God presides in the great assembly; / he renders judgment among the “gods”
Psalm 82:1 NIV
Psalm 82 paints an interesting picture. It begins with God (elohim) presiding over the great assembly. And as he does, he renders judgment among the gods (elohim). Elohim is a somewhat generic word used for deity. It can refer to the Lord (YHWH) God or the gods worshipped by the people around Israel. And it is used in both of these ways in Psalm 82:1.
Are these gods the pagans, and often Israel, worshipped real? The Bible does indicate that they are real spiritual beings. Daniel 10:13, 20 refers to Michael, the prince of Israel, as well as the princes of Persia and Greece. These are real spiritual beings who, somehow, had rule over nations.
Passing Judgment
In this psalm, God has assembled these “gods” together and is passing judgment over them. These gods had failed to promote justice and oppressed the poor and helpless (Ps 82:2-4). As a result, despite the responsibility and authority they had been given, they would face the same judgment as mere mortals (Ps. 82:6-7). The psalm closes with a cry from God’s people to judge the earth, acknowledging that the nations belong to him rather than these so-called gods (Ps. 82:8).
We do not know much about the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm that we are fighting against (Eph. 6:12). But what is clear is that they are very real. They are created beings (Col. 1:16), Christ defeated them at the cross (Col 2:15), and they are facing God’s judgment (Ps. 82). But even as defeated foes, they are still very active in our world today.
This psalm helps me to recognize that there are forces at work in this world that I cannot see. Forces that are opposed to all that is good. But I can rest assured that God is sovereign. And that he is using even these “gods” to accomplish his purpose in creation.
So I can take my stand, confident that God will give me what I need to emerge victorious in my fight against them (Eph. 6:10-17).
