Psalm Chapter 82 - A Psalm of Asaph

Psalm 82: The Gods Who Forgot They Were Mortal

Here is a scene so extraordinary that one can scarcely believe the Psalter contains it: God standing in the assembly of the gods — the mighty ones, the judges, the powers — and calling them to account. "How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?" It reads like a courtroom drama staged in heaven, with the Almighty as both prosecutor and judge. And the charge is not theological error but a failure of mercy — they have neglected the poor, the fatherless, the afflicted. These lesser gods, whatever we take them to be, walk about in darkness while the very foundations of the earth tilt beneath their feet. Then comes the sentence, devastating in its simplicity: "Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men." One thinks of Lewis' observation that there are no ordinary people — we are all either becoming immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. To be given authority and use it for oneself is not merely a political failure; it is a kind of cosmic treason. The psalm ends with the only possible prayer: Arise, O God, and judge the earth yourself, since no one else can be trusted with the job.

00:00 God Stands in the Assembly
01:00 The Sentence Falls