Psalm 82 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 82 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
Verse 2"How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Verse 3Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Verse 4Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
Verse 5They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Verse 6I say, "You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
Verse 7nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince."
Verse 8Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
Devotion
The writer of this psalm shows God in the heavens judging all of the gods of the nations, who deserve to perish because they bring evil to people’s lives.
We need to understand this in terms of the gods of our own time. Our gods are the things to which we are addicted. According to Anne Wilson Schaef, in her book Co-Dependence: Misunderstood, Mistreated, almost everyone in this country is addicted to something. We can be addicted not just to substances but ways of thinking or acting, or to persons. Addictions have the purpose of denial or self-deception. We use them to feel like we are in control of our lives. But in reality they cause us to lose control and cause great suffering for ourselves and those around us.
Prayer
Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you. Show us the pain and suffering caused by those things we use to try to rule our lives without you. Help us to learn every day that you are the only God who can give us righteousness and peace. Amen.