This week we will shed some light on what many consider a controversial subject, and truly it is highly debated. However, to borrow from an Old Testament scholar, "I don't want to protect you from the actual scriptures."

God created us with an incredible purpose and made the first humans in a beautiful place in which to live and from which to expand His Kingdom rule. But God didn't do all this alone.

This week we hope to expand your imagination about God's heavenly administration, or His Divine Counsel. We find God in Psalm 82 (and elsewhere) ruling with a heavenly host and inviting humans to participate in His administration of His creation.

In Psalm 82, God is not pictured as distant or alone, but standing, ruling, and speaking in the midst of an assembly. The chapter opens using the language of a courtroom. Yahweh is presiding. Authority is evaluated and justice is weighed.

These “gods” (the word elohim often translated 'gods'  or 'God' can either be plural or singular depending on context. When singular, it means Yahweh, the Most High, but when plural, it does not) are not competitors to the Most High. They aren't His equals. They are created beings entrusted with responsibility, particularly over the nations. Their failure spoken of here is not one of theological confusion, but one of moral corruption and rebellion.

According to Psalm 82, they were meant to reflect God's justice, but instead they protected the powerful and neglected the vulnerable. This scene explains views justice as so very important and takes injustice incredibly seriously. Corruption in leadership, either seen or unseen, distorts the intended life pattern on earth. History isn't merely a human drama, but the outworking of faithfulness and sometimes rebellion as part of a much larger story.

This story presents to us a reality that is structured and governed. Evil isn't random nor is injustice invisible. God evaluates rulers and holds them responsible. Authority doesn't get to operate independent of Him and His ever-watchful eye.

The terrible suffering we see all around us today reflects a much deeper spiritual disorder that God is actively confronting, and we are a part of that confrontation.

When injustice seems rampant, it's easy to get a cynical mind. Psalm 82 is a balm to weary hearts. We can be assured God sees. God speaks and God judges ... always rightly. We are not forgotten and the evil we see around us is not permanent.

May we live faithfully by aligning ourselves with God's concern for justice and order. Oppression cannot be normalized or excused. Imaging His nature and character in our lives proves and builds our faith in Him and who He is.

Let us remember, today, that God is the ultimate Judge. May we entrust our anger, grief, and sometimes confusion to Him, remembering He ultimately governs and rules over all authority (see Matthew 28:18)

It's easy sometimes to feel like God isn't watching or He doesn't see what's really happening "down here". But we know that isn't true.

Where have you been tempted to believe that injustice goes unseen or unanswered? How does this Psalm reshape your trust in God’s rule?