Psalm 82 - When God Has Had Enough
1. God has taken his place in the divine council; In the midst of the gods, he holds judgment. 2. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? 3. Give justice to the weak and the orphan; Maintain the right of the lowly and destitute. 4. Rescue the weak and the needy; Deliver them from the hand of the wicked. 5. They have neither knowledge nor understanding; They walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6. I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; 7. nevertheless, you shall die like mortals and fall like any prince.” 8. Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you!
Background to The Book of Psalms: The book of Psalms is the prayer book and hymnal of the Bible. In it the authors share every raw human emotion possible. The words can take us from feelings of fierce vengeance, to euphoric praise, to stately thanksgiving, to abject despair, to quaking fear and lament, to calm delight, to steadfast hope and trust, sometimes in the space of a comma. We are reminded in the psalms that all of human life is lived in the presence of and in awareness of God. The psalmists assume and assure us that all of human life is attended to by God and that all of human life is the appropriate subject of prayer. God does not want from us, in the intimacy of prayer, just the parts of life that feel good, or look good, or feel faithful or look faithful. Every breath is a breath of the Spirit, and no circumstance is too petty to bring before God. No feeling, even about God, no doubt, no anger, no disappointment with God, is off limits when life is lived in God’s presence. What a comfort it is to know that we do not have to censor our prayers, as if we could if we wanted to. The book of Psalms is a compilation of several collections of psalms; many used liturgically in worship. Perhaps some were written for private devotion and, because they express themes that are universal, later became a part of the worship language of God’s people. Traditionally it was thought that all of the psalms were written by King David. Many probably were, but we now know that others had hands in these beautiful poem/prayer/songs. Whoever the writer/composer may have been, in these texts we are given permission to be real, before God and with each other. The psalms as poetry and song, have many layers of meaning which unfold within us in our daily experience.
Psalm 82: The first two psalms we studied this summer were psalms of lament. Psalm 42 introduced to the genre of lament in time of personal crisis. Psalm 77 introduced to the genre of lament in time of national crisis. Psalm 82, while it may seem similar at first glance, is not a lament. It is a prayer, a plea for justice. The voice who is calling for justice in the first seven verses is God. God is fed up with his corrupt leaders. There are two schools of thought as to what is meant by the divine council. Some scholars believe this is refers to a belief among many ancient near eastern peoples that there is a council made up of the gods of many tribes over which The Most High God ruled. They believed that this council met annually on New Year’s Eve to set the destiny of people for the next year. Others, of whom I count myself as one, believe that this council is made up of God and all the angels and other celestial beings that have been given duty over particular tasks or regions. Their job was to oversee human leadership. Whatever the psalmist had in mind two things are clear. 1.God is not happy with the partiality toward the wealthy that results in greater hardship for the weak and defenseless. 2. The central question on the Psalmists mind is “Why are the weak and defenseless denied justice?” In short, God is asking the council how they, through the human rulers under them, have continued to let it get this bad. In the last verse, after the courtroom drama concludes, the psalmist speaking for all the gathered worshippers cries out to God to judge the earth.
Word Study
Vs 1 – place – this is a phrase that was understood on two levels. It referred to God literally taking God’s place at the head of the council. It was also used in the way we might say ‘taking a stand.’
gods – this refers to the subordinate celestial beings that have been put in charge of certain areas of humankind.
Judgement – shaphat – to decide, to give justice or equity, to vindicate, to litigate, to plead, to defend or to set punishment.
Vs. 2 – unjustly – This word also means perversely, evilly, dishonestly.
Partiality – This word also means to lift up, or elevate.
Wicked – rasha – wrong, bad, wicked, unrighteous.
Vs. 3 – Justice – In the Hebrew scriptures this word is used a bit differently from how we usually use it. When we use it, often in our day, it means something like revenge or righting a scale or plain old punishment. In the Biblical mindset justice is much bigger than that. It is about restoration of right values. It is about God’s love lived out in human society. It is always for the purpose of change and purification, and never merely punishment for some kind of emotional catharsis. Divine judgement is never for revenge. It is always meant to change the world.
Maintain – includes the sense of establishing something and vindicating something.
Vs. 4 – Rescue – lit. to snatch away, to deliver.
Hand – clutches.
Vs. 5 – knowledge – recognition of the reality of a situation.
Understanding – discernment about what one knows actually means.
Walk in darkness – This phrase means to forsake the paths of righteousness.
Foundations of the earth are shaken – This phrase refers to the moral world order.
Vs. 6 – I say – This could also be rendered “I once thought”
gods – This phrase could be rendered something like “I once thought that you were like me, that you were dedicated to may values, but you are not acting like it. If you are going to act in a corrupt way then you will suffer the fate of the corrupt and die just like them.
Vs. 8 – This verse is the response of the congregation.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- When you think of the word ‘justice’ what first comes to mind? What about injustice?
- Today’s psalm is a courtroom drama in which the psalmist sees God declaring God’s values of justice and equity. God is angry that those given charge of human lives have showed preferential treatment to the wealthy at the expense of the weak. Think for a moment about instances that you see as unjust. How does this psalm speak to them?
- The psalm ends with the congregation on its feet crying out to God for judgment. How do you respond to the prophetic vision offered in this psalm?