“These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:”
When I was a high school sophomore in Miami I did an internship in court. I spent a semester sitting next to Judge Alfonso Sepe. I kept his calendar. It was an amazing experience. There were a lot of stories told about him that had a great impact on this young 15 year old. Later in my life I began to hear stories about Operation Court Broom. In the end 3 Judges, 1 former Judge and a half dozen lawyers were found guilty and went to jail for taking bribes and fixing cases. Judge Sepe was one of them. It was certainly very disappointing. In this verse Solomon is making this truth very clear. It comes through as an understatement when you read this simple translation. However, the full meaning in this verse is that it is a very evil thing for a Judge to use partiality in determining the outcome of a dispute. It may not even include the inducement of a bribe. Years ago a friend’s child was mistreated by other kids at school. Mistreatment is not sufficient in describing what was done to their daughter. When the school dealt with what occurred it became very obvious that the leadership dealt with the offending children based on their parents status rather than the seriousness of what occurred. Solomon would have been very disappointed. In life, work and other areas, we often have to deal with people in conflict or even just decision making. The challenge is to be fair and handle it without partiality. Today reflect the heart of God in dealing with all His children. #BeTheEdge
“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of Lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.” Deuteronomy 10:17 NIV
