Psalm 82:1-8 – Trust in the Lord in the midst of injustice and oppression
“How do we respond to all the injustice in the world? The psalmist trusts that ultimately God will put things right: ‘You’ve got the whole world in your hands!’ (v.8b, MSG).
It is a great blessing to live under a good system of justice. It is a terrible curse to live under corrupt and incompetent judges. But ultimately, God will call them to account.
‘God presides’ over all other expressions of power (‘gods’) (v.1). Trust that God is ‘The President’ – he is in ultimate control.
‘God… puts all the judges in the dock. “Enough! You’ve corrupted justice long enough”’ (v.2, MSG). But faith in God’s ‘presidency’ should never lead to complacency or passivity. The psalmist is passionate to see the world changed.
We are not only to trust God but also we have a duty to do everything within our power to see that justice is done. We must act on behalf of the poor: ‘Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked’ (vv.3–4).
A time will come when things will be put right; injustice will be removed and there will be deliverance from, for example, corrupt governments. He prays: ‘Rise up, O God, judge the earth’ (v.8a).
While we too hope in God’s final judgment, we anticipate that justice by acting now on behalf of the poor and oppressed. We should raise the same challenge to those in power, ‘How long will you defend the cause of the unjust?’
Lord, thank you that one day there will be justice for all. You will put things right. In the meantime, help me to act on behalf of the poor and oppressed in our world.”
And that’s the memo.
Steve
*an excerpt from The Bible in One Year recorded by Nicky Gumbal – YouVersion
