The Highest Judge
Psalms 82
September 13, 2020
Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that “You’re going to love this Psalm like maybe you’ve haven’t loved a Psalm in a while.”
In the context of our world at the present, you’re liable to cling to this Psalm and quote it to your friends maybe more than any other.
I want to begin with what has become
A very difficult passage for all of us over the past few months.
Romans 13:1-7 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”
I don’t know that I’ve ever walked through a time in my life
Where that passage was more difficult for me than now.
It really shows my weakness and immaturity that I can get so bent out of shape so quickly over something as simple as wearing a mask or having to stand 6’ away from someone else.
More than one American has lamented
How quickly governors across our nation set aside our own constitution
And put a stop to what are called our “rights”.
Many of you have been following along with the battle between John MacArthur’s church and L.A. county.
This past Thursday a judge ruled against John MacArthur.
• He was ordered to stop his indoor worship services and was ordered to allow
county officials into his church to post signs and to monitor their compliance.
• MacAthur defied the orders and the met again today.
But it’s just one of the examples of an abuse of power
Like most of us have never seen.
We cling to our “Bill of Rights” and demand our right to bear arms,
Our right to assembly, and our freedom of religion.
And many of us have cringed at politicians who used a “pandemic” (that brings a highly questionable threat)
To strip freedoms everywhere.
• Businesses closed
• Churches closed
• Sporting events canceled
• I don’t have to take you through the list, you’ve seen it and know it all too well.
And yet all the while, we as Christians
Have this NAGGING PASSAGE in the back of our minds
That we are to be in subjection to the governing authorities.
Now I know, that doesn’t negate God’s commands.
I certainly stand with John MacArthur that Christ’s command to not forsake assembling trumps any governor’s executive order.
I am well aware that we don’t trump the commands of God.
BUT LET’S BE HONEST,
Much of our frustration with the governing authorities HASN’T HAD TO DO with them commanding us to do something God forbids or commanding us not to do something God commands.
• We’ve just been angered at the overall abuse of power.
• We’ve been angered at their restriction of our basic way of life.
And the Bible DOESN’T SAY
That we can rebel against our governing authorities
Because they disregard the constitution.
So passages like the one in Romans are difficult.
• We know, and we see there that governing officials are supposed to be ministers of good and ministers of God.
• We know that governing officials are supposed to punish evildoers and reward those who do good.
• And we know that we are commanded to pay taxes to such people and even give them honor.
But then
• We see hairdressers thrown in jail for cutting hair and rioters and looters running free.
• We see politicians seeking to use our tax dollars to fund abortions.
• We have a sense of lobbyists and bribery and corruption.
And it makes it all really hard to swallow.
And all the while aside from submission
The Bible only really gives us one recourse.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
We are told to pray for these men and women.
Well, I’m not going to lie to you.
95% of my prayers for our leaders have been of the IMPRECATORY sort.
I pray:
Psalms 5:9-10 “There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue. Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, For they are rebellious against You.”
Psalms 10:15 “Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer, Seek out his wickedness until You find none.”
Psalms 58 comes to mind as a prayer I desire to pray.
Psalms 58 “Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? No, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands. The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth. They have venom like the venom of a serpent; Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear, So that it does not hear the voice of charmers, Or a skillful caster of spells. O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD. Let them flow away like water that runs off; When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts. Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along, Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun. Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike. The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. And men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!”
Those are really the types of prayers that fun first through my heart
In light of all the corruption we see.
AND I HAVE NO PROBLEM PRAYING THAT WAY.
Well, tonight I’ll show you
THE SONG YOU CAN SING AFTER YOU FINISH THAT PRAYER.
It is clear that Asaph has had enough of the corruption around him.
The song he sings here is a clear and concise warning
To those who suppose they answer to no one.
It is a song of warning that every leader, every judge, every ruler
Will one day give an account to the judge who is higher than they.
• Governors who canceled church services will answer to God for that.
