While many of us have a favorite hymn from the beautifully inspired hymns of praise that have touched our hearts and brought tears to our eyes, The Songs of Zion are unique to our Church. They are songs that belong to a new time; they belong to a new era; they belong to our people. They are songs sent from the throne of God as a gift to The Church of Jesus Christ. They are inspirational and related to Christ and His promises of the latter-day times and events. This gift was given to our late Sister Arlene Buffington, as our songs of hope and joy, looking forward to the fulfillment of the kingdom of Zion, bathed in the latter-day glory of the restoration.

Today I’d like to look at No. 37, “Weighed in the Balance” by looking at the meaning and application of the song, because it’s too easy to sing without paying attention to the words and their meaning.

37. WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE
©1980 Arlene Lea Buffington

VERSE 1
The lifespan of man passes quickly, 
For the days and the years seem to roll. 
And the great things of God take the background, it seems, 
While the pleasures of life take control.

Now for those who are younger, especially children, it may not feel like your life is passing by so quickly, but if you ask any 50-year-old, you’ll hear a resounding, “Absolutely!” I’ve always been intrigued by this concept, and the truth is, time really does feel like it goes by faster as we get older, primarily because of how our brain processes time:

• When we’re young, everything is new, causing our brain to actively encode a massive amount of rich, detailed memories. As we age, daily life becomes more routine, resulting in fewer distinct markers to segment time, making the years feel shorter in comparison.
• Then there’s logarithmic math. This basically says that a single year represents a much smaller fraction of our total life experience. For a 5-year-old, one year is 20 percent of their entire life, making it feel incredibly long. For a 50-year-old, that same year is just 2 percent of their life.

But no matter the reason or explanation, this mortal life is brief when compared to eternity, and it is clearly finite. But sadly for some, the natural pleasures of life really do take a back seat to the priority of serving God, as evidenced by the world we live in.

VERSE 2
You’ll think it’s not real when it’s over, 
Oh, you’ll think it was dreamt in the night. 
For life ran away, and you lost it somewhere; 
All the vain things have vanished from sight.

This verse speaks of the fleeting nature of our lives. Again, just ask your parents or grandparents, and they’ll all agree that they can’t believe how quickly time passed. Many people, as we age and grow older, are able to reflect and often have regrets. They see more clearly, looking back, especially on the vain, temporary, and even worthless pursuits of life that seemed important but now have lost their significance when viewed from a retro-perspective.

VERSE 3
Now good cannot raise up as evil, 
And no evil can raise up as good. 
For the day of the great restitution awaits, 
And the balance will read as it should.

This verse sums up much of what we read in the 41st chapter of Alma… good cannot be restored to evil, neither can evil be restored to good. The phrase “great restitution” also reminds us of Alma’s teaching because at the end of this life, people will be restored according to how they lived their lives while in the flesh, as weighed against the balance of judgment.

CHORUS
We’ll be weighed in the balance some morning, 
And the scales of the Lord never lie. 
For mercy can never rob justice, you know, 
When you’re weighed in the balance on high.

The chorus provides the clear symbol of a perfect judgment. Unlike human judgments, which can be biased or mistaken, God’s judgment is always accurate, perfect, and just.

In fact, Alma 42: 24-25 says: “For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved. What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God.”

Said another way, God is just, and our actions have consequences. Good and evil are not treated as the same thing by a just God. Mercy, however, can be extended to us, IF…and it’s a big IF because through the atonement of Jesus Christ and our repentance, mercy can be applied while still honoring justice.

Maybe a simple analogy to this might be the need to repay a debt:

• Justice says: the debt must be paid.
• Mercy says: the debtor can be helped.
• Mercy does not “rob” justice if someone* else pays the debt on the debtor’s behalf. (*so that we’re clear, that someone was Jesus and the only way we can be helped is if we repent and follow His commandments). 

Let me sum up this song by saying:

Life is brief. Worldly pursuits are temporary, and every person will ultimately face a perfect and just judgment, in which neither good nor evil is misrepresented. 

The only way to obtain mercy and salvation is through the infinite and eternal atoning blood of Jesus Christ; otherwise, we’ll stand before a just God who will judge us based solely on our works (which will never be good enough, no matter how hard we try because “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

Thank God for sending His only begotten Son to atone for my sins and yours that we might be able to claim mercy by repenting and making Jesus our covenant partner. 

May God bless you. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the Songs of Zion, listening to the Songs or downloading them, here’s a link to the church website: Church Songs and Music