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
We are having important conversations in our church about racism. It's a conversation that has smoldered for years, and even now we do not like to "talk" about racism for fear of saying the wrong thing. Worse, we may fear that we must face the fact that there are reasons why our particular denomination (ELCA) remains a predominantly white church.
In South Dakota, our church planting narrative centers around fearless pioneers—we recall Little House on the Prairie and sod houses. But we are also aware of some ugly abuses of our American Indian neighbors. When we moved here and looked for signs of these neighbors, the word that came to mind was invisible. The psalmist's words suggest that feeling of being invisible: "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?"
In your community, who is praying, "Help?" Who is being judged unjustly and who has the power to keep the status quo?
Prayer
Give us eyes to see how the power we have can heal not harm our God-given neighbors. Amen.