Rescuing the Weak

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Psalm 82  The Message

An Asaph Psalm

82 God calls the judges into his courtroom,
    he puts all the judges in the dock.

^2-4 “Enough! You’ve corrupted justice long enough,
    you’ve let the wicked get away with murder.
You’re here to defend the defenseless,
    to make sure that underdogs get a fair break;
Your job is to stand up for the powerless,
    and prosecute all those who exploit them.”

⁵ Ignorant judges! Head-in-the-sand judges!
    They haven’t a clue to what’s going on.
And now everything’s falling apart,
    the world’s coming unglued.

^6-7 “I commissioned you judges, each one of you,
    deputies of the High God,
But you’ve betrayed your commission
    and now you’re stripped of your rank, busted.”

⁸ O God, give them their just deserts!
    You’ve got the whole world in your hands!

 

For Reflection 

Judges were tribal leaders, responsible for keeping the Torah and resolving disputes.   Do we have our heads in the sand when we judge societal violations?  Do we, as Christians, apply God's mercy, compassion, justice and forgiveness to the judgment?

Judgment is a necessary part of living.  The trick is not to become judgmental.  The difficulty arises when God-sense judgment conflicts with commonsense justice.  Civil courts decide whether or not laws were violated and how punishment is to be delivered.  Civil courts do not always decide what is just.  Law makers do not always create laws that are just.  Only God judges justly.  How do you deal with disputes regarding justice?

Pray

for those who must seek justice.  Pray for those who defend the defenseless.  Pray for those who advocate for the powerless.  Pray for the common place judges who must find justice in an unjust world.