In Proverbs, chapter seventeen, verse eight, “A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.” A gift can also be a bribe, which will sometimes bring temporary success and wealth. However, bribery is a sin; it is therefore condemned in scripture because it hinders justice from being realized, as in verse twenty-three, “A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.”
“He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live,” from Proverbs fifteen, verse twenty-seven. A gift that is attached to something can have severe consequences. Bribery can ruin the person receiving it if they are not aware, and damage a family. People who are prone to such gifts will be enslaved by them, as in the beginning of Isaiah one, verse twenty-three, “Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards.”
In First Samuel twelve, verse three, the servant of God addresses the people, “Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? Or whose ass have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? And I will restore it to you.”
Samuel shows how severe it is by speaking to God’s chosen concerning taking any gifts in exchange for stealing or cheating someone else, oppressing, and bribing others. First Timothy six, verse ten, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Money gifts can easily damage lives.