"O God, rise up and judge the world."

[Psalm 82]

Yesterday, while having dinner on Tuesday evening, my wife and I had a conversation about American politics. The conversation started with my wife’s thoughts on the current U.S. Immigration Law, but as a couple, we discussed not only the immigration policies of the candidates who have announced their presidential runs and are now in the election process, but also their values and issues that are of concern to current American evangelical Christians, such as abortion and same-sex marriage, among other things. Especially after hearing the news that Senator Hillary Clinton had won over Senator Obama by a 2% margin in the New Hampshire Primary election, my wife and I both agreed that while we do not know who will become the next President of the United States, we hope that someone who believes in Jesus and holds biblical values would become president and govern the country well. This was a time for us to reaffirm that hope. Later this morning, I was reading "Mijoo Gospel News" (December 23, 2007) and came across an article titled "The Korean Church's Wishes for the New President." From this article, I understood that the Korean church was praying for President-elect Lee Myung-bak to be a leader who fears God. On the day of the election, December 19, after the 7:30 p.m. Wednesday service at Somang Church, which President-elect Lee Myung-bak attends, there was a thanksgiving service at 8:30 p.m., and many other churches also had prayer times for him. While reading the article on “Church Prayer After the Voting Deadline,” the phrase “May he govern with God’s justice” particularly resonated with me, especially in connection with today’s Bible passage. I truly hope that President-elect Lee Myung-bak will govern Korea with God’s justice. Here in the United States, while we do not know who will be elected president in the future, we pray for a leader who fears God, a leader who can govern this country well with God’s justice.

In relation to this, when we look at Psalm 82:8 in today’s Scripture, we see the psalmist pleading, "O God, rise up and judge the world." Tonight, I wish for this prayer of the psalmist to become our prayer. Based on this verse, I want to reflect on the two lessons or prayer points that God might be sharing with us through the words of the psalmist, directed at the judges and rulers of Israel.

First, judges and rulers must not make unfair judgments.

Let’s look at Psalm 82:2: "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? (Selah)." It seems that the world we live in is filled with many injustices and unfair situations. An example of this is the recent fire accident at a cold storage warehouse in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, a few days ago. According to Yahoo news online, the cold logistics warehouse in Icheon was insured under the corporate name of Korea 2000, with a corporate insurance policy worth 15.3 billion won. The maximum compensation amount was 15.3 billion won, but due to the special terms of the fire insurance, it was reported that the actual compensation would be around 15 billion won. However, the 40 people who died and other victims received "zero" compensation. When we think about the feelings of the grieving families of the deceased, it is unimaginable. Another example comes from recent news in the U.S., where people who were wrongfully convicted and spent years in prison are later proven innocent through DNA testing and are released. However, these people were not just in prison for one or two years and then released. Some had been in prison for over 10-20 years. Hearing about their release, we think, "How unjust must it have been for them?"

In today’s passage, the psalmist clearly tells us that God will "judge" the unjust judges (v. 1). Why does God say that He will judge the judges of Israel? The reason is that they have twisted justice by showing favoritism to the wicked (v. 2, according to Park). The psalmist says this about the judges of Israel who made unfair judgments by showing favor to the wicked: "They walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken" (v. 5). The reason why these evil judges make unfair judgments is that they "walk in darkness." The Bible says: "You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality; and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous" (Deuteronomy 16:19). The fact that judges take bribes and make crooked judgments is not just a problem from the Old Testament times. How much of this kind of sin still occurs today? Just like the Bible says, "A bribe blinds the eyes and perverts the words of the righteous," we must not allow bribery to cause us to lose discernment and make crooked judgments.

Do you know the term "탐관오리" (corrupt official)? According to the dictionary, it refers to a corrupt official who covets and steals the wealth of the people and is morally corrupt. "Historically, there was Baek Nak-shin, the governor-general of the Gyeongsang province, whose corruption led to the Jinju rebellion, and Jo Byeong-gap, the governor of Go-bu, who sparked the Donghak Revolution. These corrupt officials who sucked the blood of the people and caused them suffering were common characters in historical novels, such as in the stories of Im Geok-jeong, Jeon Woo-chi, and Chunhyangjeon. Among them, Byeon Sa-tto in Chunhyangjeon became the quintessential symbol of a corrupt official." To warn against such figures, Jeong Yak-yong, in his book Mokminsimseo, presented principles for governors (local rulers) to follow: "First, keep a proper personal appearance; second, maintain a heart of integrity and purity; third, do not accept any requests from others; fourth, live modestly and avoid luxury; fifth, govern your household well, and do not take your family when you are sent to a region; sixth, save resources and generously share them with the people." Even in modern society, corrupt official is still common. Officials give bribes to get promoted, take bribes from below, offer campaign donations to win elected office, and engage in all sorts of corrupt activities to secure victory. They also bribe and abuse their power for personal gain.

Dr. Park said: "When corrupt officials govern, social order is disrupted and destabilized. Therefore, the fundamental element for establishing order in human society is justice, which is a product of true religion." Due to corrupt official, the U.S. judicial system has also seen unjust judgments from judges, resulting in innocent people being sent to prison, and society has become chaotic because of the many corrupt officials. However, God will not just watch this. Our God, who is just in His anger, will certainly judge the unjust judges. Let us look at Psalm 82:6-7: "I said, 'You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High; but you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.'" Here, the "gods" and "children of the Most High" refer to the judges of Israel. They are called this because their position of authority represented God's work (Park). When they do not judge according to God's will and make unfair judgments, God will judge them.

Finally, secondly, judges and rulers must make fair judgments.

Look at Psalm 82:3: “Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.” In today's passage, the psalmist says that the righteous God will judge among the judges (v. 1) and says, “You, judges of Israel, make justice!” How should justice be made?

(1) Judging for the poor and the orphans.

In other words, the judges of Israel should show justice to the afflicted and the poor (v. 3). The judges of Israel should take care of and show justice to those who are wrongfully oppressed, such as the poor, orphans, afflicted, and needy. This is true godliness (religion): “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).

(2) We must rescue the poor and the needy.

In other words, we must deliver the poor and the needy from the hands of the wicked (v. 4). The poor and the needy, who are weak and vulnerable, suffer persecution and adversity from the wicked. The just judge has the responsibility to rescue them from the hands of the wicked. Protecting the weak is the responsibility of a righteous judge.

Look at Proverbs 31:9: “Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” This is exactly what the judges of Israel should do. They should judge righteously and defend the cause of the weak. By doing so, the judges of Israel will faithfully fulfill their duty as representatives of God, the true Judge. When they do this, God's glory will be revealed.

“Just living and governance are achieved when they are based on God’s Word. God expects His people to live justly and honestly because justice and honesty are characteristics of His nature. A just and truthful life is the rightful way for those who call Jehovah God their Father to live” (Internet).

Tonight, we want to pray as the psalmist prayed to God: “Arise, O God, judge the earth.” Let us pray for God’s justice to be revealed in this world. Surely, God will judge this world with His justice. Therefore, judges who are representatives of God must make fair judgments. They must defend the poor, the orphans, the needy, and the weak, and deliver them from the hands of the wicked. Let us pray to be used as instruments of salvation in the hands of the righteous God.

“Arise, O God, judge the earth.”

Pastor James Kim
(Praying for the judgment of the righteous God, the True Judge)