[1] God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
[2] "How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?
Selah
This is not one of my favorite psalms. I don't want to return to the idea that God is only one among gods. And if you go back to the Hebrew the capitalization with which we differentiate God from the gods is not evident. But it does show us something of the journey of the Hebrew people from polytheism to monotheism. And it does provide me amusement when I talk with people who stress the inerrancy of Scripture.
Me: So you believe that Scripture is without error?
Them: Yes, that's right.
Me: And you also believe that God is one God and there is only one God.
Them: Yes, that's right.
Me: And so what do you do about passages that talk about God sitting among the gods.
Them: - - -
At least so goes my ideal. It's so much easier to have these sorts of discussions when I can put words in the other person's mouth. Yet my discussion isn't really fair since I believe scripture to be the unique and authoritative witness to God and to be without error when correctly interpreted. I'm more trying to expose the logical fallacy when people assume that without error means without error in anything it talks about. And my dream discussion doesn't allow me to get that point across it only leads to fights and arguments and closed minds. Still I can dream about what I want to say.
[3] Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
[4] Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
[5] They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
And when I get to this section of the Psalm I find more of what seems useful in my daily life. The call for justice resonates with me as I've worked with people who are treated differently because of the way they speak or the color of their skin or other characteristics. Prejudice isn't as it once was, but that doesn't mean it's disappeared from the cities and towns where I live.
I talk to people who think my sexual orientation comes from my father being weak and my mother being domineering. Now my mother was a strong woman and my dad could be very gentle. I've seen my mother face down bullies and she weighed about 115 pounds. I've seen my father take a crying child in his arms and quiet the child to sleep in moments. I just don't think neglect or being overbearing or any of the other parental issues people give caused me to be attracted to my own gender. Yet some people pick and gnaw at every scrap of information until they say, "It's your parents" or something similar.
We are who we are and should be judged by what we bring to the table of our God. Humility, love, care for the widow, nurturing the orphan, and all the gifts of the Spirit are more than the way we speak, the color of our skin, our sexual orientation or our knowledge.
[6] I say, "You are gods,
children of the Most High, all of you;
[7] nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,
and fall like any prince."
[8] Rise up, O God, judge the earth;
all the nations belong to you!
And. perhaps, this conclusion is where I should find my rest. It is not up to me to judge, but to serve. I'll let God sort out the righteous and unrighteous, the wicked and the good. I will see wrong and it is my task to correct it, to work for a better day. But it is also for me to leave the fate of another in the hand of God. Trusting in God to do the sorting and judging and leaving me in adoration, praise and other service.
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