"Psalm 82"- Lesson 133

Lesson 133: “PSALM 82”

It was only when a puzzled Christian asked me what Jesus meant in John 10:34 that I referred to Psalm 82 to try and understand the message. Psalm 82 not only showed that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah; it also had a message to those who had rejected Him and were attempting to put Him to death. Psalm 82 has a very awesome word to those of us who live in this world today. In John 9:1-7 Jesus had just healed a man who had been blind since birth showing that He was the “light” of the world (John 9:5). The blind man came to faith and his eyes were opened both physically and spiritually while the Jewish religious leaders willfully closed their eyes to the identity of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. The blind (now seeing man) was brought before the Pharisees for “investigation” by his good friends and neighbors. They did not believe his honest, simple answer, “I washed and now I see” but called in his parents to question them. They did not want to be in trouble with the leaders so they hedged on their answer saying that their son should be the one questioned. Wanting to be “right” they questioned the man again to which he gave a condescending answer, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples too”? Have you ever felt like using this man’s answer when some just continue to question your belief in God? Even though the leaders continued to heap insults and accusations on this man, he stood his ground and kept his faith that Jesus was from God and did heal him. This infuriated the leaders and they threw him out! If this ever happens to you then re-read this passage; “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, AND HE WENT TO FIND HIM”. Hallelujah!

In the 10th chapter of John, Jesus claimed to be the “Good Shepherd”, the door through whom everyone must enter in order to be saved. He promised to lay down His life for the sheep. Now this DID upset the leaders and caused great division among them. Some insisted that He had a demon and ought to be ignored, while others found it hard to believe that a demon-possessed man could give sight to a man born blind. Was He the Messiah or not? They asked! Jesus answered by saying that those who were His sheep heard His voice but the rest did not and boldly announced that, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). This enraged Jesus’ enemies and they took up stones to put Him to death accusing Him of blasphemy. Jesus responded by quoting from Psalm 82:6; “I said you are gods”. If God could call those “gods” to whom the Word of God had come, why was it wrong for Jesus to claim to be God? They were not convinced and attempted to put Him to death, but He eluded their grasp (John 10:39). How convincing do you find Jesus’ defense? Can you explain it to others or do you use it just to embarrass and confuse the ones talking erratically or irrationally against your beliefs in Jesus?

Asaph, in Psalm 82, envisioned God presiding over an assembly of judges. The word “gods” (elohim) is used in this passage for the rulers of Israel who have failed to carry out their responsibilities as God’s representatives. Old Testament scriptures using the term “elohim” as rulers are Exodus 4:14-16 when Moses was whining about not being able to speak well and God, burning with anger, sent Aaron to “speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if your were God to him”. He made Moses “like God to Pharaoh” (Ex. 7:1). Rulers are appointed by God to carry out His purpose of restraining evil and rewarding good (Rom. 13:1-4). In this sense rulers act FOR God and as “gods”. If you are acting as judge in the name of Jesus, be very careful. The Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or taking a bride (2 Chron. 19:6-7). When sitting in judgment (acting as god and for God) leaders must “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly” (Prov. 31:8-9)

The human judges roam the earth without spiritual or intellectual understanding and in moral darkness so that the foundations of the earth are shaken, that is, law and order are undermined. These foundations refer to the law and order of society based on the Lord’s rule. God warned the wicked judges that they would perish. He had appointed them as “gods” and as sons of the most high, His representatives on earth. Jesus appealed to Psalm 82:6 when he was accused of blasphemy in John 10:34. Since Israel’s judges were, in a sense, “sons” of God, Jesus said He was not blaspheming to call Himself The Son of God. Ultimately God will reign in the person of His Son, the Messiah. For now, He reigns through His “sons”, the “gods” who are appointed to reign in His stead. God is to reign in and through His people collectively and we who are His sons, are destined to reign with Him in the future (2 Tim. 2:12, Rev. 20:6). The kings in the ancient days were often worshipped as “gods” and thought of themselves as a god and were punished immediately for not giving praise to the one and only God (Acts 12:21-23). Perhaps this is what the Jews were making reference to in John 10:33. If they truly believed this and truly believed in the one and only God, can’t you just see their surprise when Jesus was not “immediately struck down and eaten by worms” (Acts 12:23)?

When Jesus referred to Psalm 82:1-8, He identified Himself as the fulfillment of the written verses. The warning of the Psalm was being fulfilled in their midst. God had finally come to judge the “gods”. How much better the name of God suited Jesus than the title “gods” suited the scribes and the Pharisees. To have understood the message of Psalm 82 and Jesus’ application of it would have been to bow the knee to Him as the Son of God, the promised Messiah. To reject this message was to reject the Messiah, which, in fact, many did. No one better interpreted or applied Psalm 82 than Jesus and no one better fulfilled it than He. Today, men must make the same decision. Either we bow the knee to the Christ Jesus as our Savior, or we will bow the knee to Him as our Judge; “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).

Psalm 82 is directed against the Israel leaders but carries a warning to us, as Christian leaders today. Psalm 58 asks if rulers indeed speak justly and if we judge uprightly among men. Isaiah tells us that the Lord will rise to judge the people and enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of His people. He sent Ezekiel to prophesy to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! He adds that He is against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for His flock (Eze. 34:2-10). Luke 20:46-47 warns us to beware of such teachers and they will be punished most severely. We may begin to be passive because we view the time immediately preceding Christ’s return as days of apostasy (2 Tim 3:1-13). Therefore we stand idly by, as spectators, often delighting in what we see because we think this means that Jesus’ next visit to earth is near. Let me remind you that the psalmist also believed in the coming of Christ. This did not stop him from warning the unrighteous rulers and our knowledge that Christ’s return is nearer than ever should not stop us. We are God’s “gods” in the sense that we are speaking for Him when we “turn a sinner from the error of his way and therefore save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:20). Remember it is the Lord that gave you your mouth and He will help you to speak and will teach you what to say (Ex. 4:11-12).