A Monday Resolution

 Direct, control, suggest, this day,

All I design, or do, or say,

That all my powers, with all their might,

In Thy sole glory may unite.

(Thomas Ken, Awake, my soul)

PSALM 86: DAVID'S PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE FROM HIS ENEMIES

 

PSALM 86

This psalm is a prayer of David. It is the only psalm associated with David in this third book of Psalms. It is an individual lament, but has some great truths for us to learn and incorporate into our thinking. We do not know the specific events that prompted David to write this prayer, but we can ascertain that he faces adversity at the hands of human enemies. 

Praying For Mercy

86:1-7

This psalm begins with David asking God for help. He says he is in a day of trouble. (7) 

David describes himself in humble terms: he is poor and needy. There is no sense of entitlement or pride, only a supplication based on need. He asks God to be gracious to him, showing he does not claim a right to anything from God. (3, 6)

We know that God despises human pride. He values humility. Jesus said the poor in spirit, those who acknowledge their need for God’s help, are blessed. (Matthew 5:3)

David also refers to himself as God’s servant. (2) This shows his dedication to the Lord and his acceptance of the Lord’s will in his life. He trusts in God and believes in him.

David asked for God to preserve his life, so he must have felt threatened by his enemies. (2) He also asked God to gladden his soul. (4) Being under attack can lead us to sorrow and depression. Yet, David believes that God answers him when he prays. (7)

David also expressed several things about the character of God. He lists three things: (1) God is good; (2) God is forgiving; and (3) God abounds in steadfast love to his people - those who call upon him. As we have seen in previous Psalms, “steadfast love” has a covenantal setting. God has an unwavering love for his people. He proclaimed this about himself in Exodus 34:6. So, David is saying I know you have steadfast love for those who call upon you and I am calling upon you as one of your people so please exercise that steadfast love to deliver me from my enemies.

A Hymn of Praise

86:8-10

David’s faith that God will answer him leads him to these verses of praise. He declares the awesome traits of God.

First, David declares the uniqueness of God. There is no one like him. There is no one who does works like God’s works. (8) He repeats this in verse 10. 

This belief in one God (monotheism) was somewhat unique to the Jews in Old Testament times. Many nations worshipped many gods even though they may have had one main god. Many people believed that gods were national and each nations god was really a god, though some were more powerful than others. But God commanded the Jews to worship him only and to have no other gods. (Exodus 20:3; 34:14)

Second, David declared that all nations would come and worship God. (9) He spoke prophetically even if he did not understand how it would come about. He also spoke in faith, believing God would fulfill his promise to Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him. (Genesis 12:3) That promise is fulfilled in Christ. This verse is quoted in Revelation 15:4 as part of the song sung by all of those who conquered the beast and worshipped the Lord. 

Third, David said God would be worshipped by all nations because he is great and has done wondrous things. We are part of the fulfillment of this statement as we gather to sing praises to God for his wondrous works. 

Deliverance Anticipated

86:11-13

David shows his devotion to the Lord by asking God to teach him his ways so that he can walk in God’s truth. This should be the prayer of every believer. We read and study the Bible, asking God to teach us about himself and his way, so we can live accordingly, knowing it pleases him and is the best for us. 

David wanted an undivided heart. (11) He asked God to unite his heart (English Standard Version) or “give me an undivided heart” (New International Version) so that he may fear God’s name. An undivided heart is one totally devoted to God and totally believing in him and his promises. 

James wrote that we should ask God for wisdom, but asking in faith with no doubt. The one who doubts God is a double minded person, unstable in his or her ways. (James 1:8) 

Actually, David showed that he did have a united heart as he gave thanks to God with his whole heart and promised to glorify him forever. (12) Even though he was in a difficult time, he remembered and thanked God for showing his steadfast love to him and for saving his life. 

Prayer For Deliverance

86:14-17

David ends the psalm with a request for God to save him. His enemies are insolent and ruthless. They do not honor God and attack God’s servant David. So, David asked for strength and for God to save him.

David repeated his praise of the Lord, referring again to Exodus 34:6, as merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. David is appealing to God’s character as a basis for him to act on David’s behalf. 

Finally, David asked for a sign of God’s favor. The sign would be God’s deliverance of David from his enemies. He wants God to help him so that his enemies, who are God’s enemies, will realize he is God’s servant and be put to shame for trying to harm him. 

