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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for March 2, 2010
“Let the Seller Beware”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Caveat emptor.
It’s the Latin phrase for “let the buyer beware.”
In other words, when you buy something, it’s up to you to find out what you’re getting into. You can’t assume that the seller is being honest and forthright.
But today I want to talk about the mirror image of caveat emptor, and it’s found in another Latin phrase, “caveat venditor,” let the seller beware.
Do you sell things? Are you in any kind of business that sells products or services? Then you need to hear this message: caveat venditor, let the seller beware.
And in this case, I’m not talking about legal parameters. I’m talking about something much bigger. I’m talking about God Almighty and the fact that He is watching your transactions.
Now I realize that many will think this is some kind of voodoo, some kind of fear tactic to scare people into being honest. Well that’s okay; you can take it however you want. I’m going to point out what the Bible says and you can take it or leave it – to your own peril.
We all know that we are not to bear false witness. Even the 10 commandments tell us that. It applies to all of life, and that includes business.
But God has a special disgust for business people who cheat their customers. Look at Proverbs 11:1. “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord…”
That is a message specifically for business people.
What is a “dishonest scale”? Have you ever gone to a deli and ordered five pounds of roast beef? Well what if it was only four-and-a-half pounds? What if Mr. Deli rigged his scale to cheat his customers? They probably wouldn’t notice, and Mr. Deli would increase his profit; a great way to improve your bottom line, right?
Well that’s what a lot of people have done, even back in the Bible days. They cheated people by using inaccurate scales. And they got away with it, scott free.
Well, no they didn’t. I don’t care if they were never caught or punished, they still didn’t get away with it, and here’s why. Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord.
The law to the Israelites goes into more depth, in Deuteronomy 25. “Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.”
Let the seller beware. The Lord detests anyone who deals dishonestly. That is not a place you want to be. Yes, you might be able to drive up the bottom line that way, but the Lord has a way of making the soul of your enterprise rot right before your eyes.
Proverbs 20:23 says, “The Lord detests differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please Him.”
“Well, Doug, it just says He doesn’t like it. It doesn’t say He’s going to punish it.”
Check out what God told the Israelites in Micah 6. He is calling them on the carpet for their wickedness, and listen to what enraged Him. God said, “Am I still to forget, O wicked house, your ill-gotten treasures and the short ephah, which is accursed? Shall I acquit a man with dishonest scales, with a bag of false weights?”
God is hammering them for cheating their customers. He said their “people are liars and their tongues speak deceitfully.”
God always has a huge problem with deceit, especially in business. And here’s what He told the Israelites through the prophet Micah, and listen closely to the nature of the punishment, because it’s not fire and brimstone raining down from heaven. It’s much more subtle than that. Here it is.
“You will eat but not be satisfied…you will store up but save nothing…you will press olives but not use the oil on yourselves…”
See how subtle that is? You will eat but not be satisfied.
When we deal dishonestly in business, I believe God has a system in place that brings about a rotting. It may be subtle. It may be hard to connect cause and effect, but I believe there is an opposite to blessing that rots a deceptive business.
When something is an abomination to the Lord, when it is something He despises, that is something you don’t want to do. You don’t even want to be near it.
Galatians 6:7 says God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
Here is how we should behave in business. Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
So there you go, if you are in the business of selling any product or service, this message is for you. Make sure you are using honest scales with all of your customers.
But if you still think it’s okay to deal dishonestly, well then here is a Latin phrase just for you.
Caveat venditor.
Let the seller beware.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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