Week 25: "Sons of God Interlude" (Psalm 82)

Psalm 82 A psalm of/for Asaph (Psalm 82). God (Elohim) is taking his stand in the community/assembly of God (El),1 In the midst of the gods2 (Elohim) He is exercising authority.3 (2) How long will you exercise authority wrongly, and the faces of the wicked4 will you lift up? -Selah (3) Exercise authority for the helpless and the orphan, To the suffering and the weak act rightly.5 (4) Rescue the helpless and the poor; from the hand of the wicked deliver them. (5) They haven't known,6 and they haven't understood. In the darkness they are going about/around. The foundations of the earth are being shaken. (6) I have said, "Gods (Elohim) are you, and sons of the Most High (Elyon) are all of you. (7) However,7 like a man you will die, and like one of the commanders you will fall. (8) Rise up, God (Elohim), Exercise authority over the earth, because you8 possess/own all the nations/peoples. Today I'm going to preach on Psalm 82. I'm not sure I've ever preached on a psalm before. And I haven't taught anything about how to read psalms as poetry. So, quick and dirty, you'll see on the translation that every second line is usually indented. The most obvious thing that marks out Hebrew poetry, as poetry, is that is often takes the form of parallel couplets--there are two lines closely related to each other, and the second line is connected to the first, but also builds off it. So we want to make sure, whenever we are reading psalms, that we read the parallel lines together. Also, underlined words are focused (=emphasized, but "emphasized" is considered a mild profanity in OT discourse analysis) in the Hebrew through word order. Everything you hear this morning is going to be new. And you aren't going to know what to do with it, or how to handle it. It's maybe going to really bother you. I don't know. So I'll just say this at the outset: what I'm teaching this morning is not controversial among OT scholars. If you go to seminary at Dallas, or TEDS, or Fuller, or anywhere as far as I know, OT scholars will argue for the things I'm arguing this morning. But pastors are either too scared to teach this, or don't know how, or haven't been exposed to it. So all of this to say, try to balance discernment, with being open-minded. Verse 1: God (Elohim) is taking his stand in the community/assembly of God (El),9 In the midst of the gods (Elohim) he is exercising authority.10 The first line of verse 1 describes God-- Elohim-- in the heavens. We maybe think of God as living in the heavens in isolation-- surrounded by nothing--but here in verse 1 he is described as standing in the community, or assembly, of God. The second word for God here is "El," which is like the generic name for God in the Ancient Near East. Normally, God is pictured in the OT as seated on his throne, and it's his servants and people making requests of him who stand.11 But here, God is standing. When God stands in Isaiah 3:13-15, it's because he's about to exercise authority (READ IT). 13 The LORD has taken his place to contend; he stands to judge peoples. 14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: "It is you who have devoured[f] the vineyard, the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor?" declares the Lord GOD of hosts. Isaiah 3:13-15 So when we read that God is standing, it creates an expectation that he is very quickly going to exercise authority over someone. This isn't his normal posture. The second line is parallel to the first, but we should expect it to in some way build off the first.12 This is how Hebrew poetry works. God (Elohim) is taking his stand in the community/assembly of God (El), In the midst of the gods (Elohim) He is exercising authority.13 One of the first things they teach in first year Hebrew is that "Elohim" can mean either God or gods. It can be singular or plural. And the only way to tell is through context. In the second line, Elohim has to be plural because of the prepositional phrase. God isn't standing in the middle of himself. He is standing in the middle of the gods. All of your Bibles should translate this right. The question is, who are these gods? This bothers the NIV enough that it puts quotes around gods-- "gods." And what does "Elohim" mean, if it can be used for God and gods? What Elohim means, basically, is "divine being." Divine beings are immortal-- they don't die. And they are beings who live in the spiritual realm-- the spiritual world, that we can't see. We maybe want to say that we are talking about "angels" here, but for now, let's just keep using the language of the OT, calling them gods-- Elohim. So what we have in verse 1 is God-- Elohim-- standing in the middle of the gods-- Elohim-- and exercising authority over them. In verse 2, we read God's words to the gods.14 He is standing, he is exercising authority, and this is what he says: (2) How long will you exercise authority wrongly, while the faces of the wicked you lift up? God has given these gods authority. He has given them some responsibility. God doesn't tell them here what their responsibility is. The psalm assumes that everyone knows what that responsibility is. What is it? To get our answer, we have to turn to Deuteronomy 32:8-9. And the catch is, we have to read this in one of the newer translations, that takes into account the Dead Sea Scrolls (or that follows the Septuagint). At the apportioning of the Most High (Elyon) of the nations, at the dividing of the sons of man, He established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God (Elohim), because the portion of Yahweh is his people, Jacob is the share of his inheritance. We probably already knew that Israel was Yahweh's special possession. Yahweh made a covenant with Israel, made them a people, and gave them a land. What's probably new to you is how Yahweh related to the rest of the world. Yahweh split up all the other nations based on the number of the sons of God, and he gave them the responsibility of managing these nations. This is a job that needs to done-- at least on the other side of the Garden of Eden, and sin-- but Yahweh doesn't want to do it. He contracts it out to the sons of God instead. HIS inheritance is Israel. We find this same idea in Daniel 10:1-14: 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) 5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed,[b]and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground. 