Takeaways

1. We can ask God for help in difficult times.

    2. We praise God for his wonderful traits.

    3. We ask God to teach us and give us wisdom.

    4. We remember God’s great works to strengthen our faith.

PSALM 85: A PRAYER FOR RESTORATION AND REVIVAL

 

Proclaiming God’s Past Acts For Israel

85:1-3

As we have seen in several other psalms, this one starts with a recitation of things God has done for Israel in the past. All of the verbs in this section are past tense. The psalmist is reciting these things to God. God was not doing these things at the time the psalmist wrote the psalm.

The psalmist begins by saying God was, in the past, favorable to the land. The land to which the psalmist refers is Israel. The word “favorable” means more than God was nice to them. He found them acceptable because they loved and obeyed him and he blessed them for it. 

This favor came after a period of God’s discipline, however. We see this because verse 2 says God restored the fortunes of Jacob. That means he had taken them away at some time in the past. We also see that verse 3 refers to God’s wrath and anger during the former time.

Jeremiah 14:10 shows us a time when God did not accept Israel because of its idolatry. The language is almost exactly opposite the language in the verses two and three of the psalm. Jeremiah wrote: “…therefore the LORD does not accept them; now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins”.

So, the psalmist remembered a time that Israel rebelled against God and suffered his discipline, then received the restoration of their “fortunes” when they repented. Fortunes may include protection from enemies and\or abundant crops (those things promised in the blessings of the covenant). 

In addition to a restoration of fortunes, God forgave Israel’s iniquity and covered their sins. This is an allusion to Exodus 34. After Moses interceded, God forgave Israel for its idolatry with the golden calf. God revealed himself to Moses as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. (Exodus 34:6-7) Here, the psalmist seems to say God forgave their sin and relieved them of its consequences. He withdrew his wrath and restored Israel. (2-3)

God did not always relieve Israel of he consequences of its sin, but here he has and it is a double blessing the psalmist acknowledges. Likewise, with us, God forgives our sins but sometimes lets us experience the consequences of them. 

The words used here to describe God’s reaction to Israel’s sin give us a good picture of how serious sin is and how much it displeases God. The psalm speaks of wrath and hot anger. It speaks of God’s indignation. The New Testament speaks of it also. 

Romans 1:10 says the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. That chapter goes on to say that God gave sinful men up to their sinful natures and idolatry, and debased thinking. Romans 6:23 tells us the end result of sin is death, physical and spiritual. Fortunately, Romans 5:9 tells us those who believe in Jesus are saved by Jesus from the wrath of God. 

Prayer For Restoration

85:4-7

The psalmist asked for restoration again, showing us this is not the first time they suffered God’s wrath for their sin and rebellion. He wanted the Lord to stop being angry and to again show Israel his steadfast love.

“Steadfast love” translates the Hebrew word “hesed”. Exodus 34:6 said that God abounded in steadfast love. “Steadfast love” is an unwavering and enduring love. It is connected to God’s covenant with Israel. God told Moses he is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. In Deuteronomy 7:9, Moses said “know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations…”. 

When Israel was not doing well, it was because they did not keep the covenant and suffered the curses of the covenant. That is likely the case here. But, the psalmist knows that, while Israel is often unfaithful, God is always faithful. So, he appeals to the covenant and to God’s nature as having steadfast love when he asks God to relent from anger and to revive Israel. He asked if God would prolong his anger to all generations as opposed to showing steadfast love to a thousand generations. 

Anticipating God’s Favorable Response

85:8

The psalmist wanted to hear God speak, because he believed God would speak peace to his people. This means he would speak of reconciliation, forgiving them and showing favor to them. However, they should make sure their repentance is genuine so they will not return to folly and break the covenant. 

The New Testament speaks of reconciliation also. But it is Christ that brings reconciliation. And that reconciliation is permanent.

In the psalm, God offered reconciliation only to Israel, the people with whom he made a covenant. Now, he offers reconciliation to all who will will come to Christ in faith. 

Romans 5:10 says “For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God thorough our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation”. 

The Psalmist’s Hope

85:9-13

The psalmist had sure faith that the Lord would bring salvation and his presence\glory to his people that came to him in faith and obedience. 

He broke into a doxology, a praise to God for his steadfast love and faithfulness, his righteousness, and the restoration of peace with his people, the people of his covenant. 

