Judgment of the Gods-- Psalm 82
An Asaphic Psalm.
No one knows when this psalm was written, but it is ascribed to Asaph, David’s choir director.
God stands in the Divine Council
He judges among the gods.
These two verses claim that this psalm is being written from the perspective of Heaven. This is an image of God that is used many times. God is in the center of heaven and all the other gods are around him, taking their instruction from Him and He is determining whether their work is good or bad. This image is also found in Job 1, Isaiah 6, I Kings 22, Zechariah 3 and Revelation 4.
Many people have a hard time accepting the term “gods” in the Bible, unless one is speaking of idols. But the Bible often uses the term “gods” to mean the spiritual powers that are in submission to God Most High. God is not the only powerful spiritual being in heaven, there are also angels, demons, archangels, cherubim, seraphim and national gods. Sometimes these are called “the sons of God” (such as in Job) and sometimes just “gods” (as in Deuteronomy). This does not take away from God’s glory, for God is the one called “God Most High.” What is He most high over? Over the other gods, of course. Yahweh is always the ruler over the gods.
Satan is one of the lesser gods, as well as Michael and Gabriel. So is Marduk (a national god) and possibly Baal/Zeus (warrior gods, really the same god), as well as Venus (goddess of erotic love) and Mars (god of war). There are gods over each nation in the world—Britain, the U.S., Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran, France and Russia. Each god actually partly determines the character of each nation. There are also gods over churches. All of these gods are powerful and can effect the world in powerful ways. Their movements are the politics behind politics and the power behind the powers. And God is in charge of them all.
"How long will you judge unjustly
And show favor to the wicked?
Vindicate the needy and fatherless;
Give justice to the lowly and poor.
Rescue the weak and needy
Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.”
How does the Most High judge the gods? How does He determine if they are acting well on earth or not? This is a surprise to many involved in theology. It is not based on their show of worship, nor on how they respond to Zion. Rather, God is looking at one thing, especially for the gods of nations—how do they treat their poor? Do the poor get justice in their lands? Are the needy oppressed, abused, blamed for their poverty? Are the poor forced to cry out to God Most High for the only real justice they will receive?
From the perspective of God Most High, the gods are there to make sure that the human rulers treat the poor with equity and justice. That they are given opportunities for charity and love. That they are saved from oppression when oppression overtakes them.
God rebukes the gods because that is not the situation. And it never has been. Never has there been a nation that treated the poor with the same justice and mercy that they treat the wealthy and important. Never has there been a nation that would give the poor the benefit of the doubt. Never has there been a time in which the poor did not need to depend on God Most High for justice.
“I had thought you to be gods
And all of you to be sons of the Most High
But you will all die like mortals
And fall like any prince."
Arise, O God, bring justice to the earth!
For all the nations are Your possession.
So what happens to the gods? How can God punish them? Frankly, his punishment is harsh. Because they refuse to help the poor, because they allow the governments of the earth to oppress the poor and treat them inequitably, then God will kill them. He says, “You think you are immortal. You think nothing can happen to you. But I can kill you, and I will. Your days are numbered, because you refuse to fulfill my most basic command of all leaders—help the poor, support the needy.” The final cry is for God to bring his justice to earth—to take over the justice system.
To be truly divine is to assist those who are needy. If the gods do not act divine, then God Most High will raise up people who do act with divinity and justice.
If this is true for the gods on high, it is certainly true for the nations of the earth, the leaders of the nations and the leaders of the church. If the leaders of any group refuse to assist the poor, they will be taken from their lofty position and destroyed. Every single leader will be judged according to this standard.
• “Did you use your wealth for frivolous living or for the needy?”
• “Did you give more leniency to the wealthy and popular than you did for the poor?”
• “In your warfare, did you harm the innocent poor because they were expendable?”
• “In your church, did you treat the homeless and mentally ill and poor as second-class citizens? Were they excluded because you considered money to be the means of entrance to fellowship? Were people unable to fellowship in restaurants and movies with you because they couldn’t afford it? Were the poor not welcome because they weren’t the same as the rest of you?”
• “In your schools, did you give fewer opportunities to have knowledge to the poor than to the wealthy of society?”
• “In your employment, do you give the poor equal opportunities for employment, even if they haven’t showered, don’t have experience or can’t work a full time job? Are they given short term employment by the wealthy who need clean up or help in their homes?”
• “In your charity distribution, did you give the poor good, nutritious food, good clothing to help them in the weather, or did you give them the items that weren’t good enough for those who could afford it?”
• “In your stores, was the cheapest food the garbage that no one could live off of, or the staples that everyone needs to live?”
• “In cheap housing, is that offered to the poorest of the poor, or only to those who could afford the medium-range prices?”
• “In the value system of your society, are the poor assumed to be immoral, simply because they were poor? Are the poor questioned and doubted when no one else would be? Is there theology that teaches that the poor are less spiritual? Is the poor of one’s family shunted aside and rejected? Does no one want to see them, simply because everyone feels so guilty just looking at them?”
If the poor are treated badly, then it is God himself that will judge. He alone defends them and will support them. And God will question each one of us according to how we treated those poorer than us. Let us pray we have a good answer. (Exodus 23:23; Matt 25:31-46; Proverbs 19:17)
No one knows when this psalm was written, but it is ascribed to Asaph, David’s choir director.