10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you." And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come." In Daniel 10, this glowing man-- who isn't just a man-- appears to Daniel to offer him encouragement. He explains the delay-- the prince of the kingdom of Persia delayed him for 21 days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help. The language in Daniel is different, but the idea is the same. Michael is an archangel-- a ruling angel. And what we have described here is a conflict in the supernatural realm. This is a fascinating passage, but the main thing I want to focus on is that Persia is ruled by one of these supernatural princes. The prince of Persia is a son of God, and he is just flat out rebelling against God. When we turn back to Psalm 82:2, we find Yahweh upset with the Elohim. He gave them a responsibility, and they've done a rotten job. "How long will you exercise authority wrongly, and the faces of the wicked will you lift up? These Elohim are using their authority to lift up the wicked-- to help them. That's unbelievable, right? We understand why human leaders might lift up the wicked-- if you help people who are rich and powerful to do the evil things they want, they'll reward you. But why would Elohim do this? Whatever the reason is, Yahweh is tired of it. He asks them how long they plan to keep doing this. Verses 3-4: (3) Exercise authority for the helpless and the orphan, To the suffering and the weak act faithfully.15 (4) Rescue the helpless and the poor, from the hand of the wicked deliver them. Here, God gives them four commands, set in groups of two. English Bibles are going to translate this, "Give justice to the weak and fatherless" (ESV). But I have, "exercise authority." Goldingay, in his commentary, talks about how this is a textbook example of the way that shaphat--judgment-- is a power word, rather than a value word. He writes, "It does not inherently suggest the exercise of justice. One can exercise authority in a proper or improper way, for the faithful or the wicked."16 The gods/Elohim are supposed to be using their authority to help people who are vulnerable. It is the helpless, the orphans, the suffering, the weak, and the poor who are preyed upon by the wicked. The wicked take advantage of them; they oppress them. Who will protect them? Who will help them? This is the job of the Elohim. They are supposed to act faithfully. This word "faithfully" is often translated "righteously." "Righteousness" is a relational word. It means acting faithfully toward people you are in a relationship with, doing right by them.17 (and in later stuff, I just translate it "rightly"). Verse 5: (5) They haven't known,18 and they haven't understood. In the darkness they are going about/around. The foundations of the earth are being shaken. These Elohim haven't known, or understood, what it is that God expects of them. This maybe sounds like all of this is God's fault. Maybe Yahweh never explained to them what his expectations were. But this isn't really what "knowing" means in the OT. "Knowing" often means something more like "knowing and obeying." Hosea 4:1-4: 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; 2 there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. 4 Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest.[a] 5 You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. What does it mean to know God in Hosea? It means to live from a starting point, of knowing who God is and what he expects from his people. God expects obedience. If you choose to live wickedly, Hosea says you are "forgetting" the law. It doesn't mean you can't recite it. It doesn't mean you've never heard of it. It means you are willfully rejecting it. And people who think they "know" God, but live wickedly, are just fooling themselves. Part of knowing God, is obeying him. So going back to Psalm 82:5: (5) They haven't known,19 and they haven't understood. In the darkness they are going about/around. The foundations of the earth are being shaken. The Elohim know very well what God wants from them. They aren't ignorant. What they are doing, is willfully rejecting God's commands. Instead of obeying, they walk around in the darkness. And because they act this way, the foundations of the earth are being shaken. The world falls apart, when the Elohim aren't exercising authority the way they should. Verse 6: (6) I have said, "Gods (Elohim) are you, and sons of the Most High (Elyon) are all of you. (7) However,20 like a man you will die, and like one of the commanders you will fall. Verse 6 begins with this: "I have said." It's often really difficult in psalms to know who is speaking. Are these the words of God? Or are they the psalmist's words? I think probably these are the words of God here. Yahweh has stood to exercise his authority. Yahweh has brought an accusation against the sons of God. And now he's telling them what he will do to them because they've been disobedient. So I think it's still God speaking. Verse 6 makes a really important point through its parallelism. In the first line, these divine beings are called gods-- Elohim. In the second line, they are called sons of the Most High-- Elyon. This is the same group of divine beings. It's not two separate groups. I'm going to build on this later; you need to remember this. What God is doing here, in verse 6, is reminding them about what a big deal they all are. They are gods. They have been given a great deal of power and privilege. And, as Elohim, they are immortal beings. They should live forever, right? In the second line, he adds that they are the sons of the Most High.21 They are God's heavenly children. This idea of "sonship" includes both privilege, and obligation. It's good to be God's children. It's a blessing, to be part of his family. But part of what it means, to be God's children, is that they are