Lessons From the Psalms - Psalm 82

[00:00:07] Welcome to Lessons From the Psalms. This is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. On this podcast we will be going over the book of Psalms.

[00:00:22] Let's open in prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this psalm today. Lord, I pray that you would reveal to everyone listening how much you truly love each and every one of them. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[00:00:38] This is Psalm 82 beginning in verse 1.

[00:01:20] I said you are God's and all of you are children of the Most High.

[00:01:28] But you shall die like men and fall like one of the princes.

[00:01:34] Arise, O God, judge the earth.

[00:01:37] for you shall inherit all nations. Friends, this is a wisdom psalm, and it is attributed to Asaph.

[00:01:47] Asaph had been a worship leader that was assigned by David to work in one of the temples in Jerusalem.

[00:01:56] And what I'd like to do is just briefly go over this psalm, because actually it's entitled,

[00:02:03] a plea for justice. Now Asaph is asking God and basically pleading to God that people get what

[00:02:15] they deserve in life. So if they are good people, that good would happen to them. And if they are

[00:02:23] evil people, that basically bad would happen to them. Let's review this psalm beginning in verse 1.

[00:02:31] God stands in the congregation of the mighty. He judges among the gods. Friends, quite simply,

[00:02:41] God is our judge. The Bible tells us on numerous occasions that we will get basically what we

[00:02:51] deserve. According to the works that we do, so will it be done to us. How long will you judge

[00:03:01] unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah. Now Selah tells us to meditate and ponder what we

[00:03:11] have just read. So Asaph is coming to the realization that at times in life, it seems like the evil people

[00:03:20] are getting away with it. And friends, at times it appears that way, but the Bible tells us that in

[00:03:29] the end they will get what they deserve. Let's go to verse 3. Defend the poor and fatherless. Do justice

[00:03:39] to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy. Free them from the hand of the wicked. And Asaph

[00:03:49] is basically pleading with God here. Is there are people in our world that are less fortunate than

[00:03:56] others? They don't have a lot of the things that some of us may have. And Asaph is just begging God

[00:04:05] to take care of these people. Let's go to verse 5. They do not know, nor do they understand. They walk

[00:04:15] about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are unstable. Friends, I believe here we're talking

[00:04:23] about non-Christians. And it says in darkness. That means that they're not walking in light. And the Bible

[00:04:30] tells us that if we know God, and if we know Jesus, his son, if we receive him into our hearts, then we

[00:04:39] will begin to walk in the light. Jesus is our light. Let's go to verse 6. I said, you are gods,

[00:04:51] and all of you are children of the Most High. Friends, we all are God's children. Whether we live that way or

[00:05:03] not really is up to us. It is our choice to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior and follow him or to

[00:05:14] reject Jesus. And end up in hell when we leave this earth. Let's go to verse 7. But you shall die like men

[00:05:25] and fall like one of the princes. And this verse very simply says that all of us will one day die

[00:05:35] in our physical bodies. We will stop breathing. We will die. But friends, we are spirit beings.

[00:05:47] And if we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will immediately go into the presence of Jesus.

[00:05:55] And if we reject him and never make that decision on earth, we will find ourselves going to hell.

[00:06:03] And let's close with verse 8. Arise, O God, judge the earth, for you shall inherit all nations.

[00:06:12] Friend, God is the creator of the universe. He owns everything that we see on earth, in the heavens,

[00:06:25] as well as underneath the earth. Friends, let's give our heart to him. Let's

[00:06:32] purpose in our hearts to live for God and for his son Jesus. Friends, please join me again soon

[00:06:40] as we take a closer look at Psalm 83.