Deuteronomy 16: Bribery

"Do not deny justice or show partiality to anyone.  Do not accept a bribe, for it blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous."

Deuteronomy 16:19

Anyone living in Alabama has probably heard of the uproar of teachers against recent ethics law changes.  For those of you who aren't Alabamians, I'll simplify it for you:

1. Our state had a problem with high-ranking public officials accepting tickets to high-profile sporting events as a form of lobbying - the universities in turn expected those officials to vote for increased spending in the sports department.  Tickets to sporting events were allowed under previous ethics law, and weren't considered a bribe by the courts.
2. The state passed a much more broad law this year, basically stating that any public official is not allowed to accept any gift unless it is of "de minimis value" (gifts from family and friends are of course still allowed, so long as a "long-standing previous relationship" can be displayed).
3. Several teachers throughout the state have been fired, fined, and even jailed for accepting gifts (such as gift cards or Thanksgiving hams) from their students or the parents of their students.  Obviously, this is upsetting to teachers throughout the state because we can't really affect public policy, and we've always been allowed to accept gifts like this in the past without question.

At what point does a gift become a bribe?  Is it in the intent of the giver, the intent of the receiver, or the subconscious undertones of either one?  I am an elementary school art teacher, so I don't assign grades for my students (just a pass/fail, and nobody has ever failed).  Is there anything that parents or students could bribe me for?

Ultimately, the answer is still YES!  Whether we think about it or not, our subconscious will remember who gave us gifts, what they were, and how pleased they make us feel.  Whether we try to or not, we can't help but let this affect the way we treat those students.  Even though the gift is intended as thanks for a job well done, it can become a bribe without us even knowing.  It can blind the eyes of the wise and twist the words of the righteous, and we won't even know it's happening to us!  It gives us incentive to help those students, while we unknowingly leave behind the student who can't afford to buy a present for us.

In some scenarios, our culture has made bribery a legitimate practice - take, for example, a restaurant waiter.  The tips he receives are a direct bribe for better service.  On the other hand, a business like Publix grocery stores (who don't allow employees to take tips) provides wonderful service even without these bribes to look forward to (a gentleman helped me take groceries out last week in the freezing rain, with a smile on his face and a kind word about the holidays) because that's part of his job.

Question of the Day:

From whom would you accept a gift?  Your family?  Friends?  A friend of a friend?  A coworker?  Your boss?  Your client or customer?  At what point does it blind your eyes and twist your words?  At what point do you start making excuses for accepting it?

Prayer of the Day:

Open my eyes and untwist my words.  Show me how the gifts I'm given change my attitudes towards the people around me.  Teach me to keep my actions pure, not just in my intentions, but in reality.  Do not let me accept bribes, nor the blindness and foolishness that accompany them.  Guide our state's and nation's leaders away from bribes as well, so that we may once again become a prosperous nation.  Amen.