God stands in the Divine Council
He judges among the gods.
These two verses claim that this psalm is being written from the perspective of Heaven. This is an image of God that is used many times. God is in the center of heaven and all the other gods are around him, taking their instruction from Him and He is determining whether their work is good or bad. This image is also found in Job 1, Isaiah 6, I Kings 22, Zechariah 3 and Revelation 4.
Many people have a hard time accepting the term “gods” in the Bible, unless one is speaking of idols. But the Bible often uses the term “gods” to mean the spiritual powers that are in submission to God Most High. God is not the only powerful spiritual being in heaven, there are also angels, demons, archangels, cherubim, seraphim and national gods. Sometimes these are called “the sons of God” (such as in Job) and sometimes just “gods” (as in Deuteronomy). This does not take away from God’s glory, for God is the one called “God Most High.” What is He most high over? Over the other gods, of course. Yahweh is always the ruler over the gods.
Satan is one of the lesser gods, as well as Michael and Gabriel. So is Marduk (a national god) and possibly Baal/Zeus (warrior gods, really the same god), as well as Venus (goddess of erotic love) and Mars (god of war). There are gods over each nation in the world—Britain, the U.S., Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran, France and Russia. Each god actually partly determines the character of each nation. There are also gods over churches. All of these gods are powerful and can effect the world in powerful ways. Their movements are the politics behind politics and the power behind the powers. And God is in charge of them all.
"How long will you judge unjustly
And show favor to the wicked?
Vindicate the needy and fatherless;
Give justice to the lowly and poor.
Rescue the weak and needy
Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.”
How does the Most High judge the gods? How does He determine if they are acting well on earth or not? This is a surprise to many involved in theology. It is not based on their show of worship, nor on how they respond to Zion. Rather, God is looking at one thing, especially for the gods of nations—how do they treat their poor? Do the poor get justice in their lands? Are the needy oppressed, abused, blamed for their poverty? Are the poor forced to cry out to God Most High for the only real justice they will receive?
From the perspective of God Most High, the gods are there to make sure that the human rulers treat the poor with equity and justice. That they are given opportunities for charity and love. That they are saved from oppression when oppression overtakes them.
God rebukes the gods because that is not the situation. And it never has been. Never has there been a nation that treated the poor with the same justice and mercy that they treat the wealthy and important. Never has there been a nation that would give the poor the benefit of the doubt. Never has there been a time in which the poor did not need to depend on God Most High for justice.
“I had thought you to be gods
And all of you to be sons of the Most High
But you will all die like mortals
And fall like any prince."
Arise, O God, bring justice to the earth!
For all the nations are Your possession.
So what happens to the gods? How can God punish them? Frankly, his punishment is harsh. Because they refuse to help the poor, because they allow the governments of the earth to oppress the poor and treat them inequitably, then God will kill them. He says, “You think you are immortal. You think nothing can happen to you. But I can kill you, and I will. Your days are numbered, because you refuse to fulfill my most basic command of all leaders—help the poor, support the needy.” The final cry is for God to bring his justice to earth—to take over the justice system.
To be truly divine is to assist those who are needy. If the gods do not act divine, then God Most High will raise up people who do act with divinity and justice.
If this is true for the gods on high, it is certainly true for the nations of the earth, the leaders of the nations and the leaders of the church. If the leaders of any group refuse to assist the poor, they will be taken from their lofty position and destroyed. Every single leader will be judged according to this standard.
• “Did you use your wealth for frivolous living or for the needy?”
• “Did you give more leniency to the wealthy and popular than you did for the poor?”
• “In your warfare, did you harm the innocent poor because they were expendable?”
• “In your church, did you treat the homeless and mentally ill and poor as second-class citizens? Were they excluded because you considered money to be the means of entrance to fellowship? Were people unable to fellowship in restaurants and movies with you because they couldn’t afford it? Were the poor not welcome because they weren’t the same as the rest of you?”
• “In your schools, did you give fewer opportunities to have knowledge to the poor than to the wealthy of society?”
• “In your employment, do you give the poor equal opportunities for employment, even if they haven’t showered, don’t have experience or can’t work a full time job? Are they given short term employment by the wealthy who need clean up or help in their homes?”
• “In your charity distribution, did you give the poor good, nutritious food, good clothing to help them in the weather, or did you give them the items that weren’t good enough for those who could afford it?”
• “In your stores, was the cheapest food the garbage that no one could live off of, or the staples that everyone needs to live?”
• “In cheap housing, is that offered to the poorest of the poor, or only to those who could afford the medium-range prices?”
• “In the value system of your society, are the poor assumed to be immoral, simply because they were poor? Are the poor questioned and doubted when no one else would be? Is there theology that teaches that the poor are less spiritual? Is the poor of one’s family shunted aside and rejected? Does no one want to see them, simply because everyone feels so guilty just looking at them?”
If the poor are treated badly, then it is God himself that will judge. He alone defends them and will support them. And God will question each one of us according to how we treated those poorer than us. Let us pray we have a good answer. (Exodus 23:23; Matt 25:31-46; Proverbs 19:17)
posted by Steve Kimes at 9:55 AM
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