Take Your Oaths In His Name
And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to
fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the
LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for
your own good?
To
the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and
everything in it. Yet the LORD set his affection on your ancestors and loved
them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is
today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any
longer. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God,
mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends
the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing
among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are
foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in
Deuteronomy 10:12-22
We
are told to be wary of bribes and understand that God accepts no bribes,
period. God does not allow partiality. It is an injustice. He even made justice
a condition of remaining in the Promised Land. The Israelites were not to
pervert justice or to show partiality.
Bribery
deprives others of justice, which is an offense against the character of God,
mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
Thankfully,
the Lord treats us all alike, and He wants us to treat each other the same way.
Bribery displays partiality; love displays justice.
Our Daily Bread –