Psalm Saturday: Psalm 82, a Psalm of Asaph

A Psalm of Asaph.

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? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the 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 about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 I said, You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, like men you shall die,
and fall like any prince.

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;
for you shall inherit all the nations!

We often mistake the silence of God as a sign that He is not present among us. Yet, even though we do not hear the Lord or see Him, in the deepest depth of our soul we believe the Lord is indeed watching over us, providing for our needs, and caring for us. God’s silence draws out our faith. Do we believe or don’t we? We can count on God in this lifetime and in the next. We can rest assured knowing He alone will judge the righteous and the damned.

In this psalm, written by Asaph, we can see a God sitting as the ultimate judge over a plethora of human judges. These judges lived in every town of Israel. They served as the Lords’ judicial representatives among the people. They were supposed to be beyond reproach. They were supposed to do right and be good. But anyone reading the book of Judges knows that was not the case. They made themselves gods, similar to how you and I make ourselves gods when it comes to our life. These men, like us, fell short, perverting truth and justice to meet their own selfish wants and desires. God warns them, telling them that they will be judged for their misdeeds. But they refused to listen.

Asaph’s prayer is that God would judge the whole earth, not just the nation of Israel. He recognizes that the world has become infected by the sinfulness of men and only a just and righteous God could deliver His people from ruin.

Do you pray for the world we live in today? I encourage you to do so. This world is hurting, suffering, and perverting truth with lies. The pain seems almost overwhelming, but as believers, we know that we can count on the Lord. His truth will deliver us.