Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

III GODS AND CHILDREN OF THE MOST HIGH - 6-8

“I say, ‘You are gods and children of the Most High. But in death you are mere men. You will fall as any prince, for all must die.’”(6, 7)

It is clear that God calls these judges ‘gods’ (Hebrew ‘elohim’) because they represent him per- sonally in the decisions concerning the law. In Exodus 21:6 the Hebrews are told to bring their slaves before the judges (‘gods’) if the slaves decide to stay with their masters. “If he does this, his master must present him before the judges (gods). “ They are called children of the most high because as human beings, they bear the image of God himself. In the Gospel of John Jesus had just declared: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn. 10:30) and the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him as this was the penalty for ‘blasphemy’. “Jesus said, ‘At my Father’s direction I have done many things to help the people. For which one of these good deeds are you killing me?’ They replied, ‘Not for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, have made yourself God.’(32, 33) If Jesus had blasphemed he would have been guilty of death but he was innocent because what he had said was true; he was God himself! He now proceeds to quote Psalm 82:6 to prove his point: “It is written in your own law that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’ And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered.”(34, 35) He establishes the fact that God the Father has declared in the law, (the Old Testa- ment that included the psalms), that the judges were called ‘gods’. He then reminds them that this can- not be altered or changed in any way. He is also implying that his claim to be ‘the Son of God’ is something that cannot be altered or changed in any way. He then proceeds by showing the contrast between the corrupt judges of Psalm 82 and his own holy life and mission: “So if those people, who received God’s message, were called ‘gods,’ why do you call it blasphemy when the Holy One who was sent into the world by the Father says, ‘I am the Son of God’?” (Jn. 10:35, 36) God called these unjust judges ‘gods’ so it is not blasphemy for Jesus the Mes- siah who was ‘sanctified’ and ‘sent’ from heaven to refer to himself as ‘the Son of God.’ He then adds the force of his supernatural works that also testify that he is God’s Son, the second person of the trin- ity: “Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. But if I do his work, believe in what I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will realize that the Father is in me, and I am in the Fa- ther.” (Jn. 10:37,38) From this point on in the Gospel of John there was no more debate about his claim to be the Son of God. His knowledge of the meaning behind this psalm proved that the Rabbis/judges of Israel knew nothing and were in darkness concerning his true identity.

“Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you.”(8)

The last verse of this important psalm tells us that God himself will step in to review all the deci- sions made by the judges of the earth. In the end, there will be perfect justice for all of the nations!

PSALM 83: LET US WIPE OUT ISRAEL A Confederacy of Evil

This psalm is a picture of how the enemies of God confederate themselves together to destroy the faith of his people. It is most likely a recounting of the great battle between Jehoshaphat and the Moab/Ammonite confederacy through the eyes of the prophet Jehaziel, a descendant of Asaph. This story in 2 Chronicles 20 best fits the historical and logistical elements of the song. In a larger context it is the story of Satan’s hatred of the nation of Israel and the church throughout the centuries as God has promised to crush the serpent’s head through their offspring. The psalm is presented in 4 parts:

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