Psalms 82

Psalm 82 depicts God presiding over an assembly of earthly rulers, whom He calls "gods," and judging them for their unjust governance. He condemns their failure to defend the poor and needy, noting their spiritual ignorance has corrupted societal foundations. Despite their elevated status, God declares they will die like ordinary men. The psalm concludes with a plea for God to rise and judge the earth, asserting His ultimate sovereignty.

The psalm opens with God taking His place in a divine assembly, judging those referred to as "gods" or mighty rulers. He sternly rebukes them for their prolonged injustice, their partiality towards the wicked, and their neglect of the vulnerable. God commands them to actively defend the poor, fatherless, afflicted, and needy, and to deliver them from the wicked. The text laments that these rulers lack understanding and walk in darkness, causing the very foundations of society to be unstable. Though God had granted them a divine commission, calling them "children of the most High," He declares they will face mortality like all men and fall like princes. The psalm culminates in an urgent appeal for God Himself to intervene and judge the earth, for all nations are His inheritance.

Psalm 82, a psalm of Asaph, commences with a powerful scene of God standing in the "congregation of the mighty," where He presides as judge among those referred to as "gods." God immediately confronts these rulers, questioning how long they will continue to judge unjustly and show favoritism to the wicked. He issues a direct command for them to uphold justice, specifically instructing them to defend the poor and fatherless, and to administer justice to the afflicted and needy. Furthermore, they are charged with delivering the poor and needy from the grasp of the wicked. The psalm then observes a critical failing: these rulers "know not, neither will they understand," choosing to walk in darkness, which results in the fundamental "foundations of the earth" being "out of course." A pivotal declaration follows, where God reminds them of their original divine appointment, stating, "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." However, this elevated status does not exempt them from human frailty; God pronounces that they "shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes." The psalm concludes with an impassioned plea from the psalmist, "Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations," calling for divine intervention to rectify the pervasive injustice and reassert God's ultimate sovereignty over all creation.