Psalms

Psalms 82: God judges the judges of earth

Begin in prayer

Before we hear God call unjust judges to account, let us bring our own use of power before Him. Ask Jesus to expose our misuse of power and give us hearts that care for the weak whom God commands rulers to defend.

“Thus has Yahweh of Armies spoken, saying, ‘Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother.

Zechariah 7:9

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word, and help us to see Christ. Show us that God calls unjust rulers to account and commands them to defend the weak. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

Asaph sees God presiding over an assembly where those who judge others must answer to Him. He charges them with favouring the wicked and commands them to defend the weak, fatherless, poor and oppressed. Their ignorance and dark ways shake the foundations on which ordinary life depends. Though they bear the high title of gods, they will die and fall like other rulers. The song ends by asking God Himself to rise and judge the earth, because every nation is His inheritance.

As you read Psalms 82, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God judges unjust rulers and commands them to defend the weak, for every nation belongs to Him.

God's presence in the assembly places every earthly court beneath the Judge whose justice it should serve. The judges favour the wicked, using entrusted authority to deny the weak the protection they owe them. Defending the fatherless and rescuing the needy means giving fair judgment and delivering people from those who oppress them. Their darkness is moral blindness, and the shaken foundations show how corrupt courts make a whole society unsafe. Calling these judges gods marks the authority they exercise under God, while their coming death exposes their creaturely limits. Jesus uses this passage in John 10 verses 34 to 36, distinguishing the Father's sanctified and sent Son from those who received God's word. The high title never makes the judges divine, and the unique Son has a greater claim than theirs. The final prayer asks God to judge every nation, placing hope in the justice of the One whose inheritance includes the whole earth.

How does Psalm 82 show us that God judges unjust rulers and commands them to defend the weak, for every nation belongs to Him?

God requires those with authority to defend the weak.

The fatherless and needy lack the protection the powerful can obtain. God's command makes their cause the judges' responsibility. Favouring the wicked turns public authority against the people it should protect.

God holds every ruler accountable beneath His own judgment.

The judges' high title cannot prevent their death or hide their moral darkness. Their unjust decisions shake the foundations of life around them. Asaph therefore asks the God who owns the nations to rise and judge the earth.

Memorise

Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.

Psalm 82:8

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, whose need am I overlooking while Jesus calls me to love what is right?

Asaph prays, “Arise, God, judge the earth”. The earthly judges had favoured the wicked and failed the weak. Their borrowed authority could not shelter them from the Lord whose justice they had betrayed.

Our own unfairness and selfish use of power also stand before the holy Judge. Jesus bore the punishment of His people's sins, giving His life to secure their pardon. The Father raised Him from the grave. The righteous Judge has fully accepted His people's Substitute, whose completed work supplies the righteousness and forgiveness no earthly court could give.

Turn from your unjust thoughts and deeds, and place your faith in Jesus. Christ's righteous welcome includes forgiveness for each sinner who trusts Him. Ask Him to make you attentive to people who are easily overlooked. The righteous Judge knows every hidden wrong and sustains His people as they serve the weak without flattering the powerful.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God calls unjust rulers to account and commands them to defend the weak. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for His righteous judgment and ask Him to make us faithful in caring for the weak. Bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

John 10:38

Righteous Judge, please forgive our selfishness and the unfair ways we treat other people. Lead us to Jesus for mercy and a heart that loves what is right. Defend those who are poor, fatherless or oppressed, and give those in authority courage to judge fairly. Thank You that every nation belongs to You and no ruler escapes Your judgment. Amen.