Proverbs 21:14-16 UNJustice
Solomon looks at the perversion of justice through a bribe. This results in absolute UNjustice! This will NOT go unpunished in the end. God will serve TRUE justice.
My bible has verse 14 as a stand-alone verse but I felt that verses 15 and 16 fit very well with it. They complete the picture of the ‘bribe price’.
It is disgusting how true verse 14 is. It is also a little comforting. The comforting part is that the one offering the ‘gift’ feels safe, for a time. That is probably what motivated the ‘gift’ in the first place. They were afraid of what lay ahead. If only those ‘gifts’ were innocent. But they aren’t and that’s where the disgusting part come in. To think, the guilty need only make a ‘contribution’ to the right person to go free. Grease the right palm or offer the best price and ‘justice’ is yours for the taking. But it really isn’t justice.
What hope does a poor man have when ‘justice’ is for sale? There is no recompense for the victims when bribes tip the scales. The world is plain WRONG in these instances. It is also, unfortunately, not unexpected.
I’ve mentioned before that I have been involved in several court cases. It makes me sick to watch the guilty tromp all over the victims. Sometimes it isn’t even an actual ‘bribe’ or ‘gift’ that unbalances the scales. Sometimes it is the one who can spin the most believable lie or even bat their eyes sweetly at those in authority. After almost TEN years I’m still on the supporting end of the fallout of one such disaster. I will be SO GLAD when the child in this matter reaches 18. Then the party I’m constantly called on for advice will need me no longer.
“When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but a terror to evildoers” (verse 15). I wholeheartedly agree with this statement! I LOVE seeing justice done and done without bias. It does happen at times. I’ve seen it less times that I would like to. TRUE justice comes from God. TRUE forgiveness comes from Him too.
If I were to receive what I TRULY deserved, I would probably be a smoking cinder. And I bet you would too. Not because of how BAD our sin is but because how GOOD God is. He is the one who decides what is just. He sets the price for our lives. Jesus paid that price and I’m saved from it because of Him. Those who don’t accept His gift of payment will fulfil the end of verse 16. They “will ‘rest’ in the assembly of the dead” (verse 16b).
The ‘one’ here comes from both sides of the bench. The one who offers the bribe and the one who accepts it will both pay the price. God will see to it. NOTHING escapes Is notice. HIS judgement counts more than anything else in the world.
Thank You Father God for all the times I have seen justice. THANK YOU TOO for the times I haven’t seen what I deserve. Your love has watched over me in ALL situations. I leave TRUE justice to You. I will simply ask for Your favor with those in authority. I pray also that there will be NONE of the underhanded tipping of the scales.
