TEVET 16
Bribery
“And has not taken a bribe against the
innocent.” (Ps 15:5)
While there
are laws in place that prohibits members of our government – at all levels
– from receiving financial donations or gifts in return for favors given and
actions taken in behalf of the donor, there are – unfortunately - those
politicians who have figured out how to circumvent this ruling. Through my adult years, there has been a
roll-call of those who have accepted bribes, in one form or another. I am relatively sure that most of us are aware
of the rumors and headlines linking Hilary Clinton, Russia and uranium that
flew fast and furious in 2017. Then add
to this powder keg the innuendo that the Clinton Foundation was the recipient
of millions from a Russian business
concern who dealt strictly with uranium.
While no charges have been filled concerning all of this ‘sticky
business’, just the allegations alone make us wonder where the integrity
of our government is.
Noah Webster
defines ‘bribe’ as “A price, reward, gift or favor bestowed or promised with a view to pervert the judgment, or
corrupt the conduct of a judge, witness or other person. A bribe is a
consideration given or promised to a person, to induce him to decide a cause,
give testimony, or perform some act contrary to what he knows to be truth,
justice or rectitude. It is not used in a good sense, unless in familiar
language. That which seduces”[1] (emphasis
mine). While this definition is somewhat long and wordy, it is the last three
words that very much got my attention.
“That which
seduces.” If we are willing to turn our
backs on our commitment to walking the Torah walk, then we have been seduced
away, and our commitment didn’t amount to a hill of beans. And truthfully, bribery comes in many
different forms. For example, I have a
wonderful friend who claims to be Torah observant, but has a weakness called
bacon (from pork). If someone was to
offer her a BLT, she would grab it, and devour it, having now been successfully
seduced away from the laws of kashrut
(dietary laws, see Lev 11 [2]). Fill in the blanks, folks. If you have an area that is a weakness to
you, look closely at what is offered in temptation, at what is used to seduce
you away from the Living Torah. As I write this, I am closely looking at myself,
and I see several areas in my own life where I need to ‘shore up the walls’. My focus must
remain on my Creator, on His Word, and my commitment must stand strong against all the forces that would seduce me away.
Amein.
“But let each one
examine his own work …” (Gal 6:4)
©2020
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