not independent of God. Children obey their parents, right? They do what their parents want? But these sons of the Most High haven't been exercising authority the way they should. The other thing I should talk about in this verse, is the title for God-- Elyon, God Most High. All of these sons of God are Elohim-- they are spiritual beings, who live in the spiritual world. But even though they are elohim-- they are not in charge. God is Most High. God reigns over them. So these Elohim/gods, these sons of the Most High, are a big deal. They've been given authority; they are powerful, and should live forever. Verse 7, though, starts with a however: "However, like a man they will die, and like one of the commanders they will fall." As Elohim--as divine beings-- they are supposed to be immortal, living forever. But these elohim will die like a man. They will fall like a commander in battle (1 Sam. 4:10; 14:13). And why will they die? How can Elohim die? The only way these Elohim will die is if God-- the Most High-- kills them (Mark 1:23-24; Rev. 20:10). This brings us to verse 8: (8) Rise up, God (Elohim), Exercise authority over the earth, because you22 possess/own all the nations/peoples. Here, we for sure have the psalmist's words. The psalmist knows that God will someday exercise authority over these wicked elohim. He will kill them, because they have failed to use their authority rightly. And so the psalmist concludes here by challenging God to act. We learned from Deuteronomy 32:8-9 that even though God is the maker of heaven and earth, it is Israel who is his prized possession. All the other nations were put under the authority of the sons of God--the sons of Elohim. But the psalmist knows that it is God who has the final authority over the earth, and over every single nation on it. If God has the final authority over all of creation-- and he does; he is Elyon, God Most High-- then God needs to take responsibility for his creation. You can look around the world, and see that wickedness flourishes everywhere. The poor and vulnerable are oppressed; sinners look like they are winning everywhere. The psalmist knows that this is something God can fix. If God's contractors won't exercise authority rightly, then God needs to step in and fix this. And so the psalmist challenges God: "God, do something. Exercise your authority. You own all the peoples, so fix this." ----------------------------------- What does this psalm teach? God, at least as of the time of Psalm 82, delegated power to the sons of God to rule the nations. God can do this-- God did do this, based on Deuteronomy 32:8-9 and Daniel 10-- but God cannot delegate final responsibility to anyone else. In the end, God is the one who exercises authority over the earth, and God is the one who has to take final responsibility for the way the world looks. God is the one who owns all the peoples, and not just Israel. God is Elyon. God is the Most High One. There will be times in your life when you will want to challenge God to act. You see terrible things happening in the world, and you are ready for God to exercise authority. He's waited long enough. It's time for him to stand, and act. It's ok, when you feel this way, to challenge him. Be brave. I'd like to close by reading from Revelation 6:9-11: 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers[c] should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. 1 Usually "El" is translated as an adjective, "divine." 2 fronted for focus. 3 Goldingay's translation of the verb. Normally translated, "He is judging." "Where" he is judging is fronted for focus/emphasis. 4 x-imperative adding another topic to the same situation. 5 The idea with acting righteously/rightly, is giving someone what they are owed/due. Goldingay's translation of the verb. 6 Perfective. Not being described as an open-ended, ongoing verb. 7 אָכֵן b. emphasizing a contrast, but indeed, but in fact, especially after אָמַרְתִּי I said or thought, expressing the reality, in opp. to what had been wrongly imagined, Is 49:4b (opp. to v 4a) 53:4 (opp. to v 3 end) Je 3:20 (opp. to the expectation v 19b) Zp 3:7b ψ 31:23b (opp. to v 23a) 66:19 82:7 (opp. to v 6) Jb 32:8 (opp. to v 7). (BDB). 8 this would be ambiguous, as far as whether it's fronted for focus, or if it's just because that's normal word order (Holmstedt). 9 Usually "El" is translated as an adjective, "divine." 10 Goldingay's translation of the verb. Normally translated, "He is judging." "Where" he is judging is fronted for focus/emphasis. 11 Ex. 3:2; Goldingay, Psalms 42-89, 562. 12 Kugel, in his book on Hebrew poetry, I think, explains it like this. Line A, and what is more, Line B. 13 Goldingay's translation of the verb. Normally translated, "He is judging." "Where" he is judging is fronted for focus/emphasis. 14 Most scholars would say that verse 1 prepares us for God's words here--either his direct words, or mediated through a prophet. I haven't checked a million commentaries, but this I think is consensus-- or near consensus. 15 Usually, "act rightly." The idea with acting righteously/rightly, is giving someone what they are owed/due. Goldingay's translation of the verb. 16 Goldingay, 564. 17 Goldingay, 564. I've talked about this in the Ephesians and Galatians series as well... When NT talks about God's righteousness, or our righteousness, it's a relational word. God being righteous=acting faithfully toward people in light of his promises; our righteousness works the same way. 18 Perfective. Not being described as an open-ended, ongoing verb. 19 Perfective. Not being described as an open-ended, ongoing verb. 20אָכֵן b. emphasizing a contrast, but indeed, but in fact, especially after אָמַרְתִּי I said or thought, expressing the reality, in opp. to what had been wrongly imagined, Is 49:4b (opp. to v 4a) 53:4 (opp. to v 3 end) Je 3:20 (opp. to the expectation v 19b) Zp 3:7b ψ 31:23b (opp. to v 23a) 66:19 82:7 (opp. to v 6) Jb 32:8 (opp. to v 7). (BDB). 21 This is how the parallelism works. Again, Kugel. Line A, and what is more, Line B. 22 Emphasized through word order, probably? --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------