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WHERE IS THE JUSTICE? (Psalm 82)

Does it bother you that there seems to be so little justice in our world today? People cry out for it, but it appears that not much justice is served.

That is the great message of Psalm 82. It is not just a realization of a lack of justice, but also the identification of where true justice comes from.

Verse 1: “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.”

I marvel here to read that God is not seated, as we usually picture a judge. He is standing. Not only that, He is right in the middle of the congregation, where people live. He sees everything and knows everything.

Verses 2-5: “How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.”

Doesn’t that sound like the world we live in? The whole earth seems off course. Everything seems disjointed. Just from watching the evening news you can get the idea that the world has gone mad.

When will it all be made right? Only when God fulfills His judgment.

Verse 6: “I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”

This is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. Some have interpreted that to say that all of us are like little gods, but that is not at all what the message is here. This is proven in verse 7: “But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.”

God has entrusted authority and responsibility to people, and they think of themselves as really important and powerful. But after passing judgment on others, they pass off the scene to stand before the Judge of the universe. Never forget that everyone will stand before Him one day. The Judge will deal with all of the judges in the end. And He will always do right.

Verse 8: “Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.”

This is how the psalm ends. People are frequently asking when everything will be made right. It will happen when the righteous One comes.

Recently I saw a bumper sticker that stated, “There will be peace on earth when …” and then a list of stipulations followed. The fact is that we will have peace only when the Prince of Peace comes. You can be sure that the Lord is going to do right.

Application in our own lives.

Aren’t we so quick to judge everyone else? I am very good at seeing the fault in someone else’s life and missing it on my own. So Psalm 82 should make me look first at my own heart. It is easy to focus on how the world is off course, but am I?

We all tend to think that we are right and everyone else is wrong, but we need to deal with our hearts first. It will also make you more merciful to others if you remember how merciful God has been to you.

If you want true justice, make sure that you are right with the Judge. Make sure you have confessed your sin and come clean with God. Remember that you will one day die, just like the men in verse 7. It doesn’t matter how high you are promoted or what everyone else thinks about you. Every person’s life is in God’s hands.

Know that you are going to be judged by God. If you are not a believer, realize that there is the Great White Throne judgment where those who appear will admit that they rejected the only true Savior and will be lost forever. If you are not certain that Christ is your Savior, trust Him today while He is on the seat of mercy and before He moves to the seat of judgment. If you don’t want to meet God in judgment someday, meet Him in mercy today.

If you are a Christian, I want to remind you that you will not be judged for your sin but you will be judged for your service. The Bible says that every last one of us will give an account of ourselves to God. If there is something you don’t want to face God with, take care of it now.

Application for the world around us.

This psalm conveys an image of a world that is messed up. The psalmist wondered how long wicked people would get away with what they were doing, and how long the poor and needy would have to deal with it.

We don’t always understand God’s timing and His ways, but when you start to get worked up about the lack of justice in the world, commit it to God in prayer. Psalm 82 is a prayer. The writer was communing with God, talking to Him about these things.

You can pray against the devil and all of those doing wicked in the world, and you can also pray for the poor and needy. You can do more through your prayer than you can through your actions or words to other people. When you pray, the hand of God begins to move and work in a mighty way.

I think that sometimes it would be better if our activism were turned into more active prayer. We love to talk to one another, but it is only when we talk to God that He begins to do what only He can do.

This is a glorious thought. You do not have to wait until someday to talk to the Judge; you can do it right now. He is listening. The court is open. You can enter into His chambers at this very moment.

A time of full judgment is coming, but God is also judging today. He is ruling over the good as well as the evil, and it is in prayer that we get more in tune with the heart of God and capture more of the mind of Christ.

If you are troubled today, let me suggest that you turn off the news and stop listening to all of the prognosticators and commentators. Try to get the mind of God instead. Spend some time in Psalm 82 today, but also get on your knees and spend some time with the God of Psalm 82.

Most of all, let verse 8 be your prayer: “Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.”