Scripture Reading(s)
Psalm 82
82:1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
82:2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
82:3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
82:4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
82:5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
82:6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
82:7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
82:8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
Reflections
We live in a world in which different people who have positions of authority abuse and misuse their power. They elect themselves as being the worlds greatest leaders and place themselves on a pedestal that attempts to displace God as being the true ruler over all.
God’s ruling hand is fair and just, this Psalm focuses on the injustices of tyranny. It speaks to the fact that God is the one who appoints those in a position of power and judges those who rule with no amount of fairness or justice. The final picture that this Psalm paints for us is that God Himself will take direct control of the affairs of this world.
There is nothing that happens in this world that does not take place without God’s permission. He is above all and does not stand on the sidelines of life merely watching as the world functions as it does. He is the master of every single second, minute and hour of each day. He knows what the next days and weeks look like and there is nothing that takes Him by surprise.
This Psalm offers us a message of comfort of hope in knowing that we do not have to worry about the affairs of this world because it is all under God’s control. Our role is to ask for Grace to get through the day and thank Him each time we do.
The unfairness of the world system bothers everyone. It bothers me that people are staving as I write this post. It’s bothering that many of the highest levels of business and government are run by crooks. It’s bothering that children are abused everyday and often the offenders go free. The psalmist knew the frustrations of the world.
“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” (Psalm 82:2)
Is God judging unjustly? I would suggest that he is not. Rather, He is reserving His judgment for the end. We are told by Jesus that in the end the evil doers will be cast into the fire and that God’s followers will dwell with Him for eternity. There is no harder judgement that can be done. Eventually all those who do evil will reap their reward.
[Featured image from biblia.com]