Bribery at its Best
By Machelle McDowell
March 1, 2023
Psalm 26: 8-10 “Oh Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
What is a bribe? The dictionary defines it as to persuade someone to act in one’s favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement.
Let’s camp out on the side of “other inducement” for a moment.
Unfortunately, we are not as innocent as we would like to think when it comes to bribery. Offering bribes and being a party to accepting a bribe are woven into our daily walk!
For example: Parenting offers bribery frequently! Does this sound familiar, “Little Johnny, if you eat your veggies, I have a treat for you,” or “Suzy, if you clean your room you can go to the game tonight?”
We would like to think that we would not be a part of taking a bribe, but in essence, we do it everyday!
Our greatest enemy, Satan uses this tool to bribe us in all areas of our life…..SIN!
It’s everywhere. He bribes us with entertainment, pleasures, feelings, emotions, and a lengthy list of “other inducements.”
Verse 10 grabbed my attention in a strange way. When I read this verse, “Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men, in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes,” (read it again slowly),…..Two images popped into my head:
Satan and a cell phone/social media! What?
Most of the time God’s glory does not dwell on our cell phones. If we are honest with ourselves, the cell phone robs us of God’s glory.
I can attest, I am guilty, some mornings as I read my Bible will go online to research a verse or a concept I didn’t fully understand and suddenly find myself in a rabbit hole reading some article about something far from what God had planned for me that morning! Have you been there? Distraction is one of Satan’s “other inducement” tactics!
Now granted when David wrote this Psalm he was not referencing a cell phone, (David in essence is talking about walking in integrity in these verses).
I am just sharing an implication/application that could very well be addressed in our culture today. Bear with me as I unfold my thought. LOL
Our enemy Satan is bloodthirsty. He is out to bribe us at whatever cost to follow him to the point of death! He prowls around like a lion seeking who he can devour. (I Peter 5:8)
Think about it, when the lion is on a hunt for a kill he goes to an area where a herd is hanging out. They have their guard down. He looks for the weakest link and attacks.
Doesn’t it make sense he would be very present on our cell phones/social media? That’s where the herd is!!
He and his minions use evil, (other inducements) in ways that make sin look so alluring through “good” platforms that he twists in ways that lead to destruction if sucked in.
He can destroy a person, a relationship, a marriage, a family, a church, and in essence mass destruction!
In my opinion, the enemy uses the cell phone/social media as one of the leading platforms to introduce “sin bribery” tools into our world today.
I’m not a cell phone/social media basher. The cell phone is a good source of communication. And, it can reach more people for Christ than any other tool available to us. It is the handler that can make the difference.
How to avoid hands full of bribes? Assess where you are being tempted most? Are there particular areas of temptation continuing to lurk around you and breed negative responses on your part?
Let me show you how quickly Satan can affect us using the power of bribery through the method of “other inducements.” …………..Ponder on the example below:
Though the bribe be small, yet the fault is great.. (Edward Coke)
Maybe it is as innocent as scrolling the newsfeed on FB? But, you find yourself coveting someone else’s lifestyle and it has caused you to have thoughts of unhappiness and discontentment with your on life. Maybe to the point of questioning your loyalty to your spouse, your family, your job, your friend, and maybe even your church? ……….Wow, that escalated quickly.
That my friend is a good example of the art of “bribery” perfected by the Father of Lies-SATAN!
After all, he used the same tactic on Jesus when Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted. Satan showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
Then, he threw him the bribe…….Matthew 4:1-11 “If you will bow down and worship me. I will give you all these things.” Jesus said, “Get away from me Satan!” “It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”
We can glean much from this passage…..Jesus defeated Satan with scripture. We can too!
Now, let me share the good part of Psalm 26! David saved the best for last. The verses that complete this Psalm give us hope and bring words of protection against the bribes Satan and his minions may have in store for us.
(vs. 11)- But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
(vs.12)-My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.
Don’t let the enemy extort you! Plant your feet on level ground. Bless the Lord, oh my soul!