• This Judge in LA who ruled against MacArthur’s church will answer to God.
• These politicians who promote abortion will answer to God.
• These rulers who take bribes and cater to the wicked, will stand before God.
They are NOT the ultimate judges
They are NOT the final authority
And Asaph here has a song to sing to them to remind them of that.
In view of the corruption and frustration of our day you might find yourself singing it too!
I’ll break it down into 5 points tonight.
#1 THE CONFRONTATION
Psalms 82:1-2
Here we open with an important reminder to every single judge or ruler.
One day they will answer to the judge who is higher than they.
“God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.”
“rulers” there is literally “gods”
And I’ll tell you why.
• It is because they are endowed with God’s authority.
• It is because they were commissioned to render God’s judgments.
• And in Israel they were to operate according to God’s Laws.
We read that in Romans 13.
Romans 13:1-2 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”
Romans 13:3 calls them “a minister of God”
In short, they stand with God’s authority.
Moses revealed it.
Exodus 22:8-9 “If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. “For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.”
The word “judges” there is ELOHIM which we translate “gods”.
Moses is not saying that they are deity,
But rather that they stand in the role of having God’s authority.
You listen to them because God has given them His authority over you.
So much so that Moses said:
Exodus 22:28 “You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”
In short, you treat them the same as you treat God.
Now, we’ll get there in a moment, but you’ll remember that
Jesus actually quoted verse 6 to the Pharisees.
John 10:34-35 “Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’? “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),”
Jesus here explains that these people are referred to as gods because God’s word came to them (and from them to the people).
They spoke God’s judgments and so they spoke to the people as God.
You see this even among the apostles.
John 20:22-23 “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
Obviously only God can forgive sins.
What Jesus was saying to the disciples is that they
Will operate with God’s authority and thus declare men forgiven or not.
In a sense, we do the same thing.
We base it on God’s word, and if a man repents, then we tell them based on the authority of God that they are forgiven.
Paul told the Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
IT IS THE SAME POINT HERE
So what we are dealing with here in verse 1 is people
Who in a civil sense have been the final authority among people.
The buck has stopped with them.
• For all intents and purposes they have been as a god to the people
• Because they people had to do what they said.
And these people have acted as though they are free to do what they will.
But right out of the gate Asaph reminds them
That they are NOT FREE to do as they will,
For they also have a Judge whom they will answer to.
And this Judge is not happy.
(2) “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah”
I love the timing of the “Selah” or pause here.
It brings with it that cold deathly stare of a parent
Who looks you in the eye and asks you why you did what you did.
Here the question is regarding
Their lack of justice in their judgments and their partiality to the wicked.
• Like when political rulers allow rioters to loot and steel and burn down businesses.
• Like when political rulers refuse to defend the unborn or those who are victims of sex trafficking.
• Like when a Mayor in Lubbock had no problem closing gun stores but is now fighting to let Planned Parenthood back in.
It’s nothing but corruption.
• We know why.
• Someone is padding their pockets.
• Some lobbyist is offering them money under the table to look the other way or stamp a piece of paper.
We see the corruption everywhere.
How many career politicians went into office with average income and now are millionaires?
It is obvious they have taken bribes and perverted justice.
We know it and can’t do anything about it.
But Asaph reminds here that GOD ALSO KNOWS IT.
And if you’ll remember from last Sunday night,
GOD IS PASSIONATE ABOUT IT.
Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”
Amos 5:24 “But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Oddly enough Amos 5:24 was one of the passages quoted by Martin Luther King and he was write in his assessment.
TODAY, we have people using the word “justice”
Who have no clue what it means.
It’s actually CORRUPTION THAT IS LABELED AS JUSTICE.
And those who condone it are in danger before God.
Psalms 50:16-21 “But to the wicked God says, “What right have you to tell of My statutes And to take My covenant in your mouth? “For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you. “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers. “You let your mouth loose in evil And your tongue frames deceit. “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. “These things you have done and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.”
