Deuteronomy 16:18

"Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee."

Although, acting upon the advice of Jethro, Moses had indeed appointed assistants to help him in the administration of justice,. Moses still remained as the final court of appeals and continued to handle many problems up until the very hour of this speech, but all that was shortly to change, as soon as the people entered Canaan and settled down in many places, separated by considerable distances. The proper dispensation of justice required the appointment of the officers here mentioned.

"Judge the people with righteous judgment ..." (Deuteronomy 16:18). What a noble ideal for judges to follow. The restrictions here, throughout history, have proved to be precisely in those areas where the judiciary most needs them - partiality, bribe-taking, and the rendering of unjust decisions. This very day in America, our judiciary needs these instructions as sorely as any of the judges of Israel ever needed them!

"That thou mayest live and inherit the land ..." (Deuteronomy 16:20). When the judiciary of Northern Israel was completely perverted, and precisely for that reason, God removed the whole kingdom from their inheritance, never to return. Thus, this was no empty threat. The minor prophets, especially Amos, have much material that bears on the condition of the judiciary. Zephaniah's evaluation of Israel's judiciary was brief but clear: "Her judges are evening wolves; they leave nothing till the morrow!" (Zephaniah 3:3).