Meditation Monday, October 28, 2013 Revived by His Word - chapter of the Psalm 82 A Plea for Justice A Psalm of Asaph. 1 God astands in the congregation of 1the mighty; He judges among bthe 2gods. 2 How long will you judge unjustly, And cshow partiality to the wicked? Selah 3 3Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and dneedy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the efoundations of the earth are 4unstable. 6 I said, f“You are 5gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. 7 But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.” 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; gFor You shall inherit all nations. Comments The opening verse of this Psalm evokes a picture of a courtroom. God presides in the great assembly and gives judgment; interestingly, it’s the judges of Israel who are being arraigned. The Righteous Judge reprimands these judges for their bias towards the wicked, and implores them to protect the needs and rights of those who are defenseless. As I read God’s entreaty to defend the fatherless and the weak and to rescue the needy, my thoughts are propelled forward in time to Jesus’ life and teachings. Luke tells us, “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lords favor’” (Luke 4:16-19). This same Jesus who counseled his people in the Old Testament scriptures is now showing by the example of His unblemished life how to treat the defenseless, the widows and orphans, and the poor. I see Jesus, tenderly defending the widow with her two mites. I see Jesus, beckoning to the children while urging his friends, “Let the children come to me.” I see Jesus, looking down on His heartbroken mother, and entrusting her into John’s care. What beautiful demonstrations of love! What an insightful view of how Jesus treated people, and how He wants us to treat our fellow man. What is your favorite story demonstrating Jesus’ tenderness for those who needed Him? “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Amen. Kimberly Bobenhausen Home Educator revivedbyhisword.org/en/bible/psa/82/
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 16:36:09 +0000
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