“It is not good to be partial to the wicked and so deprive the innocent of justice.” Proverbs 18:5 NIV
When I lived in Miami I had a court internship. I sat up close to Judge Sepe and kept his calendar. I don’t really know if that was useful or just busy work so the high school kid felt useful. The Judge I was assigned to was known as “The Hanging Judge”. No, they didn’t actually hang people even though it was in the last century. I watched him give the death penalty to a man though. It effected me profoundly. I did some research. This is not a political post but I learned that poor with little or no money tended to receive the death penalty in disproportionate numbers compared to the wealthy. There are many factors so the comparison breaks down at a point but to me it focused my mind on disparities between how certain people are treated in the legal system. In the Hebrew this verse implies ganging up, joining with others, to look out for a friend, relative, wealthy or otherwise personally connected individual over another. This is a verse very specifically targeting Judges. However, most of us find ourselves in a position to have to make judgments of others. Often they are private and internal so we can keep them to ourselves. At other times they effect someone’s job and future. In those cases take this truth to heart. By the way, Judge Sepe died a few years ago after serving a prison term for taking bribes. Today don’t judge but when necessary be fair. #BeTheEdge
“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” Jesus
