Skip to content God's Justice and Earthly Rulers — Lessons from Psalm 82–85 Jul 29 · 13 min ...more
God's Justice and Earthly Rulers — Lessons from Psalm 82–85
July 29, 2026 · 13 min
God's judgment, the duty of leaders, and the call for institutions and hearts to align with Scripture for true justice.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand July 29, 2026 · 13 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
God's judgment, the duty of leaders, and the call for institutions and hearts to align with Scripture for true justice. ...more Show the full description Show less God's judgment, the duty of leaders, and the call for institutions and hearts to align with Scripture for true justice.
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Psalm 82: God Judges Unjust Rulers 0:10 Good morning and welcome to the Oasis of Praise as our journey through the book of Psalms continues. Today we're in Psalm 82 through 85, verse 10 of chapter 84. For a day in0:22 your courts is better than 1000. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. I hope and pray that you are finding our time in the0:34 book of Psalms both hopeful and encouraging and inspiring. I am. I tell you I'm finding something new each and every day. Now today the Psalms we have, 2 of them are written by Asaph and 2 by the0:46 sons of Korah. Now as we begin I've got a question, observation. Have you noticed how much the Psalmist focus0:58 on government? I think we in fact today we start off with God judging the ungodly rulers of this world. Then we're gonna see the characteristics of godly government.1:10 So if if the word of God focuses on government, does that not indicate that it is important? And if it is important, should we not be concerned with it?Psalm 83: Prayer Against God's Enemies 1:21 Now, that's a rhetorical question because the obvious answer is yes. And by the way, for those of you who would like to go a little bit deeper in studying government from a biblical and1:33 historical perspective, I've got a resource available for you that could help you. It spans 3 decades of of research, of study, and of teaching, that you can have access to. Simply1:45 text the word course to 6 7 7 4 2. That's course to 6 7 7 4 2 4, the God and government course. Alright. Let's begin. Psalm 82 is a petition to God to extend his1:56 judgment throughout the earth because of unjust rulers. Verse 1, God stands in the congregation of the mighty. He judges among the gods. Now the term2:08 gods here is little g, that means rulers. Verse 2. How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless.2:20 Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy, free them from the hand of the wicked. Now, this is the role of judges and leaders.2:32 Uphold God's standard of righteousness. Now scripture repeats this focus for, of God being focused on justice. Now, for God this is not a2:44 campaign slogan that he's using to get your vote as politicians do, this is the very nature of God. Now here's something that is totally counter to the prevailing2:55 mindset of today. Justice is not achieved by defunding the police so that lawbreakers, are not arrested or it's not accomplished by coddling criminals. Justice3:07 is achieved. Listen, don't miss this. Justice is achieved when our institutions of government, which includes self, family, church, and civil government,3:19 come into alignment with the word of God. Reject the word of God as we have done as a whole in society today, and pursuing justice becomes like a dog chasing its3:31 tail. Alright. Verse 5. They do not know, nor do they understand. They walk about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are unstable. I said you are gods and all of you are children of the3:43 most high. But you shall die like men and fall like 1 of the princes. Now again, God's little g, earthly rulers. The term children of the Most High is not the same,3:55 understanding as our New Testament use of the children of God as in being adopted to the into the family of God. These, as all men, all men, all human beings, are created in the4:07 image of God and, they gain their power. These leaders gain their power from God whether they are righteous or unrighteous. Verse 8, arise, oh God, judge the earth for you shall4:19 inherit all nations. Announcement, kind of scrolling a scroll across the bottom of the screen. This is coming soon. When Jesus returns, he will sit on the throne4:31 and judge the nations. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is lord. Alright. In Psalm 50 or Psalm 83, we see another petition of AsaphPsalm 84: Longing for God's Presence 4:43 for the help of God against those who are enemies of God and his people. Do not keep silent, oh God. Do not hold your peace and do not be still, oh God. For behold, your enemies make a tumult4:55 and those who hate you have lifted up their heads. They have taken crafty counsel against your people and consulted together against your sheltered ones. They have said, come and let us cut them off from5:07 being a nation. The name of Israel shall be remembered no more, for they have consulted together with 1 consent. They form a confederacy against you. Question, is5:18 that headlines or is that history? It's both. Alright, let's jump to the conclusion here, which once again is instructed to us in how we pray. Verse 17,5:30 Let them be confounded and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, that this is the the critical pivot here that they may know that you, whose5:42 name alone is the Lord, are the most high over all the earth. The reason, the reason for the defeat of God's enemies was so that others who were watching would5:54 know that there is 1 God and that he is the ruler of all the earth. And we find some very familiar and encouraging verses in