Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
“God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.”
Psalm 82:1
The term “gods” in the verse above refers to God’s people, not to the idols of heathen nations. The Lord said to Israel, a few verses later, “I have said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High’ ” (Ps. 82:6). Jesus, himself, even quoted that verse to show that God considers His children to be “gods” (Jn. 10:34-36).
Asaph wrote this Psalm. He was a prophet and he was a leader of the Levitical singers in David’s time. In saying that God is the One who judges among the gods, Asaph was saying that only God was capable of making judgments among His people. The world doesn’t understand God’s people. It doesn’t understand their experiences or their feelings, and so, it cannot rightly make judgments of controversies that arise in the family of God.
When Paul heard that a brother in Corinth had taken another brother to court, he was indignant. How could a judge in a human court reach a righteous conclusion concerning controversies within the family of God? He wrote (1Cor. 6:1-8):
1. Does any one of you, having a dispute with another, dare to go before the unjust to be judged, and not before the saints?
2. Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to judge the smallest matters?
3. Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, then, matters of this life?
4. If you use law-courts for matters of this life, you are authorizing as judges those who have no standing in the Assembly.
5. I say this to your shame. Is it really so, that there is not a single wise man among you, one who is able to judge between his brothers?
6. Instead, brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers?
7. It is already, therefore, an utter loss for you, that you have lawsuits against each other. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?
8. Instead, you, yourselves, do wrong and cheat – and do these things to brothers!
Paul knew that any child of God who runs to the world to enlist its aid against another brother is doing evil. In everything we are to do things God’s way or not do them at all. The foolish run to the world because they know that if they run to God they’ll find true justice, and that is not what they want. They know that God alone is able to judge among His children because He alone truly knows them, and they turn to the world, hoping that the world never really finds them out.