Today’s scripture: Psalm 82 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Keith Phillips):
Back in the olden time, before there was as much blank or free verse as there is today, I wondered why, if the psalms were supposed to be poetry, they don’t have much rhyme or even much rhythm. Some scholars estimate that nearly a third of the entire Old Testament is poetry; and since we don’t usually understand a good poem in the same way we understand a historical document or a legend, it might be wise to have a nodding acquaintance with Hebrew poetry.
The basis for Hebrew poetry is not rhyme or rhythm, but the parallelism, of three sorts. Synonymous parallelism is when the thought of the first line is repeated in the second line. Psalm 82 is primarily synonymous parallelism. Verse one in the New Revised Standard Version reads:
God has taken [God’s] place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods [God] holds judgment.
And verse two in The Message Bible reads:
Enough! You’ve corrupted justice long enough,
you’ve let the wicked get away with murder.
Both phrases in each verse are saying essentially the same thing in different ways.
Antithetical parallelism is when the thought of the first line is contrasted in the second line. Psalm 34:10 is a good example:
The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (NSRV)
The two phrases in the verse are saying opposite things.
Synthetic parallelism expands the thought of the first line into the next line. Psalm 82:5 is a good example of a three line stanza in which the first two lines are synonymous, but with the addition of the third line there’s an elaboration, an expansion of the thought:
They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken. (NRSV)
To understand the three kinds of parallelisms empowers us to interpret scripture, particularly the poetry parts, more faithfully. It’s also kind of fun, as we read Hebrew poetry, to figure out which of the three kinds of parallelism a particular verse uses.
So, what’s going on in Psalm 82? Some may disagree, but I think this psalm was written from the early belief that each nation in the ancient Near East was ruled by its own god. Yahweh ruled in Israel, Ba’al ruled in Canaan, Ra ruled in Egypt, and so on. The psalm describes Yahweh calling all these national gods together, and Yahweh accuses them of injustice. These national gods are found guilty and are deposed. Yahweh is the one true God because Yahweh is the only just God. The final verse of the psalm urges and proclaims, “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!” Or, “O God, may what’s been decided in heaven be accomplished on earth!”
The thing I find intriguing is that justice is not defined as equality; but rather, it is a preferential option for the poor and marginalized: “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” (verses 3–4; The Message). Many Christian Americans may not like it, but a radical redistribution of wealth is taught in both the Old and the New Testaments as an act of justice. Indeed, this psalm states, poetically, that the gods of the nations were overthrown by the one, true God for not practicing that kind of justice!
Thought for the day: Sometimes the practice of Christian love becomes vague and nebulous in our daily lives. Substitute justice as a preferential option for the marginalized, and we might have a better idea what God in Christ desires!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.