measuring ourselves. Having differing scales, we may condemn a certain thing in others but justify the same thing in ourselves. Certain saints may use one scale to weigh the actions of the elders and the co-workers but a different scale in weighing their own actions. Because they weigh the elders and co-workers in one scale and themselves in a different scale, they find fault with the elders and co-workers but vindicate themselves.
In the house of God, the church, there should be only one scale. This means that the same scale should be used to weigh everyone. If we have only one scale, we will be fair, righteous, and just, even as God is. Because God is fair, righteous, and just, He measures everyone according to the same scale. He does not have differing weights or measures. For eternity He will use the same scale.
Worldly people often use different kinds of scales. Because people use many different kinds of scales, there is a great shortage of justice in human society. For instance, wives and husbands use different scales in their married life. These different scales are the reason for the quarreling between husband and wife. Both the husband and wife have two sets of scales.
Although we should not have differing scales in the church life, one scale for weighing ourselves and other scales for weighing the brothers and sisters, we all have failed in this matter. Not one of us is an exception. Using the language of accounting, we may say that it is easy for us to "debit" others and "credit" ourselves. Instead of doing this, we should give others more credit and ourselves more debit. For instance, a sister may weigh the elders in one scale, giving them a debit, and weigh herself in a differing scale, giving herself a credit. If she would give the elders more credit and give herself more debit, she would have a much more positive view of the elders and of the church in her locality. However, if she persists in using different scales, none of the elders will be satisfactory in her eyes.
Some saints who have the practice of using differing scales may move from one locality to another, hoping to find a more satisfactory church with more satisfactory elders. But because these saints have differing scales, no matter where they may go, they do not find the church and the elders to be satisfactory.
I emphasize the practice of having differing scales because this practice is a sickness, a disease, in the church life. This is the source of disaccord. Instead of keeping the oneness and the one accord, we have disaccord. May we all receive mercy from the Lord to no longer have differing scales but, like our God, to have the same scale for everyone.