Context No. 4160 of 4322 · Psalms

Psalms 82:1-8: in context

1God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods. 2“How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah. 3“Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” 5They don’t know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6I said, “You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High. 7Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.” 8Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.

This psalm pictures God standing to judge the rulers and judges of the earth, those given authority to administer justice, and his charge against them is pointed: how long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? And then comes his clear command to those in power: give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute; rescue the weak and the needy.

God cares deeply how the vulnerable are treated, and he holds those in authority accountable for defending them. Two things stand out. God's passion for justice for the weak. He does not stand aloof from how the poor, the fatherless, the afflicted, and the needy are treated; he demands that they be defended, and he condemns the partiality that favors the wicked and neglects the vulnerable. And the accountability of those with power. The rulers who judge unjustly are themselves judged by God. God's heart is for justice for the weak, and he calls those with power to use it to defend the vulnerable, not to exploit or neglect them.

Do I use whatever power or influence I have to defend the weak, the poor, and the vulnerable, maintaining the rights of the afflicted, reflecting the heart of the God who demands justice for them and holds those in authority accountable for how they treat the weak?

Sources

Psalm 82:3-4: "Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy."
Psalm 82:2: "How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?"
Psalm 82:8: "Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations."