Psalm 82 Worksheet

Another psalm of Asaph.

God is the ______________________ judge over all other so called ‘gods’ V. 1-2

Verse 1 is so intriguing, and made more so in the Hebrew language, where the same Hebrew word Elohim (H430) is translated ‘God’ at the beginning of the verse and ‘gods’ at the end, with the word El (H410) in the middle translated ‘mighty.’ It is a great reminder that the ______________________ a word appears in often forces our interpretive options.

Anyone want to guess what the 4 interpretive options for “gods” at the end of verse 1might be?

Whatever is meant by “gods” in verse 1, the point is clear – God is the Ultimate Judge over all of those who are put forward as rulers and judges over others. In the end those ________________________ ‘judges’ will be judged by Him!

God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. -Ps. 7:11

The one true God does not side with the wicked the way these bad rulers do; no, He will judge the unrepentant wicked and unrepentant evil rulers who let the wicked prosper under their wicked rule.

What God ______________________ of ‘god-like’ rulers V. 3-4

God expects ‘godly’ rulers to defend and deliver the most vulnerable among the people they rule.

Who are among the most vulnerable according to verses 3-4?

What are the 4 commands in verses 3-4?

In the beautiful Torah of the first 5 books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy, caring for the most vulnerable among them was a consistent expectation of God’s people. The message of the prophets was often a _________________________ of leaders and people alike for failing to lead well.

Isaiah 1:16-20

In Psalm 82 God is kind of sarcastically rebuking those who fashion themselves god-like leaders of others! It’s as if He says, “Some kind of ‘gods’ you are! You judge unjustly, you favor the wicked, but you don’t defend, deliver, and do justly toward those who need you to do those things the most!”

God states the truth about ‘_______________________’ gods V. 5-7

In v. 5 God _____________ all godless idols, people, and the demons backing them as being truly ignorant, foolishly walking in darkness and destabilizing the earth the way Satan did in the Garden of Eden.

Who do you think God is going after in verses 6-7?

The true problem behind all false ‘gods’ is _______________________!

Isaiah 14:12-21

Ezekiel 28:11-19

Note what verse 7 teaches – the Real God will _______________________ fall or die, but false rulers, false prophets, false gods, and false angels (demons) all will!

John 10:31-39

In John 10:34 Jesus cites Psalm 82:7 as He chastises the Pharisees for their pride and acting as the religious judges of Him. They were acting like ‘gods’ and were even trying to ____________________ to death Jesus their true God.

That’s what pride does – misses worship of the one true God, and sets up god substitutes that allow all manner of sin to follow.

The Psalmist ends with a prayer for God to rule on earth V. 8

Verse 8 is a “a call back” to Psalm 2! Remember that Psalms 1-2 set the _____________________ for every Psalm that follows.

Psalm 2

Questions?