Daily Devotionals

The measure with which you measure out will be used to measure you (Matthew 7:2).

Measure with exacting justice, and you will be measured that way, too. As Shlomo HaMelech (King Solomon) put it, "So don't be overly righteous or overly wise; why should you disappoint yourself?" (Ecclesiastes 7:16)

There was once a ruler who believed in justice and the need for absolute adherence to the law. A certain beggar, caught stealing cheese and bread from the royal kitchen, was ordered to be hanged, according to the law. The facts that he was hungry, destitute, and tempted by the food made no difference to the king.

On the way to the gallows, the convicted thief moaned, "Now my father's secret will die with me." Pressed for the secret, he revealed that a pomegranate seed could be planted in such a way that it would grow and bear fruit overnight. The king was told, and a pomegranate seed was presented to the thief. He dug a hole in the ground, then explained that the seed could be planted only by someone who had never taken anything that didn't belong to him.

A search was made, but no one could be found to plant the seed. Even the accountant backed off, saying that he may have subtracted wrong and overcharged someone on taxes. The king alone remained, but he too had hidden a royal necklace when he was a young child, fascinated by the color of the gems. From that day on, the king amended the laws so that they would be enforced with compassion as well as justice.

...show compassion to someone I have already judged.

JEF