What is a false balance? It’s referring to weighing out goods to see their value. When we lived overseas, we shopped at bazars. There were some electric scales, but many still used the balance scale. A labeled weight would be on the one side and the vegetables, or whatever was being sold by weight, was put on the other side. They worked to balance the scale. The scale shows how much you were buying and you’d pay for that amount.

A false balance has a lying weight. It may be labeled two pounds, for instance, but it is really only a pound and a half. It’s cheating the people. It’s getting wealthy through lies.

Does anyone these days get wealthy by lying? False advertising, claiming quality, hiring people to say good things about your product, etc.

Ephraim, which is referring to Israel, is using false balances and making himself rich.

God loves the poor and oppressed. God cares. He gets angry at the rich oppressor. God will bring justice. He seeks justice.

He speaks to His people. They just don’t listen. He sends prophets. He gives visions. Will the people listen?

Israel didn’t listen. The church isn’t listening today.

Is God showing the church anything?

There’s a quote by Tozer that says, “Modern religion focuses upon filling churches with people. The true gospel emphasizes filling people with God.”

The pastors may not be thinking about making themselves rich, though some certainly are, but they are thinking about bringing in for themselves and not for the kingdom. Building the local church up with people isn’t the same as building up the Kingdom, the Body, the true Church.

The Lord wants to be God to His people. He wants them serving Him, not the organization of the church building, in effect serving themselves.