That reconciliation would bring good things to the land, as promised in the covenant blessings, and cause them to prosper. (12) 

Takeways

We should constantly strive to live in obedience to God to please him. We want to experience his favor, not his displeasure or his wrath. God has done so much for us in sending his son to die for us, that it should grieve us deeply to displease him.  

When we sin, we should repent and confess our sins to God, who will forgive and restore us to fellowship with him. (1 John 1:9)

 

PSALM 84: LONGING FOR THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

 

This psalm is written from the viewpoint of a person who is going on a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem. People who lived in Jerusalem could see the temple and could go to the temple courts whenever they wanted to.

But those who lived far away from Jerusalem could not do so. They usually came to Jerusalem only for special occasions, such as one of the feasts God told them to observe. The writer of this psalm is going and is longing to be there in the presence of God. God’s presence dwelt between the cherubim in the holiest place of the temple. But, just being near to the temple, knowing God’s presence was there, made worshippers feel close to God. 

The heading of this psalm says it is a psalm of the Sons of Korah. This group was a subgroup of the Kohathites, who were one of the groups of Levites that had jobs taking care of the temple. The Sons of Korah were singers who led in worship. So, this psalm may have written by one of these singers who traveled to the temple to fulfill his duties. 

Longing for the Temple

84:1-4

The psalmist had an intense desire to be at the temple and in God’s presence. He said the Lord’s dwelling place was lovely. It was not lovely to him because of its physical beauty, but because God dwelt there. The place was special, or dear, to him. 

The psalmist referred to God as LORD of hosts (Yahweh sabaoth).  He is the Ruler of the forces of heaven, but also of the whole earth. This is what Martin Luther called Jesus in his hymn “A Mighty Fortress”. The New International Versions interprets it as “LORD Almighty”. 

This intense longing for the temple courts is so strong it is a physical sensation for him. It is so strong it makes him feel faint at times. But it also makes him sing for joy to God. He sings out loud. The New International Version says he cries out for God. His longing is not for the physical structure, but for the God who dwells there, the living God. 

Since even the most common birds, the sparrow and swallow, make nests near the temple altars, how much more blessed are those who can dwell in God’s house, in his presence, and sing is praises. (3-4)

Blessing The Pilgrims

84:5-7

Also blessed are those who travel to Jerusalem. Their strength is in the Lord as they travel and their affection, or heart, is on the roads to Jerusalem (Zion). They look forward to being at the temple so much that even the road there is important to them. 

We do not know what the “valley of Baca” is, but it must be a dry place that is difficult to pass through. But these pilgrims are so full of joy that they make it a place of springs and pools. They have the strength of God to pass through this to get to the place where they will stand in the presence of God. It could be that Baca is a metaphor for a time of adversity that the psalmist goes through before he get to experience the joy of being at the house of the Lord.

The pilgrims get stronger as they go. The go from “strength to strength”. (7) All of the finish the journey and appear at the temple before God. 

Prayer for Protection of the King

84:8-9

Interposed with the expressions of joy for being at the house of the Lord is this prayer for the king, the anointed one. The psalmist sees the king as their protector, their shield. He is the one whom God appointed to lead Israel and defend it. So the psalmist asks God to look upon him, extend favor to him, because is is also dependent on the Lord. 

Here the psalmist not only referred to God as the Lord of Hosts, the almighty one, but as the God of Jacob. (8) God extended his covenant with Abraham to Jacob. (Genesis 35:1-15) He protected him in many trials. He also blessed him with many descendants, as promised, so that they became the nation of Israel. So, the psalmist is invoking the covenant and asking God to protect the king, and therefore Israel, as he promised to in the covenant.

Praise

84:10-11

The psalmist here returns to his joy at being at the temple. He said one day there is better than a thousand days elsewhere. It is so good, he would rather be a lowly doorkeeper at the temple, than dwell with the wicked. 

Again, the joy for the temple is expressed as being in the presence of God. The psalmist saw God as sun and shield. He is the sun in the sense that he gives blessings to his people; he shines upon them. He is the shield because he protects them from their wicked enemies. 

