Accept Bribes

Proverbs 17:8,18-24 – A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn…One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool. A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice. A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

1 Samuel 8:3 – But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

Job 31:1 – “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.

Application:

• ·         Perversion of justice through bribery was explicitly forbidden in Pentateuchal law.
• ·         “A bribe is seen as a charm” is a sad commentary on human behavior. Elsewhere, bribes are condemned.
• ·         To “look lustfully at a young woman” is to sin.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV