Other Gods? Psalm 82

A text – Psalm 82

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 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 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!

A refelection:

Here is a very interesting psalm for a former drama teacher to share with you.  The psalmist has created a dramatic little play. Our God joins the council of all the powerful gods or spirits of the universe and calls them out for their ruling unjustly. Our God says, “You have been favoring the wicked. Stop it. You must give justice to the weak and all those who are lowly. If you are gods at all you would be caring for the vulnerable, not the wicked.” Then in an aside, our God says to us, “They have neither knowledge nor understanding” and condemns them to become mortals and die like mortals. Have you ever imagined such a scene before? Our God, the father of Jesus, in a council of other gods or spirits? Pointing out that they are neglecting their duty to protect the lowly and the poor?

Mostly we forget that there may be other gods. The Israelite audience for the psalm knew there were other gods, worshipped by the nations around them. That is why the very first of the Ten Commandments says that we are to have no other gods but Yahweh. The psalmist, at least, believes that the other gods in this council scene are lesser than our God, especially because they have not got the concept of justice right. Our God will always take the side of the lowly and the poor, the vulnerable and the neglected, the invisible and the needy.

What does this little scene tell us? Perhaps that faithful persons who believe in the Triune God must understand that God’s will is that we put the needs of others, especially those who cannot speak for themselves, above our own. We are always to notice when our particular set of God-given gifts should take our God-given time and serve the poor, needy, neglected, and disposed whom God wants to receive justice and love and compassion. Maybe that’s not what you planned to do today with your gifts and time. But our psalmist for today thinks you probably should.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us gifts and time. Help us to see where you would like us to use those today. Amen.