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Psalm 82

How important is it for Christians to consider the needs of those less fortunate and when appropriate to intervene? There are some who will argue that the sole duty of a Christian is to obey God, and while I affirm that one must obey God, one cannot obey God while ignoring the needs of others.

Written by Asaph, a Levite who led King David's choir, God inspired the words of what is now recorded as Psalm 82.

Psalm 82:1-8
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. 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. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

In this psalm, we are told to defend and deliver. These are verbs that require action to be completed. We are told those who need defending and delivering walk in darkness. Little of God's truth is available to them. On top of this the world is out of control. Speaking to the children of God, Christians, a stern warning is given that death is imminent and that the fate of Christians is similar to that of Satan, who fell as a prince from heaven. Then God inherits the nations.

This is different than our typical thoughts on what to expect in the end time, and this happens because Christians judge unjustly and accept wickedness.

Compare Psalm 82 to Matthew 25. Matthew 25 is a the final teaching of Jesus before Passover week when he was crucified. It even comes after the famed Olivet Prophecy of Matthew 24. Christians who ignore Matthew 25 because of a fixation on Matthew 24, using the words of Psalm 82, will die like men and fall like one of the princes.

I have included additional information about Matthew 25.

Going back to Psalm 82, what can Christians do to avoid this fate? We have to obey God and we have to replace the unacceptable practices of judging unjustly and accepting wickedness with defending and delivering the poor and fatherless, the needy who have little of God's truth in a world that is out of control.

Perhaps this is what James knew when he wrote:

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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