Ps. 82 - Unjust Rulers will be Judged by the Supreme Judge

Introduction

We lived in a world of human government. Every nation on earth is ruled or governed by a king, president, prime minister, chancellor, sultan, dictator, or other ruling entity. In democratic nations power is usually dispersed between different branches of government and diffused downwards to governors, mayors, councilmen or women and the like. Additionally there are others forms of governing authority such as the military chain of command, the supervisor at a place of employment, the teacher and school principal, and most important, the parents. All of the above have a responsibility to rule or govern in a fair and just manner. This is the biblical teaching at found in Ps 72:2-4. The Apostle Paul affirms this teaching in the oft quoted Romans 13:1-7 But what happens when those entrusted in authority over there fellow man fail to do justice? What is to come of those, including many in power today, whom have become corrupted by their power and seek after their own and their loyalist good. In democratic nations, there are checks and balances, but this is not the case everywhere. What happens in these situations. Our present psalm gives us an answer.

Background

Much has been written about this psalm. I am not going to try and survey it all. I will say a few things. First, this psalm is hard to categorize and their isn’t a lot of agreement. There is a prophetic character to the psalm, that is, Yahweh is the one speaking to these rulers. Second, the bulk of the discussion seems to center on to whom GOD is speaking. Is He speaking to unjust human rulers in Israel. This view seems to be the most common and most comfortable for scholars. A second view is the rulers are the pagan “gods” our the nations. They are subject to Yahweh and were to rule righteously. They failed to do so and now face indictment and condemnation. This view support in scripture passages such as 1 Kgs. 22:19-21, Daniel 10:13 and Job 1:1-6. The idea is these other divine powers are real, through not like the one true God of Israel, who is Lord of all. How else can the psalm take about them dying like men? Verse 6 is key as it is quoted by Christ. We will get to that in a little bit. Both view are possible. I lean toward the first one right now because as I have read the scriptures I never got an indication of such a structure, though I could be wrong. We can break this psalm in 5 parts:

Yahweh as supreme Judge over all powers (v. 1)

Yahweh indicts the wicked rulers (v. 2)

How rulers are supposed to govern (vs. 3-4)

The result of their wicked rule (v. 5)

The condemnation of the wicked rulers (vs. 6-7)

Yahweh as supreme Judge over all the earth (v. 8)

Exposition

Verse 1: The image presented is one which Yahweh comes in the midst of the ruling powers so they can give account to Him. As the supreme ruler they are subject to Him and must answer for their actions in the nations / lands they control. This is true whether they acknowledge it or not. Indeed, much of what we see in society today in a rejection of the sovereignty of God over our lives. He has written his law on our hearts, the reality of this reflected in law codes outside of scripture. It is the responsibility of human government to restrain evil and do good. This was not the case and now Yahweh has come to settle accounts.

Verse 2: Having taken His proper place, the chief justice of the universe delivers his indictment: The rulers govern without equity. Those who do evil are treated well. Injustice is running rampant whereas God’s law is flouted. Evil is called good and good evil. What God hates is what is advanced. Yahweh is one who defends the weak (Deut. 10:17-18) but these leaders do the opposite.

Verses 3 - 4: What is the responsibility of the just ruler? The answer is given in these verses and in the law. Exodus 23:1-9 and Lev. 19:15 provide standards of just treatment. Rich and poor are to be treated the same. Those who live righteously and haven’t committed any crime aren’t to fear harm. Yet these wicked powers haven’t concerned themselves with protecting the innocent and doing fairly. They haven’t plead the cause of the weak. They enrich themselves by looking the other way to maintain their lifestyles. They have stored up wrath from God for themselves.

Verse 5: The wicked powers know what is required of them. It is clear in the law of God. Yet these choose not to obey. They willfully reject God’s law and act as He isn’t there. They are fools who don’t fear God (Ps. 14:1;3, 10:6;11). There wicked rule causes wickedness to be spread throughout the land / earth. They compromise Yahweh’s established order and are going to pay a price.[1] It should be noted that some commentators take this verse to refer to the people between unjustly governed and led. Because of the wickedness of those who are over them, destruction comes to them as well (Hos. 4:6)[2]

Verse 6 - 7 The charges have been leveled and their defendants have no arguments. Judgment is now to be rendered. Previously these rulers where treated as gods. They will be treated like men / any other men. Their end will be destruction.

I said earlier this verse is quoted by Christ. The scripture reference is John 10:34-36 where Jesus is responding to the Pharisees, who are challenging his description of himself as the son of God. What was the purpose of Christ is citing this verse. What was he trying to say? The dominant view of NT Scholars is that Christ is arguing that if human judges can be called gods, or possibility the whole nation at the given of the law, then there is no reason why Christ can’t call himself the Son of God.

Verse 8: The psalmist concludes with a call for GOD to rise and restore justice. He acknowledge at all are subject to Yahweh and only He perfectly can execute righteousness on the earth. For believers today this shall happen when Christ established his eternal kingdom on the earth.

Bibliography

[1] VanGemeren, W. A. (2008). Psalms. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition) (Vol. 5, p. 625). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[2] Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 329). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.