• People who congratulate a thief like a looter and rioter.
• People who protest on behalf of a convicted rapist (adulterer)
• People who lie and deceive with their tongue and slander the righteous
And all the while they thought they were doing the work of God.
God would go on to say:
Psalms 50:22 “Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.”
They may feel invincible now, but their day is coming.
They will stand before God.
At the Great White Throne
The Bible says that “the great and the small” will all appear.
• They will not get away with their corruption.
• There is a higher judge.
• The Supreme Court is the most misnamed court in the history of the world.
• Every one of those justices will answer to God.
And Asaph is singing about it.
The Confrontation
#2 THE COMMAND
Psalms 82:3-4
There is no confusion here.
There is no vagueness.
God is a God of justice
And He does not mince words about what every ruler should do.
If any king or president or ruler or politician or judge or even religious leader happens to be listening, then by all means they had better TAKE NOTES regarding God’s command.
“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”
More than advice, this is the command of God.
• When He brought them to power, He brought them to power to do this very thing.
This, incidentally, is why I am not a fan of the libertarian party.
They are the ones who just want the government to get out of everything.
They don’t want the government to have any moral say about anything.
It’s why I do not hold to the statement “You can’t legislate morality”
Well what else are you supposed to legislate?
Again to refer to what Paul said:
Romans 13:3-4 “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”
Their legitimate function is to reward good behavior and punish evil behavior.
• They are supposed to defend the weak.
• They are supposed speak for the defenseless.
• It is their moral obligation before God.
Many of you are familiar with Proverbs 31
As the chapter on the Virtuous Woman.
Very few are familiar with the first part of that chapter, where before outlining what kind of wife to find, King Lemuel’s mother told him how to be a good king.
Proverbs 31:1-9 “The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him: What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, Or your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter. Let him drink and forget his poverty And remember his trouble no more. Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.”
Aside from warning him about sexual scandal and drunkenness,
She reminded him that his job was
To judge righteously and to defend the weak.
Top of that list today no doubt is the unborn.
But when rulers are filled with corruption.
• When they call what is good “evil”
• When they call what is evil “good”
• They can expect to answer to God for it.
It is their job to rule and reign with justice.
• They are not supposed to allow thieves and rioters to freely roam the streets.
• They are not supposed to look the other way when people are victimized or vandalized.
• They are not supposed to only stand for those who can put money in their pockets.
And God clearly spells that out to them.
Isaiah 58:6-7 “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”
The Confrontation, The Command
#3 THE CONFUSION
Psalms 82:5
Here we get one verse about the effect of corrupt rulers on their society.
You’re going to be able to identify.
“They do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness;”
It is a picture of hopelessness and bewilderment.
Remember how the people in Jesus day were spoken of?
Matthew 4:15-16 “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES — “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”
• Walking in darkness was akin to hopelessness.
• They had no hope at all that their rulers would do right by them.
• In Jesus’ day it was Jews expecting justice from a Roman empire that cared nothing for them.
I think we can understand to a degree.
• It is the effect of corrupt rulers on a people.
• It leaves them without hope.
Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”
Isaiah saw it like this:
Isaiah 59:9-11 “Therefore justice is far from us, And righteousness does not overtake us; We hope for light, but behold, darkness, For brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope along the wall like blind men, We grope like those who have no eyes; We stumble at midday as in the twilight, Among those who are vigorous we are like dead men. All of us growl like bears, And moan sadly like doves; We hope for justice, but there is none, For salvation, but it is far from us.”
That is the effect that corrupt leadership has on its people.
Asaph goes on to explain them as:
“All the foundations of the earth are shaken”
That is to say, nothing is right anymore; nothing is dependable; nothing is trustworthy.
• We have doctors that will tell you COVID is dangerous.
• We have doctors that tell us it isn’t.
• We have news sources that tell us the protest are peaceful.
• We have news sources that tell us they aren’t.
