Isaiah 1:23 Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.
When you call something a “bribe,” everyone gets that that’s a bad thing. You’re being influenced to do something that you wouldn’t otherwise be doing because you’re going to get something out of it. But how often do we approach interactions with a “What’s in it for me?” attitude?
As followers of God, we should be seeking what is just and right, whether it benefits us or not. And more often than not, if we’re standing up for widow’s and orphans (which is another way of saying, “the most needy in society”) it’s not only not going to result in us getting anything at all, but it often comes with additional work on our part, perhaps a lowering of our stature in the eyes of others, as well as emotional strain in supporting the underdog. And yet, that’s what we’re called to be doing.