In fact, God does not withhold any good good thing from those who keep his covenant (walk uprightly). Again we are reminded of the physical blessings of the covenant. When Israel kept the covenant, God promised them rain at the right times, increasing crops, trees that bore much fruit, having more than enough to eat. They would be secure in the land, having peace with no fear. They would have many children. Their enemies would flee before them. God would dwell among them and they would be his people. (Leviticus 26:1-13)

Acknowledging Their Blessing

84:12

The last verse of the psalm is an acknowledgement of the blessings the Lord gives to his people. The psalmist exclaimed “blessed is the one who trusts in you”. Those who put their faith in God will be blessed. They will experience God’s favor. 

How does this psalm apply to new covenant believers?

Like the psalmist, we should long to be in the presence of the Lord. Paul felt this so intensely that he said “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philippians 1:21-23)

Fortunately for us, we do not have to travel to Jerusalem to be in the presence of the Lord. He indwells us. John 14:23 says “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” 

1 Corinthians 6:19 says “Do you know know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? “ 

As believers, we live with the presence of God, who dwells within us. Jesus also promises to be among believers who gather together. Jesus said “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them”. (Matthew 18:20)

What could be better than to be in the presence of the almighty God who created and rules the universe? We should want to be in his presence in personal prayer and Bible study. We should rejoice to be in the gathering of believers with Christ among them. 

This is a blessing God has given us, a great blessing. We live in the presence of the Lord since he is always with us, and we experience his presence when we gather and worship together. We should long to come to worship at church and not consider it just a duty. 

While the Lord does not promise us the same physical blessing in this earthly life that he promised to old covenant believers, he promises us an eternal inheritance of life with him in the new creation, where every blessing will be ours. (1 Peter 1:3-9) 

This gives us joy. 

"Upon us, on account of our sins, the curse has been pronounced, and a penalty has been incurred. It is written that he 'will by no means clear the guilty', but every transgression and iniquity shall have its just punishment and reward. Here, then, let us admire that the Lord Jesus Christ is the end of the law as to penalty. That curse and penalty are awful things to think upon, but Christ has ended all their evil, and thus discharged us from all the consequences of sin. As far as every believer is concerned the law demands no penalty and utters no curse. The believer can point to the Great Surety on the tree of Calvary, and say, 'See there, oh law, there is the vindication of divine justice which I offer to you! Jesus pouring out his heart's blood from his wound, and dying on my behalf, is my answer to your claims, and I know that I shall be delivered from wrath through him.' The claims of the law, both as broken and unbroken, Christ has met: both the positive and the penal demands are satisfied in him. This was a labor worthy of a God, and lo, the incarnate God has achieved it. He has finished the transgression, made an end of sins, made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness. All glory be to his name."

Charles H. Spurgeon, Christ's Glorious Achievement 

PSALM 83: SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES

 

PSALM 83 - SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES

This psalm is a song, as shown in the instruction. It is also a lament due to the fact that Israel faces a crisis. It is also an imprecatory psalm, calling for God’s judgment against Israel’s enemies. 

The psalm does not indicate when the events occurred, but it appears from the names used to refer to the period of the Book of Judges. There is also a similar event in 2 Chronicles 20, where the Moabites and Ammonites came to attack King Jehoshaphat from Edom.

However, it could be that the enemies named are symbolic of all of Israel’s enemies and that the number of enemies, 10, is symbolic of that. 

83:1 

The Call To Action

The psalmist saw God as silent and inactive despite the crisis Israel faced. Israel often ignored God when things were going well, but desperately called for him to act when they were in trouble and they were not able to get out of in their own strength. 

This is a common malady for people, even those who are believers. We get comfortable in good times and get apathetic, instead of grateful. But when a crisis comes, and we cannot handle it, we suddenly want to be close to God and have him fix the problem for us. Then when it is fixed, we return to apathy. 

83:2-4

Defining the Crisis

The psalmist laid out the problem before God. He identified Israel’s problems as God’s problems. He said “your enemies” and “those who hate you”. 

Israel often wanted to be like the nations around them. They wanted a king because the other nations had one. (1 Samuel 8) They worshipped the pagan God’s of the Caananites despite God’s warning against it. 

Yet, they wanted to be God’s people, especially when they were in trouble. So, the psalmist refers to Israel as “your people” and “your treasured ones”.

The nations surrounding Israel were plotting to wipe them out. They made “crafty plans” and consulted together. (3) Although most nations at the time recognized that the gods of other nations existed, Israel, when it was faithful, did not. They claimed that their God was the only god and all others were fake. They also claimed to be a special people because of their relationship to the one true God. That certainly will make you a target. 

