An Insightful Discussion of the Problem of Evil in the World: Psalm 82
“1) God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. 2) How long will you judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. 3) Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4) Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 5)They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken.” Psalms 82:1-5
The longer I live and travel the world, the more meaningful Psalm 82 becomes. It deals with the unfortunate victims of human depravity and evil in the world. There are many and they seem to be everywhere! I have left fragments of my heart in many places.
The Bible seeks to establish the goodness of God, especially in caring for His own people when they are walking with Him. Psalms 81:11-16, which is in the previous chapter made that point very persuasively.
But how does that explain the greater problem of evil in the world? In a sense, Psalm 82 seeks to answer that question.
It compares the God of the Bible with the others systems in the world and begs the question; “How are the other world religions, philosophies and economic systems taking care of the poor and unfortunate under their care?” What an amazing twist to this conversation!
The answer is eye opening and immediate; they have all miserably failed. Communism has failed. Capitalism has failed. Nearly every world religion has failed. They all have victims. They have all left people poor, exploited, wounded and broken. They do nothing to change the sinful heart of man.
However, Jesus Christ and biblical Christianity has had radically different results. It is based on the teaching of Jesus that says; “Love your neighbor as yourself!” It is also based on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to reach and save sinful humanity.
Let’s give credit where credit is due. Nearly every effective program that has made a difference around the world caring for the poor, exploited or desolate can be traced back to roots in Christianity. This also applies to many social welfare programs.
Look at the origins of the program and you will see the finger prints of Jesus Christ on the programs. That includes hospitals, schools, churches, orphanages and relief programs. When looked at unbiasedly, it is stunning. Nothing compares!
So what does this have to do with Psalm 82? Everything! This Psalm concludes by saying all the other religions and social programs in the world miserably fail the compassion test! They equally ignore pain, suffering and violence against the innocent. Some systems actually feed the problem.
Here is the big point; the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ often gets blamed for atrocities not under His jurisdiction. Learn to point your finger at the system causing the problem. Pin the tail of blame on the right donkey.
With my world travel, I have seen so much evil, hurt and pain in the world. But usually in every tragedy there is a small Christian ministry delivering hope and compassion in the name of Jesus Christ. They are not perfect, but they are making a difference! In many places, they are the only glimmer of hope.
Psalm 82 ends with God being justified and every other world religion and philosophy hanging its head in guilt when examined by the question; “What are you doing about the problem of evil in the world?” Most shrink away in shame and silence.
When looked at through this lens, Psalm 82 is absolutely profound. It gives fair and honest boundaries to discussing the question about the presence of evil in the world. This Psalm has been part of my own healing. It clarifies the discussion and paints God in a radically different light than most one sided attacks on God.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“1) God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. 2) How long will you judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. 3) Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4) Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 5)They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken.” Psalms 82:1-5
The longer I live and travel the world, the more meaningful Psalm 82 becomes. It deals with the unfortunate victims of human depravity and evil in the world. There are many and they seem to be everywhere! I have left fragments of my heart in many places.
The Bible seeks to establish the goodness of God, especially in caring for His own people when they are walking with Him. Psalms 81:11-16, which is in the previous chapter made that point very persuasively.
But how does that explain the greater problem of evil in the world? In a sense, Psalm 82 seeks to answer that question.
It compares the God of the Bible with the others systems in the world and begs the question; “How are the other world religions, philosophies and economic systems taking care of the poor and unfortunate under their care?” What an amazing twist to this conversation!
The answer is eye opening and immediate; they have all miserably failed. Communism has failed. Capitalism has failed. Nearly every world religion has failed. They all have victims. They have all left people poor, exploited, wounded and broken. They do nothing to change the sinful heart of man.
However, Jesus Christ and biblical Christianity has had radically different results. It is based on the teaching of Jesus that says; “Love your neighbor as yourself!” It is also based on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to reach and save sinful humanity.
Let’s give credit where credit is due. Nearly every effective program that has made a difference around the world caring for the poor, exploited or desolate can be traced back to roots in Christianity. This also applies to many social welfare programs.
Look at the origins of the program and you will see the finger prints of Jesus Christ on the programs. That includes hospitals, schools, churches, orphanages and relief programs. When looked at unbiasedly, it is stunning. Nothing compares!
So what does this have to do with Psalm 82? Everything! This Psalm concludes by saying all the other religions and social programs in the world miserably fail the compassion test! They equally ignore pain, suffering and violence against the innocent. Some systems actually feed the problem.
Here is the big point; the God of the Bible and Jesus Christ often gets blamed for atrocities not under His jurisdiction. Learn to point your finger at the system causing the problem. Pin the tail of blame on the right donkey.
With my world travel, I have seen so much evil, hurt and pain in the world. But usually in every tragedy there is a small Christian ministry delivering hope and compassion in the name of Jesus Christ. They are not perfect, but they are making a difference! In many places, they are the only glimmer of hope.
Psalm 82 ends with God being justified and every other world religion and philosophy hanging its head in guilt when examined by the question; “What are you doing about the problem of evil in the world?” Most shrink away in shame and silence.
When looked at through this lens, Psalm 82 is absolutely profound. It gives fair and honest boundaries to discussing the question about the presence of evil in the world. This Psalm has been part of my own healing. It clarifies the discussion and paints God in a radically different light than most one sided attacks on God.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
