God's Unchanging Standard

As promised in last week’s Sabbath thought, I want continue the discussion about the benefits of standardization. This week we will look at this subject from a more spiritual perspective.

At one time in America, Protestant Christianity was the standard. Judeo-Christian morality was commonly accepted. Christianity was a routine part of American society.

However, our world has dramatically changed what is now standard. An assistant football coach helps to illustrate our changing standards in regard to what is religiously accepted.

Joe Kennedy was a coach at Bremerton High School in the state of Washington. Since 2008, the coach has offered on-field prayers at the 50-yard line after each game. While he typically goes on the field to pray alone, students and players often voluntarily join Kennedy — and that is what has sparked controversy and concerns over the separation of church and state.

Because of the school district’s concern over separation of church and state, the coach was told to cease these public prayers.

The coach felt that this restriction placed on him by the school district was an infringement on his religious liberty as an American. He continued to pray after a game and ended up being suspended as an assistant football coach.

There was a time in America when praying before or after a football game would not have been controversial but standards have changed.

How will this religious freedom issue work out in 21st century America? Time will give the answer to that question.

As Christians, we know that there is an unchanging standard in which we can have unwavering confidence. We know that God and His spiritual standard does not change. Let’s consider a few scriptural passages that illustrate this point:

Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” God does not change in His nature, His purposes and His promises. If God were changeable He would have consumed the Jews for their sins.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

James tells us that good and perfect gifts come down from heaven, “from the Father of lights.” God is the creator of these heavenly lights; He himself is nothing but light. Therefore, darkness cannot exist in the presence of God. In this light, God displays his holiness, goodness, love, integrity, and unchangeableness.

In the New Testament Commentary by Hendrikson and Kistemaker, they “Note that James calls God the “Father” of lights and uses this figure of speech to illustrate God's absolute stability. God “does not change like shifting shadows.” The being, nature, and characteristics of God are unchangeable (Mal. 3:6). As the earth, sun, moon, and stars move in their ordained courses, we observe the interplay of light and darkness, day and night, the longest and the shortest day of the year, the waning and the waxing of the moon, eclipses, and the movements of the planets. Nature is subject to variation and change. Not so with God! He is the Father of the heavenly lights, who is always light and does not change. He has an abiding interest in his children.”

Finally consider Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus Christ embodies the same standard at all time as does the heavenly Father.

As we consider the world of men, standards change over time. God never changes in His character or in His truth. God’s unchanging standard gives us confidence as we go about our lives.

As we observe the weekly Sabbath, rejoice in God’s unchanging standard.

Gary Smith

Standardization

I’m currently reading a book entitled Popular Economics by Robert Tamny. He makes a number of interesting points about economics by using examples to which we can relate here in the 21st century: The Rolling Stones, Downton Abbey, and LeBron James. My goal in this week’s Sabbath thought is not to focus on celebrity illustrations about economics, but to focus on a topic that on the surface seems pretty insignificant. However, once you consider the topic, you will quickly see how fundamentally important it is.

The topic that is fundamentally important to life is: standardization.

The title of the author’s chapter on standardization is “A Floating Foot, Minute and Second Would Give You Ugly House, Burnt Wings, and Slow NFL Draft Picks.” His point in the chapter title is if there was no set standard measure for an inch, a foot, or a yard we would most certainly have “ugly houses”. Imagine if every carpenter measured based upon what he thought a foot should be? One carpenter measures a foot as thirteen inches, a second measures a foot as 8 inches, another sees it as 18 inches. The outcome would be construction that did not fit together to form a precise whole. In other words, we would have pretty ugly homes.

The other items mentioned “burnt wings” and “slow NFL Draft Picks” apply the importance of standard measurements to something as simple as preparing and cooking “Buffalo wings” or to how fast a potential NFL player can run and how high he can jump. Standardized measures, a cup or a tablespoon, or a second or an inch insure delicious wings or help an NFL team pick the best rookies for their team.

The author states, “A standardized minute, pound, and foot are essential to much that we do.” We count on a foot being a foot, a cup of liquid being a cup, and a pound being a pound.

The scriptures tell us that God is interested in standardization of all measures. Look at Deuteronomy 25:13-16, "You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God.”

The point about honest weights and measures is also made in Leviticus 19:35-36, 'You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

Standardization is important to a well-functioning society where honesty prevails. When people can rely upon one another whether, business man or customer, it creates a system where people can be certain in all transactions from building a house to making a cake.

There is more to the subject of standardization. We will examine this subject once again, in the next Sabbath thought.

Enjoy the Sabbath day,

Gary Smith