Moses speaks of appointing judges in the towns to hear cases and make rulings on them. "Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Deuteronomy 16:18-20)
The Lord "shows no partiality and accepts no bribes" (Deuteronomy 10:17) and His people are to be like Him. Cases must be judged on the evidence alone. It doesn't matter whether any of the parties to the case are rich or poor, famous or unknown, influential or an ordinary citizen. A blessing is promised if the judges will judge fairly: the blessing of continued possession of and enjoyment of the promised land. Discipline will come if justice is perverted. We see in the book of Malachi the Lord's displeasure over the wicked judgments being made by the religious leaders of the land, for He stated they were under a curse due to their unfair treatment of the people: "So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all people, because you have not followed My ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law." (Malachi 2:9)
Job, who according to the Lord was the most faithful and God-fearing man on the earth during his day, said of the accepting of bribes: "The company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes." (Job 15:34) Job took comfort in knowing that the righteous Judge who sees all things will discipline those who accept bribes to pervert justice. They won't get away with their greedy ways forever.
David said the person who enjoys close fellowship with the Lord will be, among other things, a person who "does not accept a bribe against the innocent". (Psalm 15:5b) Solomon spoke of the judgment that falls on those who pervert justice and the blessing that comes to those who refuse bribes: "The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live." (Proverbs 15:27) Also in the book of Proverbs we learn the importance of fairness in a nation's leadership, "By justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down." (Proverbs 29:4)
In the book of Isaiah the Lord found fault with those leaders who were perverting justice in exchange for monetary gain, saying, "Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them." (Isaiah 1:23) Cases brought by the poor and needy weren't even being heard because cases brought by the wealthy were given priority in exchange for money.
When the Lord foretold judgment upon Jerusalem, He said one of the reasons judgment was coming was because of the perversions of justice that were taking place. "In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten Me, declares the Sovereign Lord." (Ezekiel 22:12)
When the Lord appealed to Israel to repent and turn back to Him, one of the sins of which she was guilty was the perversion of justice. "There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts." (Amos 5:12) Yet in spite of the Lord's many warnings of coming judgment, there were false prophets and leaders who misled the people by claiming the Lord would never allow the nation to be invaded or conquered. The Lord told the people not to listen to these lies. Because He is righteous and He judges fairly, they were to ignore those who proclaimed that no discipline would be meted out. "Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the Lord's support and say, 'Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.' Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets." (Micah 3:11-12)
The Lord certainly will discipline the individual or the nation that judges unrighteously and oppresses the poor and needy. In ancient Israel the false prophets and the leaders who had gone astray due to their love of money assured the people that because the Lord's temple was in their midst He would not allow invasion or destruction. But the Lord doesn't dwell in temples. The Lord wants to dwell in people's hearts. What good is it to have His house in people's midst if people's hearts are far from Him?
You and I are to treat our fellow man fairly, regardless of their economic condition or their social or political standing. If we work with the public, we are to show the same courtesy and consideration to everyone we serve. If we are in a position to hire people for jobs, it should not matter if they are related to someone influential. At work, at school, in public, and in church we must love and care about everyone and not be swayed by who they are or by how much money they have or by whether or not they can return a favor.
We will conclude with an example provided to us by James, one of the brothers of Jesus and the leader of the Christian church at Jerusalem. He clearly demonstrates to us how wrong it is to show partiality according to someone's wealth or status. "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there,' or, 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" (James 2:1-4)
James says this behavior is evil and it should not be found among the people of God. God loves the poor and takes up their cause when they are mistreated. "Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of Him to whom you belong?" (James 2:5-7)
Not all wealthy people behave in unrighteous ways but it's true that many people have chosen wealth (gained by any means possible) over a relationship with the Lord and this causes them to behave sinfully against their fellow man. James reminds the Christian church that anyone who shows partiality is as wicked as any wealthy, influential judge or political leader. "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers." (James 2:8-9) What law have they broken? The law of Moses, given by God and passed along to the people by Moses in passages like the one we are studying today in which Moses says, "Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. Follow justice and justice alone." And if we follow justice and justice alone, the Lord will be pleased. He said He would be pleased with the Israelites if they judged fairly and that He would allow them to live in and possess the land He promised to their forefathers. He will help us to be content and to find satisfaction in our lives and with what we have if we love our neighbors as ourselves.
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