Deception (Part 10) - Methods of Deception (Part C)

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5. Deception is accomplished by making things appear differently than they actually are. A. This was done in the old days by using deceitful weights and balances (Mic 6:11-12). i. The Bible refers to this practice as using divers weights and measures (Deut 25:13-16). a. A deceptive merchant would have a false set of weights when weighing the money to make the buyer give more money than was owed and a false set of measuring containers when measuring out the wheat so the buyer got less than he was supposed to (Amo 8:5-6). (i) Shekel n. - 1. a. An ancient unit of weight of the Babylonians, and hence of the Phœnicians, Hebrews, and others, equal to one-sixtieth of a mina (see mina 1). b. A coin of this weight; esp. the chief silver coin of the Hebrews. (ii) Ephah n. - A Hebrew dry measure, identical in capacity with the bath; see bath n.3; it is variously said to have contained from 4 1 / 2 to 9 gallons. b. Or he would have one set weights and measures for buying goods and another set for selling goods. ii. God hates this practice of cheating and fraud (Pro 20:10, 23). iii. The Lord's weight and balance are just (Pro 16:11; Lev 19:35-36). B. This is done by merchants nowadays, but in a different way. i. Today this is accomplished by changing packaging sizes without making it explicit to the buyer. ii. It is also done by changing the quality of the inputs to produce a lower quality product without being forthcoming about it. C. Governments also engage in this deceitful practice. i. They debase the currency by inflation (printing money), and thereby rob people of their purchasing power. ii. The US government decoupled the dollar from gold and silver and continued to call the currency "dollars." a. A dollar used to be a unit of weight of silver. b. "A dollar was first defined in the Mint Act of 1792 as 371.25 grains of fine silver..." (Peter Schiff, Crash Proof 2.0) c. In 1934 the US government made it illegal for US citizens to own gold, and they proceeded to confiscated it. d. After they confiscated the gold, they revalued the dollar from approximately $20/ounce of gold to $35/ounce. e. In 1965, they removed the silver from dimes and quarters and passed off new ones to the public made of cheap metals. f. In 1971 the dollar was completely un-pegged from gold and was no longer redeemable in gold by foreign governments. iii. Since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913 the dollar has lost about 95% of its value, but it's still called a "dollar." iv. This wicked act is pure deceit. D. Another example is the Coronavirus reporting. i. The death rate of the Coronavirus is likely being inflated by governments who count anyone who dies with the Coronavirus as having died from the Coronavirus. ii. This is a deceitful tactic. 6. Deception is accomplished by giving gifts or special treatment. A. Be very cautious of a stranger or someone you just met who treats you out to an expensive meal (Pro 23:1-3). i. This happens in business all the time. ii. Lobbyists do this for politicians regularly. iii. Always remember that that free meal or gift isn't free. B. Be wary of the man or woman who shows you too much affection (Pro 27:6). i. Judas betrayed our Lord Jesus Christ with a kiss (Luk 22:47-48). ii. Joab used a deceitful kiss to kill Amasa (2Sa 20:9-10). 7. Deception is accomplished using beauty (Pro 31:30). A. Women that are well favored (Gen 29:17 c/w Son 8:10) can have a powerful influence over men. B. The beauty of a woman is like blinders on the eyes of men. C. Women have a powerful ability to deceive men (Job 31:9). i. Strange women are subtle of heart (Pro 7:10). a. Subtle adj. - 1. Of thin consistency, tenuous; not dense, rarefied; hence, penetrating, pervasive or elusive by reason of tenuity (now chiefly of odours). 5. Of immaterial things: Not easily grasped, understood, or perceived; intricate, abstruse. 10. Of persons or animals: Crafty, cunning; treacherously or wickedly cunning, insidiously sly, wily. 1535 Coverdale Gen. iii. 1 The serpent was sotyller then all the beastes of the felde. b. They pretend to be something they are not to trick simple men (Pro 7:14). c. They deceive men by flattering them with fair speech (Pro 7:21). ii. Women have the power to entice their husbands to do things they shouldn't do (Jdg 14:15; Jdg 16:5). a. They do so by crying to get what they want (Jdg 14:16-17). b. Husbands, don't give in to your wife's crying when she wants to do something wrong or when she is trying to convince you to. c. Wives also entice their husbands to do wrong things by questioning their love for them (Jdg 16:15-17). iii. Men, the next time you are tempted to go along with your wife's unbiblical ideas, remember Adam and Eve (Gen 3:6 c/w Rom 5:12). iv. But if your wife is right, listen to her and don't be a fool (Gen 21:9-12).