#813 Little Gods

God has taken his place in the divine council;

in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

2 “How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;

maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

4 Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding,

they walk about in darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 I said, “You are gods,

sons of the Most High, all of you;

7 nevertheless, like men you shall die,

and fall like any prince.”

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;

for you shall inherit all the nations! Psalm 82 ESV

A Psalm of Asaph.

In the midst of the gods He holds judgment - How lofty and how beautiful some view the seats of state, of corporations, and even the titles within offices of religion, but whether king, president, mayor, CEO or deacon, all will stand before the only righteous judge. Judges, preachers, politicians, all will be judged for their judgments. The people would not be ruled by God, so now they have these little gods, and yet they are men with all the flaws of that same fallen nature.

1 The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron must declare it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites go out of his land.… Exodus 7: 1-2

…33“We are not stoning You for any good work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, declare Yourself to be God.” 34 Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—…

…36 then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God? 37 If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me. 38 But if I am doing them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”… John 10: 33-38

Show partiality to the wicked - This is the bane of every man till he is in power, then he will excuse the same sin in his son that he will not tolerate in the child of another. He will oppose justice, truth and scorn righteousness if it exposes his own corruption. I watch the news from time to time, and we are very partisan in our country. If you committed the highest sort of crime your party would try to cover it up, but if you committed a low crime then the other party would spin it as a high crime. For the sake of power, greed, and alliances, people set aside the truth, justice and fair play. 

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless - No, we cannot, for they are no longer the majority, they cannot speak for themselves. They cannot afford justice. We make the truth a light matter, money changes hands under the table, and the poor do not have enough money to pay for representation. The unborn are silenced before they can speak. If the truth were ever the objective then it would never matter, rich or poor, well connected or alone, we should want the truth and any applicable mercy. No one seeks the truth, only to win for their side.

38 In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”… Mark 12: 38-40

- Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. Break the nets of the man catchers, the legal toils, the bonds, the securities, with which cunning men capture and continue to hold in bondage the poor and the embarrassed. It is a brave thing when a judge can liberate a victim like a fly from the spider's web, and a horrible case when magistrate and plunderer are in league. Law has too often been an instrument for vengeance in the hand of unscrupulous men, an instrument as deadly as poison or the dagger. It is for the judge to prevent such villainy. - C. H. Spurgeon

Nevertheless, like men you shall die - You have been appointed to rule over other men, but in the end you were just called into being, not self existing, and though you may exalt yourself, to dust you will return. What good is a throne if a man does not honor God's superior place? How well will it serve you in the end if all you did here is serve yourself? Do justice in all humility, knowing that one day you will stand before the Judge of all. 

…13 But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My Heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. 14 Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15: 13-14