King Jehoshaphat did something remarkable. He sent judges into every fortified city of Judah and gave them a charge that still echoes today: “live in awe of God, and be careful how you act, because God has no tolerance for corruption, favoritism, or bribes.”
This is liberation language. Corruption enslaves. When justice is for sale, the poor stay poor, the powerful stay protected, and ordinary people learn to keep their heads down. Favoritism builds invisible fences around who gets mercy and who gets a closed door. Bribes turn courtrooms into marketplaces. God’s refusal to tolerate any of it is not harsh; it’s the act of chains being loosened.
The exodus story taught Israel that God sides with those who cry out under heavy burdens. Jehoshaphat’s judges were meant to carry that same heart into the gate and the courtroom. A fair verdict was not merely a legal event; it was a small exodus, a doorway out of fear and into dignity.
Here is the surprise: the fear of God is also what frees the judge. Someone who fears God no longer fears the powerful, the pressure of the crowd, or the loss of a paycheck. Reverence for God breaks every lesser fear. We can’t be bought when we already belong to Someone.
Most of us are not judges, yet we sit in small seats of authority every day. We decide who gets our attention, our patience, our hiring, our vote, our welcome. We should ask ourselves today: “Where am I playing favorites? Where have I stayed silent because speaking up was costly? Whose freedom could my fairness make possible?”
Today, practice impartial love. Treat the person no one notices with the same respect you would give someone who could advance your career. Refuse the shortcut that benefits you and harms another. Small acts of integrity pry open big prison doors.
(We invite your comments. Feel free to share this devotion with your friends and invite them to subscribe by forwarding their email address to the Pastor at: fredjeffsmith@gmail.com)
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