Psalm 82 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Psalm 82 Short Summary:

Psalm 82 pictures God sitting in His divine council assessing the work of those to whom He has delegated authority on earth. He looks at the rulers of the nations in disappointment, seeing that they have been oppressors rather than helpers of the oppressed. God reminds them that they are not eternal like Him, they will die and be called into judgement for their actions.

Psalm 82 Summary

AUTHOR:

• Psalm 82 is a psalm of Asaph.

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES:

• John 10:34-36

THEMES:

• God has delegated authority to rulers who are responsible for upholding His virtues.

• God will judge those rulers if they fail in their responsibility.

DEFINITIONS:

• Divine Council (82:1) - *Refer to the first portion of the outline on page 2.

OUTLINE:

• THE DIVINE COUNCIL (82:1):

  • Psalm 82 opens with God taking His seat at the “divine council.”

  • He sat “in the midst of the gods” to hold judgement.

  • There has been much debate on the identity of these “gods.” Two popular interpretations exist:

    • (1) These are earthly rulers that God has ordained to rule over the nations. These are men on whom God has bestowed His authority, permitting them to rule and judge over other men. They are “gods” in the sense that the true God has delegated authority to them.  

    • (2) These are spiritual beings who God has set over the nations. These beings are subordinate to God, but they are to act as God’s representatives, having received authority from Him.

  • At the moment, I lean towards the first view, which is the one I’ll use to interpret the rest of the psalm.

• GOD’S PROBLEM WITH THE EARTHLY RULERS (82:2-8):

  • God was not pleased with these men and the way they used their power.

  • He accused them of judging unjustly and showing partiality to the wicked.

  • They favored the wicked and didn’t care about the weak, the fatherless, the afflicted, or the destitute.

  • They didn’t understand the responsibility God had placed on them, neither did they seem interested in learning.

  • Asaph said they walked around in darkness, and because of their neglect of duty, the foundations of the earth shook. In contrast to God, they ruled the world with a shaky and unstable hand, failing to uphold the virtues of the Creator.

  • These men had received a great privilege, but they were squandering it. They had been given authority by God to share in His rule, God even referred to them as “sons of the Most High,” but they did not wear the name and ordination of God as they should have.

  • Because of their rebellion, God reminded them of their mortality. They were not eternal, and like all men, they would die.

  • Asaph concluded Psalm 82 calling on the Lord to judge the evil rulers of the earth. He knew that God was King of kings, and that ultimately all nations and rulers were under His control.

APPLICATION:

• While we may not all be kings or queens governing large groups of people, God has given us all duties and roles that are important within His creation.

• As we see from this chapter, God wants us to take the fulfillment of our roles very seriously and He will call us to account for the way we fulfilled them.

• It’s important for you to know what God expects from you, whether you are a mother, father, teacher, boss, employee, elder, politician, teacher, student, husband, wife, or child.

• Every one of those roles comes with God given responsibilities, and we shouldn’t take that lightly. We should be honored to take our place in His creation.

• To do that, we need to learn about what God’s word says about those roles, and then make application.

• Keep in mind, the way God’s word defines roles may not match up with the way the godless world wants to define them.