June 30, 2023 Bible Study — The Psalmist Gives Warning to Those Who Think That They are Gods

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Psalms 82-89.

In the first of today’s psalms, those who created the NIV translation chose to put the word “gods” in quotes.  I am not a Hebrew scholar, but I am quite confident that there are no quotes in the Hebrew manuscripts from which this passage was translated.  I am equally confident that the translators conveyed the psalmist’s meaning accurately when they used those quotation marks here.  The psalmist warns these “gods” that ultimately God sits in judgement over them.  He then asks them how long they will defend the unjust and side with the wicked?  The psalmist demands that these “gods” defend the weak and uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed.  He goes on to remind these “gods” that they will die just like all other mortals.  As I read this I thought of those who consider themselves the elites of our society today.  They too often seem to defend the unjust and favor the wicked.  They refuse to defend the fatherless or rescue the weak.  They, like those discussed in the second of today’s psalms, conspire against God and those who serve Him.  However, as the psalmist prays, God will not remain silent.  Even now He is sending them a warning in the fires which are consuming the forests.  He will bring judgement against them.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.