23:6,7
In 23:3 we had the instruction not to show favouritism to the poor, here we have the converse with the command not to deny them justice. Denying the poor justice is by far the more common problem, though with our increasing victim culture 23:3 is highly relevant for today. 23:6 is also highly relevant, and having money is a great help in getting justice.
23:7 is relevant for all justice systems. In some countries the system is systemically corrupt and truth and justice are nowhere to be seen. But even in the west the systems are far from perfect, and are getting worse. We need to remember that above all our courts there sits a judge who is far higher than all and He will not acquit the guilty.
23:8,9
As well as outright injustice, bribery corrupts a system, using money to influence the decisions that are made. A bribe blinds the eyes of those who make decisions, and means the innocent are not heard properly.
Foreigners are to be treated with equal justice. God reminds the Israelites they too were once foreigners. As an aside, the migrant situation in the UK is very different from the situation addressed here. This does not mean that commands like these have no relevance, they most certainly do, but we need to beware of naive applications.
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