Just about everyone would agree that it is good when a country’s political leaders and judges are good, honest, and upright men and women. When leading a country, sitting in congress or parliament, and making laws, we like to know that these are decent people doing so. If one has to go to court, we surely want to know that the man or woman in the long black robes behind the courtroom bench is honest, above reproach, and will give us justice. Our psalm for today is a plea for the rulers, leaders, and judges to give justice to the people.
One doesn’t have to watch or read the news too long to know that there are plenty of crooked politicians and leaders around. They seem pretty special when they are running for office. We rally around our favorite candidate, cheering every word they say, and cynically scoffing at what the other ones say. However, oftentimes once they’re elected, they quickly change. Our psalmist, Asaph, brings us the warnings that God has for these leaders here in this psalm.
As we read this psalm we read the words “God” and also “gods”. They are both the Hebrew word “elohim”, which can have several definitions. It can mean the word that we typically translate as God, referring to the one true God, Yahweh. Here in this psalm, when we see the word “God” with an uppercase G, in verses 1 and 8, it is referring to Yahweh. Another definition of the word “elohim” is “rulers”, “judges”, or “mighty ones”. That definition is also used in our psalm today, when we see the word “gods” with a lowercase g, found in verses 1 and 6.
Psalm 82 focuses on the injustices of tyranny. It pictures Yahweh standing in the middle of earthly leaders to whom He has given authority, and condemning their injustices. Yahweh is the great Judge and Ruler, presiding over lesser judges and rulers (vs. 1). The psalmist Asaph prays that God will take control of the affairs of the world. As Yahweh sits in judgement, He finds that the rulers on earth have been guilty of injustices over the people, particularly the poor, the needy, widows, and orphans (vs. 2-4). These leaders and judges are in “darkness” (vs. 5). They are in both intellectual ignorance and moral iniquity. When leaders rule unjustly, the divinely established moral order is undermined.
In verse 6, the word “gods” refers to the judges and leaders of Israel, who were to represent Yahweh before the people, and were to teach them His Word. They were to represent Him in executing good and righteous judgments. The Israelite leaders were to be agents of Yahweh’s revelations and will.
Jesus quoted verse 6 to defend His claim to being the Son of God (John 10:34-36). The Pharisees had said that Jesus was blaspheming when He used terminology referring to God as His Father, and He God’s Son. Jesus wished to show the Pharisees that He is the true Son of God, and to emphasize the privilege of receiving the Word of God. If God would, in His Word, call mere men “gods”, why was it blasphemous for Jesus, the true Son of God, to declare Himself equal with God? He is the Son of God in a unique, unparalleled relationship of oneness with the Father.
The message that Asaph would like us to learn from God’s Word is that those who have achieved the roles of leaders and judges of the people should use their positions to defend the people from injustice. Our leaders need to help the poor and defenseless. They should not become proud and arrogant, as they are only men, and will die like everyone else (vs. 7). On that day they will stand before Yahweh, the Judge of all, and give an account of what they did while in their exalted position. We all need to remember that, we too, will one day have to give an account to God for our lives, as well, for how we treat our fellow man.
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