Psalms 82

Psalms 82THEME: God judges the judges of His peopleThis is a psalm that has been misunderstood. A critic who denies the deity of Christ will turn to this psalm and ridicule it. This is another prophetic psalm that looks to the future for God’s earthly people, Israel. We see in connection with this the glory of the Lordand it is wonderful when these two are brought together. This gives us a prophetic description of the judgment which God will execute during the Tribulation period when He saves the faithful remnant. He begins on that note:

Psalms 82:1

“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty"this hasn’t happened yet, but He will stand there during the Millennium. “He judgeth among the gods.” Whom is He calling gods?

Psalms 82:2

It is important to understand this verse of Scripture. Notice who are “the gods.” God is calling the judges “gods” because they stand in His place and walk in His shoes, if I may use that expression.

Psalms 82:3

When the Lord Jesus Christ comes as the Judge of this earth, He is going to defend the poor, the fatherless, the afflicted, and the needy. One of the big arguments against capital punishment is that rich people never have to pay the penalty of their crimes, and poor people have to pay in full. The argument is that because of the inequality the penalty should be abolished. God is saying to the judges, “I want you to defend the poor and the fatherless.” The current discussion of giving the poor an equal opportunity is not new; it is as old as the Book of Psalms. When the Lord Jesus, as Messiah, reigns on this earth, He will defend the poor and the fatherless, the afflicted and the needy. Today judges are standing in God’s place, and they are to do the same thing. Now here is an interesting verse:

Psalms 82:5

Certainly the world today is being shaken and is in great turmoil, and one of the great problems has been the judges of the earth. It is very easy for a judge to be like Pilate, to wash his hands, and say, “I don’t believe in that uncivilized method of punishing people by capital punishment.” He thinks he can escape in that way. But when those who have broken the law come before him, he ought to remember that justice is blind. If a rich man has committed a crime that deserves capital punishment, it should be meted out just as it would be to a poor man who committed the same crime. Unfortunately, very few rich people have to pay for their crimes.

Psalms 82:6

What does He mean, “Ye are gods”? The Lord Jesus Christ Himself quoted this verse when the Jews questioned His deity. They accused Him of blasphemy because He made Himself God. In Joh_10:33-37 we read, “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemist; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.” Jesus was telling these Jews that they were sitting in judgment and, when one sits in the place of judgment, he is taking the place of God. Many saints are guilty of that type of thing. They sit in judgment on other saints. Paul says, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” (1Co_4:3-5).

Paul is saying that he is going to stand before God someday and because of that he doesn’t even judge himself. My friend, when you start judging someone you are acting for God, and you are a god when you have taken that position of judging. I am fearful of our nation with so many godless people seeking office. They know nothing of the background of this country which was founded upon the Word of God; they are not in spiritual tune with the founding of this nation. Years ago I was greatly impressed by that judge in New York City who presided at the trial of a husband and wife who were charged with being spies. The judge was a Jew, and he said that the night before he handed down his judgment was spent in prayer. I was impressed with that. Why? He was going to hand down a harsh judgment; he was going to stand in the place of God when he made the decision. That judge was actually standing in the place of God when he judged the lives of these two people who would have to pay for their crime against the government.

A man in that position ought to be a godly man. He should be a man of prayer. The big problem in our contemporary society is not so much with the criminal as it is with the judges and the breakdown of law and order. It is strange that the breakdown of law and order has begun with the law profession and not really with the criminal element. Any time that you pass judgment on a person, you stand in the position of God. Parents ought to recognize that. What does God say to a little fellow growing up in a home? He says, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord” (Col_3:20). But wait a minutewhat if his parents don’t tell him to do the right things and don’t bring him up the way they should? There are many parents like that today.

God says, “I am going to hold them responsible. They are in My place. They occupy that position because I have said to that little boy, ‘My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother’” (Pro_1:8). God help the father or the mother who does not lead their child in a godly pathway. Someone has asked the question, “What is worse than going to hell?” The answer given by a great preacher in the South years ago was this: “To go to hell and recognize the voice of your son and ask, ‘Son, what are you doing here?’ and hear him answer, ‘Dad, I followed you!’” This is a tremendous psalm. God says to the judges, “Be sure you judge accurately. Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.”

Psalms 82:7

God reminds the judges, who stand in the place of God, that they are still human beings, and the day is coming when they will have to stand before God and be judged.

Psalms 82:8

This will be a prayer of the nation Israel. I feel that I could join in that prayer. “O God, judge this earth. O God, You are going to inherit all the nations. This earth is Yours. You judge it.” I believe this is a prayer all of us can pray in this day in which we live.