Proverbs 17:8
Our
culture officially rejects bribes. People, especially those in power, have occasionally
gone to prison for accepting a bribe. But not every culture punishes those who
take bribes. In some parts of the world, bribes are an everyday occurrence. Bribes
are almost required to get things done. It is part of their economic system.
But
bribes twist right and wrong. It creates different classes of people, those who
can afford to bribe to get things done, and those who can’t afford to and
therefore have to wait a long time for the slow engines of bureaucracy to work.
Bribes create backdoors that circumvent the law. It makes it so the law doesn’t
apply to everyone equally. Those who can afford bribes get special treatment.
Now
to the one giving the bribe it gets them special treatment. If they have enough
money they can avoid the jail sentence for drunk driving. They can afford the
fancy lawyer instead of the public defender. The news is filled with
celebrities who continue to break the law but receive no legal consequences. If
you or I did these things, the hammer would fall. We would be in big trouble.
If
we are on the receiving end of the bribe, the bribe enables us to do things
that we would normally not be able to afford. We can buy that boat! Maybe we
can put food on the table, or buy some much needed clothing. Because some systems
know there are bribes, they keep the wages artificially low. Bribes are almost
essential. This places honest people at a grave disadvantage. Honesty will keep
them below others who are willing to accept bribes.
Fortunately
for some, bribery is not an accepted part of their culture. These, by the way,
are cultures that have been saturated at one point with the Gospel of Jesus.
The Gospel brings integrity. Unfortunately, the USA is now a post-Christian
culture. Bribery is entering our daily lives. Lawlessness is beginning to rise
up.
Bribes
do nothing but corrupt our souls and spirits. They create haves and have nots. It
might feel like a bribe won’t really matter, but they do.