The words “come let us” in verse 4 reminds us of the same words when men got together to build a tower to heaven called the Tower of Babel. That was a rebellion against God and this is a rebellion against God by attacking his people. Verse 8 continues this thought by saying the enemies make a covenant against you, instead of against your people. “Covenant” here is the same as making an alliance of peoples against God. 

The Enemies Listed

83:5-8

Many nations had come together to make a covenant to attack Israel. (5) There were 10 listed by the psalmist.

Edom is listed first as the primary enemy and organizer of the coalition of nations. Edom was the nation founded by Esau. Esau was the son of Isaac and the older twin of Jacob. He sold his birthright (as firstborn) to Jacob for Jacob’s red stew. He was call Edom, which, in Hebrew, sounds like the word for “red”. Edom was a long time enemy of Israel. This enmity was first manifested in the Bible by Edom’s refusal to let Israel pass through its country on the way to Canaan. They came out against Israel to fight them until Israel took another route. (Numbers 20:14-21)

The Ishmaelites were Arabs, descended from Ishmael, the son of Abraham by his wife’s handmaiden, Hagar, who was an Egyptian. (Genesis 16 & 21) The term might include Bedouin tribes who were traders and might include the Midianites, enemies of Israel in the Book of Judges. 

Moab and Ammon were descendants of Lot via incestuous relations with his daughters after fleeing Sodom. (Genesis 19) Moab also opposed Israel during the Exodus, seeking help from the Midianites, who hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel. Moab and Ammon were both countries east of the Jordan. The Ammonites attacked Israel in the time of Jephthah (Judges 11).

The Moabites and the Ammonites are joined by Asshur, called the strong arm of the children of Lot. (8) Asshur is probably Assyria, which, at various times, controlled most of the land east, north, and west of Israel. Moab and Ammon may have been subject to Assyria, which would led them military aid in some circumstances. 

The Hagrites were a tribe north of Israel and east of the Jordan which fought with the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and Manasseh. (1 Chronicles 5:10)

Gebal could either be a city in Lebanon on the coast or a tribe of Edomites that lived south of the Dead Sea. The New International Version has a footnote that indicates Gebal is Byblos, a port city like Tyre. 

Amalek was the grandson of Esau. The Amalekites lived south of Israel in the Negev Desert. (Numbers 13:29) They attacked Israel at Rephidim, right after Moses got water from the rock.They also joined the Midianites to attack Israel in the battle recorded in Judges 6.  

The Philistines lives west of Israel on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They had 5 principal cities. They invaded Israel in the time of the judges as seen in the story of Samson. King David also had to deal with them. They also seem to be aligned with Tyre, the city state located in present day Lebanon. 

All of nations joined together to attack Israel. They surrounded Israel on all sides. The psalmist knew Israel could not prevail against this coalition without the Lord’s intervention.

Asking God To Repeat The Past

83:9-12

In these verses, the psalmist refers to the Lord’s defeat of past enemies. He asked God to defeat the present coalition of enemies as he defeated enemies in the past. 

The list of defeated enemies come from the book of Judges. Jabin was a king of the Canaanites and Sisera  was the commander of his army. Deborah was the judge of Israel at the time and was a prophetess. She brought Barak and attacked the army of Jabin. Jabin was defeated and a woman killed Sisera by driving a tent stake into his temple. (Judges 4)

Midian had also oppressed Israel. The Lord raised up Gideon to defeat them. (Judges 6) Oreb and Zeeb were princes of Midian. (Judges 7:26) Zebah and Zalmunna were kings of Midian, whom Gideon killed personally. (Judges 8)

The Canaanites and the Midianites both had superior forces to Israel, but God gave Israel the victory. Therefore, the psalmist used them as examples since the current coalition of enemies has much greater forces than Israel. 

The Imprecation

83:13-18

The psalmist went on to ask God to act in judgment against the enemy coalition. He wanted God to treat them as dust or chaff, as weak and useless. He wanted God to terrify them, to shame them forever, and to let them perish in disgrace.

The psalmist ends on a higher note. He appeals to God to act that the enemies may seek his name. (16) Secondly, he wants God to act so that they know that Yahweh is God alone and he is Most High over the earth.

When we feel surrounded, our response should be to call upon God. He is always with us and ready to help us. Psalm 24:2 says “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time and forever more”. 

PSALM 82: JUDGING THE JUDGES

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)