chapters 84 and 85 which were written by the sonsPsalm 85: Mercy, Truth & Salvation in Christ 6:06 of Korah. Verse, chapter 84 is a Zion or pilgrimage psalm. This is a psalm of hope and the focus is on the on coming into6:18 the presence of God as they were going into the the temple. A psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs,6:30 yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Verse 4, blessed are those who dwell in the house, they will still be praising you. Blessed is the man6:41 whose strength is in you, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. They go from strength to strength. Each 1 appears before God in Zion. It kind of reminds me of the words of Paul in Ephesians6:53 6, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. When our strength is in the Lord and not in ourselves we can go from strength to strength.7:06 Unlike unlike everything else that has been created which is running out of energy and power, that is the 2nd law of thermodynamics, when we live in the strength of God7:18 spiritually, we are growing not weak but stronger if we are dwelling in the Lord. So through the Lord we get stronger and7:30 stronger. I mean think about that, that defies reality. We're getting stronger, not getting older and weaker spiritually, but getting stronger as we7:42 abide in Christ. Verse 10: For a day in your courts is better than 1000. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Tents of wickedness.7:54 Now let that truth sink in. Alright? A day in the presence of the Lord brings more joy, peace and satisfaction in8:05 1000 days pursuing the best the world has to offer. So if that's true, and it is, what, what should that say about how we8:17 order our day, how we order our week? Should we not prioritize our time with God, coming into his presence, spending time with him? And I commend you, those of8:29 you who are on this journey, that's exactly what you're doing. You're prioritizing your time with God, spending time in his word, abiding in Christ. You're dwelling in the presence of God. And I know because God's word8:40 is faithful that you're being encouraged and strengthened and your heart is being drawn closer to him. Verse 11, For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory.8:52 No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Chapter 859:04 is a lament and a psalm of thanksgiving with a vivid description of salvation which ultimately points to Jesus the Messiah. Now as we've discussed before, this is9:16 true of scripture in the prophetic messages of the scripture, there are multiple horizons of application. Now this, when it was written, applied to the restoration of9:28 Israel to the land after the Babylonian captivity. But as we'll see, there is the prophetic horizon of the Messiah. Alright, verse 4, Restore us, oh9:40 God of our salvation, and cause your anger toward us to cease. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people9:51 may rejoice in you? Show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people and to his10:03 saints, but let them not turn back in folly. You know, Lord, keep us from that which draws us away from you. Keep us from that which brings reproach upon yourClosing Prayer & Bible Plan Promo 10:15 name. Verse 9, surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have10:27 kissed. It's a wonderful verse. It is a tremendous verse. Charles Spurgeon says of this verse that the 4 divine attributes of God quote found their10:38 way to the cross. See this is where human intellect struggles. Mercy is not denying truth. Right? Mercy is God's recognition10:51 of the truth that man has a fallen nature that has separated us from him. But through the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross, the righteousness of of Christ is11:03 imputed to those who believe, bringing us to a place of peace with God. Verse 11, Truth shall spring out of the earth and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Through Jesus,11:14 heaven and earth are reconciled. Man can be at peace with his creator God, not a fragile ceasefire, but an everlasting peace. And that can be11:26 yours through a relationship with Jesus Christ. That is what God's mercy and grace has provided for us, who were separated from God because of our11:38 sin. Father, we thank you for your word. And Lord how encouraging your word is, how filled with hope. And Lord I pray that, Lord, we would walk in obedience before you, filled11:50 with the hope, Lord, of your government, Lord, of your righteousness and your justice, and Lord, may we emulate that. May we seek to do the same, that we would come in alignment with your word in our12:01 homes, in our churches, Lord, in our own lives. Lord, understanding that self government, governing our selves according to your word is the foundation, Lord, for,12:13 for a nation that wants to prosper and do well, and everyone benefits from that. So I pray, Father, that you would bring our understanding and our actions in alignment with your word through the12:25 power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Lord, bless those who are on this journey. May you encourage them and strengthen them. And, Lord, Lord, I just pray for an outbreak of joy today.12:37 For we pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning, and until next time, keep standing on the Word.12:47 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at frc dot org slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day,12:59 you can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Psalm 82: God Judges Unjust Rulers1:11 Psalm 83: Prayer Against God's Enemies4:43 Psalm 84: Longing for God's Presence6:04 Psalm 85: Mercy, Truth & Salvation in Christ10:08 Closing Prayer & Bible Plan Promo
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