“Take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning”.  Exodus 23:8 Not all bribery is overt; some is more subtle.  And not all bribes are financial.  Flattery is a type of bribe that uses words as currency.  If we give people preferential treatment for saying something nice about us, it’s like taking a bribe. To God, any kind of partiality is an injustice.  He even made justice a condition of remaining in the Promised Land.  The Israelites were not to pervert justice or show partiality.  Bribery deprives others of justice, which is an offense against the character of God.  Thankfully the Lord treats all of us alike, and He wants us to treat each other the same way.