Wednesday March 26
Psalm 82
This psalm presents an intriguing view into the Ancient Near Eastern mind. The very first thing we hear – and see – is God sitting in the divine council, the council of the gods. Other gods? Isn’t the religion of the people of Israel a one-God religion? Doesn’t the first commandment given by God to Moses state, “You shall have no other gods before me”?
Two ways of understanding this psalm are possible, according to various biblical scholars. One stems from the time that it was a popular concept that each nation had its own god or gods; these gods met in divine council to debate issues of governance. The other is that this psalm might be an allegorical attack on the corrupt government of King David.
Whichever interpretation we might go with, the heart of the psalm, for me, speaks strongly to issues of social justice – unjust judging, showing partiality to the wicked, abuse of the marginalized – the weak and the needy. It is these neglected ones that we are called to serve. The least, the last, and the lost were present in the age of the psalmist, and they are a presence today.
The psalm has a powerful ending. We are back in the divine council, where it seems that the other gods have lost their divine status – they will “die like mortals.” Only one is left, to judge the earth; to this one God belong all the nations. And to our understanding of a just God, we are bold to add the quality of mercy.
- Reverend Paul Kett
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