Why do you want to give a gift?
Whenever we try to control someone else, we end up bribing them, putting ourselves in debt to them, or even selling our free will to the highest bidder.
Greed brings grief to the whole family, but those who hate bribes will live. (Proverbs 15:27)
English is hard.
Study other languages, and you’ll quickly discover what a challenge English is. This language is a mess. Granted, I love it. But I was born into it. Not only that, I chose to pursue it as part of my career, so I love the English language. But I’m not blind to its inefficiencies.
I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that the vast majority of confusion about the Bible comes from bad translations. Most of the time, whenever I run into a verse I don’t understand or a passage that feels contradictory, I just look up the original language translation. That usually always brings clarity.
The Bible wasn’t written in English. The Bible wasn’t even written to a western audience. That’s so vital to remember. The base culture the Bible was originally written to was as different from American culture as it could be. And I truly believe that if most Americans would wrap their brains around that fact, the Bible would suddenly become so much more clear.
That’s not to say the Bible isn’t relevant for today. It is. And it is relevant exactly the way it was written. We don’t have to change Scripture. We don’t have to add to it or take away from it (God forbid!) for it to revolutionize every area of our lives. But we do need to understand who it was written to so that we can accurately interpret what God is saying to us.
I don’t want to get to heaven and have God tell me I put words in His mouth. It’s a terrifying responsibility. So I always want to make sure I understand the context of Scripture before I apply it to my life and before I offer it to anyone else.
So what is it about this verse that is causing confusion? There are many, many verses in Scripture about how taking bribes or offering bribes is bad or wrong. Bribes lead to destruction.
So if that’s the case, how do you explain Proverbs 21:14?
A secret gift calms anger; a bribe under the table pacifies fury.
Or Proverbs 17:8?
A bribe is like a lucky charm; whoever gives one will prosper!
Normally I wouldn’t dive this deeply into a question like this, but I think it’s important to understand specifically what God is saying here. There are two contexts for bribes or gifts mentioned in Scripture.
In one context, the positive context, the word indicates a gift of goodwill. It’s a gift given to represent kindness or a hope for a future relationship or just plain generosity. It’s not given for any nefarious purpose or intention to influence a decision. It’s just a gift.
The other context, which is far more commonly used, is negative and communicates a gift that is intended to pervert justice. It is a bribe or an offering or an under-the-table deal with the sole purpose of influencing another person’s decision.
That’s the difference. Remember, in Scripture, context is vital to interpreting Scripture. Word choice is vital to interpreting Scripture.
So with this understanding, we can look at verses like the one we’re focusing on today and understand that people who hate the perversion of justice will find life. If you are of the mindset that you can buy your way into the law’s good graces, you’re going to lose. Maybe you’ll win some cash in this life, but that sort of winning doesn’t matter in eternity.
However, if you want to give a gift to someone as a token of kindness, do it. There are times when giving a generous gift to another person isn’t just kind; it’s wise. Scripture is full of examples of times when godly people gave gifts to others. Sure it’s also full of times when godly people gave gifts intended to sway another person’s opinion, and that didn’t always work out so well for them.
But when it comes to us and our everyday choices, don’t try to control people. You really can’t do it. It’s outside the abilities that people have. And whenever we try to control someone else, we end up bribing them, putting ourselves in debt to them, or even selling our free will to the highest bidder.
Don’t.
If you think you can make it through life by purchasing the favor of those around you, think again. A lifestyle of bribery (financial or otherwise) is empty and provides no meaningful return.
But if you live generously, if you give someone (a friend or enemy) a gift out of the goodness of your heart or in the name of a relationship you hope to build, you’re handing it over with no strings attached. You have no expectation that they will change their mind or pay you back.
Considering how Jesus lived, I think being generous is the way to go. Don’t you?
For Deeper Study
Read BibleHub’s commentary on shochad, one of the Hebrew words used for Bribe. Why do you think this word is used in both negative and positive connotations?
Read Matthew 6:1-4. What bearing does this passage have on giving gifts?
Read Proverbs 21:26. What comparison does this verse make between the godly and the ungodly?
For Reflection
How can you tell the difference between a gift and a bribe?
Why do you think God hates bribery so much?
What role does motivation and intention play when you give gifts?
Weekly Memory Verse