• One politician says another is lying, and the response is, “no you are”.
There is no bedrock foundation to follow.
Psalms 11:3 “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
• If you live in a culture that fights for the right to kill the unborn…
• If you live in a culture that celebrates homosexuality…
• If you live in a culture that demands certain ideologies…
What can you do?
Well, you pray to the Judge who outranks them all.
David answered that question by saying:
Psalms 11:4-7 “The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.”
We trust God.
But you understand where Asaph is coming from.
• He is singing a song to these corrupt rulers
• Telling them that because they fail to obey the commands of God, they will stand judgement.
• They have discouraged the righteous and emboldened the wicked and they will answer to God for it.
Which is the next point.
#4 THE CONDEMNATION
Psalms 82:6-7
“I said, “You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High”
That is to say, “I put you in place of authority”
I gave you the right to rule and to judge.
I exalted you above the people and gave you the sword
That you might punish the wicked and deliver the righteous.
But you have judged unjustly.
You have shown partiality to the wicked.
So…
(7) “Nevertheless you will die like men and fall like any one of the princes.”
That is to say, you won’t always be in this position.
• Death is the great equalizer.
• And many a Tyrant died bad.
I still remember pictures that surfaced of Sodom Hussain
After living underground for a few months.
I remember laughing at how he looked like he’d had his throat cut.
He wasn’t so big all of a sudden.
God spoke like that to the king of Assyria.
• God had granted the king of Assyria the right to judge nations as an avenger of God, but he corrupted his power.
To him God said:
Isaiah 14:12-21 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’ “All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb. “But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse. “You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever. “Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities.”
It is the story of a king who got too big for his britches
And God brought him down.
Even though Paul apologized for speaking ill of High Priest,
I understand his outburst.
Acts 23:1-3 “Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, “Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.” The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?”
Do corrupt men really think
They can violate the Law of God and yet still escape?
Someone would do good to ask Governor Newsome out in California if he really thinks he can attack God’s church and come out on top?
They cannot!
THEY WILL BE JUDGED.
• Today they feel big and powerful because God has placed them in authority.
• Today we submit to them because all authority comes from God.
• Today we put up with their corruption.
But we know, their day will come to an end.
That is the song Asaph sings to the corrupt rulers.
• It is a song many of us would like to sing to our leaders in Washington.
It is a severe warning that men in power
Are there by the sovereign will of God,
But to whom much has been given, much will be required.
But after announcing this truth to the corrupt judges of the land,
Asaph ends with one final stanza in his song.
#5 THE CALL
Psalms 82:8
“Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations.”
If you’re wondering how this fits.
It is the very call of the Apostle John at the end of the Revelation.
• John saw the fall of the political world system of the Beast.
• John saw the fall of the harlot and all false religion.
• John saw the wicked slain.
• John saw Satan cast into hell.
• John saw Jesus return and destroy all evil.
And to all of that John said:
Revelation 22:20 “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
This verse is the “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus”
“Arise, O God, judge the earth!”
It is Asaph’s plea and his prayer.
• It is my prayer.
• It is your prayer.
We like Abraham long for a city where righteousness dwells.
We long for the day when Jesus returns and destroys the wicked
And sets up a righteous kingdom.
We read of His reign:
Isaiah 11:1-5 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”
We read of His city
Revelation 21:22-27 “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Asaph knows that all the kings will bow to God.
Asaph knows that all the judges will answer to Him.
And after warning them, He pleads for that day.
We long for it too.
And in the meantime we rejoice in the fact that the day is coming.
• We know that the corrupt rulers of our day will get no say in Heaven.
• They will answer for what they’ve done and God will reign in righteousness.
This is an encouraging song!
We look to this!
We wait for this!
Now, since we don’t actually have this song set to music where we can sing it, instead I’ve asked Leo to come up and sing “Jesus, What A Mighty Name”.
And tonight, if you know it, sing it with him!
We are looking for the day when our God puts an end to all the corruption.
