It became a part of life so much that it didn’t seem all that strange. We would leave the city limits and at the police check stop, our driver would slip the officer a couple of extra American bills. Or we would need a permit for a service and so the clerk would get a nice tip for his work. Now, I realize that this was not just a way of life decades ago when we served in Ukraine as a family. It is the way life works currently in much of the world. Bribery is a natural human tendency; offering something in order that something may be overlooked or persuaded. Unfortunately, this tendency is so pervasive that we often resort to it in our relationship with God. But that is not who our Lord is or what He wants.
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. - Deuteronomy 10:17
Bribery is not merely a formal transaction with corrupt officials. It is also that subtle tug to obey God outwardly, without giving Him what He requires inwardly. And what He requires is all of our hearts. Bribery is an attempt to reduce what He asks of us. And these small private transactions can become so much a part of life that they don’t seem all that strange. God is not a corrupt official we need to bribe. He is a good Father we need to obey. And He gives us the grace to do so as we trust Him.