Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 82

Here in the St. Louis area, we are once again in the middle of daily protests from people who are seeking justice to the poor and the oppressed. The city, like much of the nation, is split into two basic factions; those who believe the police shoot unarmed black men without cause and get away with it and those who believe that the justice system is working and the protesters are missing the point. The truth in this situation, is probably as it usually is, somewhere in the middle of both sides. If you are a Christian and feel oppressed and believe justice is not being properly administered, Psalm 82 is for you.

Psalm 82:1-2

God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

The use of the word “gods” here is speaking of those whom God has placed in authority to judge. The Bible is clear; God puts all authority in place. ALL authority.

Romans 13:1
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

It also refers to anyone who passes judgment on others. Certainly, here in St. Louis there is a lot of judgments being made from both sides. And sometimes those judgments are made without the proper facts of the case. We all must be careful that we are not trying to be God.

Psalm 82:3-5
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

What we need most is for all of us who call ourselves Christians to stop trying to judge what we don’t really know, and spend our time praying to God to do just what verses 3-5 ask.

Psalm 82:6-8
I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;  nevertheless, like men you shall

die, and fall like any prince.”  Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!

God will hold those in authority accountable for their acts in being the authority over our society. He will hold them to a very high standard. He will also hold the rest of us accountable for how we react to authority.  Make no mistake, God will judge the earth.

So, what should the Christian be doing in all this? First of all, we must remember this verse.

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

We must put our personal interests aside for a moment and try and see that the people on the other side, whichever one that is, are also made in God’s image and He wants us to consider them as more significant than ourselves.

No, we should not ignore facts of legal cases. But what we can do is move closer to the other side by simply loving them. The Bible says in Romans 5:8 that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” All of us are broken and sinners.

Trust that justice will come when Christ returns. Christians, until then, let love be the force that draws us closer to each other, even our enemies, by seeking to treat people as God treats us. Show mercy, grace, and love above all else.

Whatever side you are on in all this, if you call yourself a Christian then do what Psalm 82 says.

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

This is God’s will. But be careful how you judge matters. God sees people’s hearts. We don’t. He will judge righteously. We won’t. So, let love carry the most weight in all you do.

Pray for peace. Pray for those in authority. Pray for the lost. Pray for each other.

Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 81

Something special happens when God’s people gather to worship Him in spirit and truth. In Psalm 81 the people have come to worship.

Psalm 81:1-3

Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!  Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.  Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.

As the people sang and praised God in remembering how He had rescued them, they began to hear His Word.

Psalm 81:6-7
“I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.  In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

As Christians, we can relate, for our God has delivered us from the bondage of sin. Yet, like Israel, we slip back into old ways and habits.

Psalm 81:8-10
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!  There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.  I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Israel had a problem with idols and so do we. Ours are things like money, possessions, sports, and even people. Peruse Facebook and you will see; many have set themselves up as an idol.

Psalm 81:11-12

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.  So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.”

The primary problem in the Christian life is that we do not read the Bible. If we do, we twist it to say what we want it to say. God speaks through His Holy Word. Listen and obey.

Psalm 81:13-15
Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!  I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.  Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever.

I believe God still looks upon us and says, “Oh, that my people would listen to me.”

Psalm 81:16
“But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Are you hungry? Are you so thirsty that you feel as if you cannot take another step? Then go to the rock. God gave Israel water from a rock. They could have had more; they could have had honey if they would have listened to Him and obeyed. Jesus is our rock. He will satisfy our hunger and our thirst. He will give us honey. Honey never rots or goes bad.

Go to the rock today, my friend. Go to Jesus and eat and drink.

Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 80

Psalm 80 is Asaph’s prayer for the northern kingdom of the Jews to be restored to God and saved from the Assyrian captivity. As Christians, we too face an enemy that threatens our freedom in Christ and that enemy is our sin nature.

Psalm 80:1-2

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.  Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us!

The reference to Shepherd of Israel speaks to us of Jesus.

Psalm 80:3
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Though I believe the Bible teaches that our salvation is secured forever, when we fall into sin we need deliverance. We need to be restored to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. We need God’s face to shine upon us to save us from our sin.

Psalm 80:4-6
O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?  You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure.  You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.

It is possible for God to be angry with us. So angry, that even our prayers anger Him. Like the Jews, our sin can bring derision to us and our enemies will laugh at our own folly.

Psalm 80:7
Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

The answer? Ask God to shine upon your face.

The psalmist uses a vine to describe Israel. Jesus used the term vine to describe Himself and even His followers. In Revelation 14:17-20, John tells us what will happen to the bad fruit of the vine of the earth.

Revelation 14:18-20
And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.”  So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

Maybe today you are feeling the effects of sin. Maybe you are wrestling with an addiction or caught up in behavior that has you bound up in a stronghold. Maybe you are just waiting to thrown into the winepress of the wrath of God. If so, then you are where you need to be. You are at the point in which you understand the depths of your sinfulness. Go to your knees and pray to God in confession and repentance. Pray what the psalmist has prayed three times in this psalm.

Psalm 80:19
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Jesus longs to shine His face upon you. Why? That we may be saved.