This psalm does not say when it was written or the exact circumstances that caused the psalmist to write it. There is, however, an interesting parallel. When King Jehoshaphat worked to turn Israel back to the Lord, he appointed judges in the cities. He instructed them to Judge not for man, but for the Lord. They were to judge in the fear of the Lord because there is no injustice with the Lord, or partiality, or taking of bribes. (2 Chronicles 19)
This psalm indicates the judges did not obey the instructions and failed at their task.
The Trial
82:1-2
These verses present a picture of God, as king, sitting as a judge. In Old Testament times, kings sat as judges in important cases. The most famous example of this is King Solomon in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Two women came to him to decide whose baby had lived and whose had died. Solomon ordered the baby to be cut in half and the pieces to be given to each woman. This caused the woman who was the real mother to plead for the child to live even if it meant giving him to the other woman. Thus Solomon determined who the real mother was and gave the child to her. Because of this, Israel believed the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
In this psalm, God takes his place among others to act as judge. (1) The ESV calls the others a “divine council”. The NIV says a “great assembly”. The problem with the word “council” is it implies the others participate in God’s judgment, which is not the case here. The NASB says “his assembly”. The Hebrew word can also be interpreted as the “mighty”. The picture seems to be of God, as the supreme judge, sitting with human judges whom he will judge.
In the second half of the verse, the psalmist says God sits in judgment in the midst of the “gods”. The word “gods” here is “Elohim”, which is the plural form for the generic word for “god” in Hebrew. The idea of God judging gods has led to several suggestions regarding the identity of these elohim. The word is used in the Old Testament to mean several different things. Here it seems to refer to human judges, who stand in the place of God in their ability to determine the fate of others according to the will of God. They are, thus, accountable to God. Luther, Calvin, Morgan, Meyer, and Boice all take this position.
God judged the human judges to be unjust. He said they judged unjustly and they show partiality to the wicked. (2) Since human judges were, especially in Old Testament Israel, to reflect God’s justice, God was not pleased.
We know that God is just. All his ways are justice. (Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 3:26) So, what is justice in God’s character or attributes? In English, righteousness and justice are two different words. But in the Hebrew Old Testament, they both come from one word group. So, righteousness and justice are speaking of the same attribute of God. They mean that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right. (Isaiah 45:19)
Whatever conforms to God’s moral character is right or just. Since God is just, he judges justly. And he expects his human judges to do the same. When giving the law to Israel, God said to appoint judges in the land. He told them they could not pervert justice or show partiality or accept bribes. (Deuteronomy 16:19)
Israel’s judges often did not obey God and they did show partiality. The prophets often rebuked them for this. Here, God rebuked unjust judges through the psalmist.
How To Judge Justly
82:3-4
Israel was to give justice to the weak and fatherless, the afflicted, and the destitute. But, the wealthy and powerful were able to pervert the justice system and oppress the poor and the weak. They could give bribes or grant favors. They could use peer pressure. And the result was injustice. Those without money or power could not get a ruling in their favor, even when justice called for it. This situation was, and is, displeasing to God.
God cares about the weak, the poor, and the powerless. He wants justice for them both in every day life and in the courtroom. Deuteronomy 10:18 says God executes justice for the fatherless, the widow, and the sojourner. Part of the tithes of Israel’s produce was given to the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow who could come, eat, and be filled. (Deuteronomy 14:29) There were other provisions for the poor, such as forbidding farmers to harvest the corners of the field do that the poor could glean that grain for their food.
This idea is carried forward in the New Testament. James 1:27 says the pure religion is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, meaning to take care of them. Acts 6 shows the early church distributing food daily to widows and appointing deacons to carry out the ministry.
God’s people represent God and reflect his character. When they are unjust, they profane God’s name and character because they misrepresent him to those who do not know him.
The Judges Condemned
82:5-7
Despite, and contrary to, God’s instructions, the human judges have not rendered decisions as God would. They do not have knowledge or understanding and they walk in darkness. This is because they have turned away from God’s standards.
The description of these human judges is similar to Paul’s description of those who have rejected God. He said their thinking was futile and their foolish hearts darkened. The claimed to be wise, but were actually fools. (Romans 1:21-22) Their actions have shaken the foundations of the earth.
We see this in our own day as leaders deny the difference between men and women and create other genders in their minds. We see this as laws are not enforced and crime increases. The values and concepts that were considered true for thousands of years are rejected and chaos has ensued. Yet, they continue along the path of darkness and futility.
Remember Your Mortality
82:6
God acknowledged the lofty position of the judges, calling them “gods” and sons of the “Most High” (“sons of God”). This was also a statement that they were acting for him and accountable to him. As a result, they would, despite their status, die as mere men. No matter how much authority they had during life, they were subject to God’s decree that all die as a result of sin.
Call For God’s Action
82:8
The psalmist ends the psalm with a call for God to come and judge the world. The psalmist is weary of the injustice and corruption he sees. He longs for God to establish his reign over all the nations, including Israel.
We also long to have things made right under the rule of God. And we have that promise. Jesus said he will return and bring his recompense with him to repay each one for what he has done. (Revelation 22:12) He will make all things new. (Revelation 21:5) He will exclude all of those who reject him and his standards from the recreated earth, the New Jerusalem.
So, as the psalmist said, and as John the apostle wrote, we say “Amen; come Lord Jesus!”. (Revelation 22:20)
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