“A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back to pervert the ways of justice” (Proverbs 17:23).
Being prejudiced is sinful (James 2:1-13). Because God is righteous, He is no respecter of persons (Rom. 2:11). It is wicked to be partial (instead of impartial), to be prejudiced (instead of principled), to be a lover of money (instead of a lover of justice/righteousness).
In heaven’s courtroom there is no injustice. The judge cannot be bribed. The ways of justice cannot be perverted. The great white throne from which every eternal verdict will be given shall never be tainted by wickedness.
It is this model that God expected Israel’s judges to imitate. “You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute…You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor…You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man’s presence, for the judgment is God’s…You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex. 23:3; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 1:17, 16:18-20).
“(T)he Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (Deut. 10:17). Therefore, righteous judgment exalts a nation (Prov. 14:34); perverted justice is a disgrace.
God knows the hearts of men – even through the ages.
Deut. 10:17 just may be a new “favorite” verse!