Psalm_82

Scripture - What stood out?PSALM 82:1God has taken his place in the divine council;

    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: Observation - What does it say?Another psalm of Asaph. This fairly short psalm has one major theme: its cry for justice on behalf of those who are being oppressed by the wicked. Understanding - What does it mean?Initially when I read this psalm I glossed over the two lower case “gods” (NIV has the quote marks around it, I was reading ESV which does not) which appear in verse 1 and verse 6. When I read it again my slightly sarcastic mind-voice had taken over…”You guys think you are “gods”?...And I knew that didn’t sound like God the father! After reading several commentaries the majority interpretation was that God was referring to us(humans) as gods in the sense that we were very much like Him. In the second half of verse 6 He says, “...you are all sons of the Most High.” (sons I believe is understood to mean all genders in this case) I remember growing up whenever my father disciplined me as a child he would without fail tell me how hard it was for him to have to do this. That he loved me so much that wished he didn’t have to discipline me. I also remember my father repeatedly telling me how he prayed fervently that his sons would look just like him when we came out of the womb. And so as I read Psalm 82:1 again, I read it with the lens of a loving Father who really doesn’t want to have to discipline us. Because we remind Him of Him. God loves us of this I have no doubt. And it is out of his love he disciplines us. It is out of His righteousness that He applies His justice. And it is out of His grace that He grants mercy. Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today? I believe that God looks at us much like my father looked upon me. I can still see the love in his eyes as he would retell me the story of how much he wanted his sons to be like Him. I can still see the love in his eyes as he explained to me how much he disliked having to discipline me.  I believe when God judges “in the midst of gods” he is reminding us that we remind Him of Him, that he loves us, and that He does not enjoy having to discipline us. Today I choose to look in the mirror and say out loud “ I am an image bearer of God and God loves me.” I praise and worship you Lord! -kenneth lee