The Divine Mentor – God Is The Great Equalizer - by Margaret Thomas

Today’s Reading (February 1): Exodus 30, 31, 32; Acts 8

Exodus 30:14-15 (NASB): ¹⁴ Everyone who is numbered, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the Lord. ¹⁵ The rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves.

These two verses really jumped out at me today.  Why weren’t the rich required to pay more than the poor? When God asked for a contribution from the Israelites, they all paid the same thing. No one was set apart or singled out because of their financial situation.  No one was given precedence over the other. Everyone, regardless of their status, had to atone equally for their sin.  

We live in a world today where people are grouped together, not by who they are, but by what they have or don’t have – their wealth (or lack of wealth), job title, birthplace, neighborhood, relatives, and the list goes on. We look at the outward appearance - nice clothes, big houses, fancy cars, fat bank accounts, family relationships, etc. - and then treat that person as if somehow they are “better” simply because they have more “stuff”, “connections” and/or power.  In God’s eyes, however, there is no difference between rich and poor - we are all equal.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

So, why do we treat each other differently?  Why does wealth or social status mean so much and control so many?

As I pondered these questions, I realized something important: at the root of our obsession with wealth, social status and connections is the erroneous belief that these things will bring us love and acceptance - that they will fill the spiritual and emotional void that exists inside us. In our world, what a person has is often viewed as more important than who a person is. We’ve bought into the lie that if we have enough stuff, others will assume we are someone of worth – that these things will cover those ugly areas inside where we are angry, insecure, fearful, imperfect, and sinful.  We use “things” to give us a false sense that we are somebody; that we matter; that we have worth.    

The reality is that “things” will never fill the emptiness inside. They can give us temporary satisfaction, but then we find ourselves needing more and more until we are in a vicious cycle.  Only God can fill this cavernous void.  He sees us for who we really are, and He loves us, warts and all.  In His kingdom, we are all the same; we all need forgiveness. The poorest is equal to the richest.  One is not better than the other.  God is the Great Equalizer.  He levels all playing fields. In His sight, we are all equal and nothing we have in this world can change that.

Lord, help me to see others through your eyes. Thank you that in your kingdom, we are all equal.