The One Who Holds The Scale

Revelation 1:12-13

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,

13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

This is one of my favorite chapters in The Bible. I’ve loved it in the KJV for years, but I saw something in the ESV last night. The word translated girdle in the KJV, is sash here. While both mean girdle, it’s the root word that sash points to, which fascinated me.

The root is means coupling, also the beam of the balance, as connecting the scales, pair of balances, yoke. It’s been used to refer to weighty laws in the Mosaic Law. This reminded me of another verse earlier in The New Testament.

Matthew 11:28-29

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

God’s yoke is easy, and His burden is light. When you step on the scales of the Law, we all are weighed in the balances and found wanting. When you come to Jesus, weary, warn, and sad, He washes our sins away, as the old song says. The scale isn’t tipped, but balanced, not by judgement, but by Mercy Who paid the price for us.

The same root for scale, the same word in Hebrew here for yoke, means coupling. We are coupled to Someone that paid the price for us all. He balanced the scales through His sacrifice. The One Who made the scales, came as the Sacrifice to balance them, then as the Priest weighed the blood at Heaven’s Altar, and now is seen in Revelation, as The Beam on which the scales are carried.

It’s in this type of girdle or ephod that The High Priest in The Old Testament, would hold the Urim and the Thummim. This same chapter says that Christ held The seven stars, representing the Ministry, in His Right Hand, but when He lays that hand on John’s shoulder, you don’t see the stars. It’s my opinion, that they are held in this sash or girdle.

I’ve written about this before. I believe that The Ministry is always in one of two places, either in The Hand Of God, or near His heart. For it is The Ministry who carries The Message that we can measure our lives by. They receive this at His heart, and because they are always near His heart, have the heartbeat of God, His people, always in the forefront of their mind.

The Word Of God, and the Preached Word, bring balance to our lives. He enables us to weigh our actions, and to seek His adjustment so that on the day we see The High Priest, we can feel His hand on our shoulder, and His joy in our heart.

If your life is out of balance, and I’m not just talking about sin or weights, but if you are hurting, if you are fearful, if you are struggling, let me encourage you. Come to The One who loves you enough to add balance to your lives. Seek out a Pastor, or Man Of God that can speak into your life, and help you find that balance which God wants you to experience with joy.