Articles
Fairness in Judgment
Fairness in judgment
- no bribes, no partiality, but justice for the disadvantaged.
As Israel lived out their lives before God there arose many problems. Even though God had meticulously outlined the very economic situation dealing with personal property rights, people in their greed and lust would violate them. At other times the problem would be either religious or moral. Such breaches of law required judgments to be made by the people. What would be the basis of their judgments?
First, they are God's people. The basis of God's throne is righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14; 97:2). In God's judging of right and wrong He will always and only judge righteously, justly, and in truth. Paul could thus write of the "righteous judgment of God" (Rom. 2:5) He further stated that "God shows no partiality" (Rom. 2:11). God expects the same of His people.
You shall do no injustice in court (Lev. 19:15).
You shall not pervert justice (Deut. 24:17, 16:19)
In righteousness shall you judge your neighbor (Lev. 19:15).
You shall not show partiality (Deut. 16:19, 1:17).
You shall not be partial to the poor (Lev. 19:15)
You shall not defer to the great (Lev. 19:15).
You shall not accept a bribe (Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19).
For a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of righteousness. (Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19).
Justice, and only justice, you shall follow (Deut. 16:20).
Judge righteous judgment said Jesus (John 7:24). They said of Jesus: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God" (Luke 20:21). One might question the motive of the one who said that, but I believe he was correct in his assessment of Jesus. We need to live so that the same could be said of us. James instructs brethren to "show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory" (James 2:1). He warns that to defer to the rich was to "have made distinction among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts" (James 2:4).
============== Scriptures ===========
Exodus 23:8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
Leviticus 19:15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
Deuteronomy 24:17-18 “You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge, but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.
Deuteronomy 16:19-20 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
