Exodus 23:8

Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.

I had never really thought about bribes until I spent two years living in India. There, we spoke about bribes on a regular basis. Soon after I arrived there, a servant girl was murdered near where we lived. Her body was found at the bottom of a well. I was very alarmed by this, as you can imagine, and was relieved when my Indian host told me that the murderer had been found. I asked what would happen to the murderer and my host explained straightforwardly that nothing would happen because he had bribed the police. I was deeply shocked.

Bribery takes place in many countries on a regular basis. In India, it was well known that the only way to get a delivery of full gas canisters was to bribe the delivery driver. Bribery was just a normal part of life, so this led to endless conversations as to how Christians should respond. Some Christians, including my wonderful host, were very clear that they would never bribe anyone. But many others acknowledged that it was an inevitable part of living in a poor society and that they would pay whatever it took to get the goods and services they needed. The people of Israel were clearly very familiar with this whole issue and knew the power of bribes to make even really good people twist the truth.

Bribery may not be a big problem in our lives, but we all live with the challenge of making wise, ethical decisions day by day. Whether it’s paying tradesmen in cash to help them avoid paying tax or making inflated insurance claims, we all live with the temptation to bend the truth. God calls us to be truthful and just, whatever the situation and however great the temptation.

Question

How would you respond if bribes were a regular expectation in our society?

Prayer

Lord God, help me to act in a way that will honour You, however great the pressures. Amen