A Psalm for Sunday, Psalm 82, how long will you judge unjustly

 

Psalm 82:1 ¶  «A Psalm of Asaph.» God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. 2  How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3  Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4  Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5  They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

In verse 6 it will become clear that the Psalmist is speaking of the rulers of Israel as gods. God makes it clear that no matter how powerful they think themselves to be it is He that judges them. He condemns their oppressions, their approval of their wicked associates, and their disregard of the poor and needy. The rulers of Israel walk in darkness and things are not right in the land.

John 10:34  Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

Exodus 22:28  Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.

They are being accused of judging unjustly. We as followers of Christ are called to make a righteous judgment.

Matthew 7:1 ¶  Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

We are not to tolerate the awful behavior of the wicked.

Psalm 12:8  The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

We are to champion the cause of the needy and the fatherless.

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

We must defend the weak and powerless and defend them from the hands of the wicked.

Psalm 140:12  I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.

We don’t walk in darkness. We follow Christ.

1Thessalonians 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 

The foundations of the earth are out of course because of sin and Christ is the only solution that humanity has or ever will have for that problem.

Psalm 82:6 ¶  I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. 7  But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8  Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Note that verse 1 said God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.

God gave these men the ability to exercise their offices in His place. One of the arguments for the pre-modern heresy of “The Divine Right of Kings” comes from this Psalm. The rulers of Israel acted as gods in God’s stead and were all His children and His representatives on earth but they were all too mortal and vain, doomed to die like all men. God Himself would inherit their heritage.

 

Christ will return to take the kingdoms of this world under His very real presence and authority.

 

Revelation 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

 

The rulers of this world, gods as they tend to think they are, better beware.

 

Psalm 2:1 ¶  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

 

    7 ¶  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

 

    10 ¶  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

 

Isaiah spoke of Christ’s reign over all things.

 

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 

God will judge the nations. See Matthew, chapter 25. Also;

 

Revelation 20:11 ¶  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

 

Christ will also judge His own.

 

Romans 14:10  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

 

2Corinthians 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

 

Make note of what Paul affirmed.

 

1Corinthians 15:20 ¶  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.