“While traveling in a
foreign country, my husband noticed that the paved roads had deep indentations.
When he asked about them, our driver explained that they were caused by the
tires of trucks carrying illegal, overweight loads. When stopped by police, the
drivers paid bribes to avoid being fined. The truckers and police officers came
out ahead financially, but other drivers and taxpayers were left with an unfair
financial burden and the inconvenience of poor roads”. ( J.A.L. – american
writer)
Not all
bribery is overt; some is more subtle. And not all bribes are financial.
Flattery is a type of bribe that uses words as currency. If we give people
preferential treatment for saying something nice about us, it’s similar to
taking a bribe. To God, any kind of partiality is an injustice. He even made
justice a condition of remaining in the Promised Land. The Israelites were not
to pervert justice or show partiality (Deut.
16:19-20).
Bribery
deprives others of justice, which is an offense against the character of God,
who is “God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who
shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (10:17).
Thankfully,
the Lord treats all of us alike, and He wants us to treat each other the same
way.
Bribery displays partiality; love displays justice. (RBC)
