God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the “gods”:

How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

They know nothing, they understand nothing. 

They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

I said, “You are ‘gods’; you are all sons of the Most High.” 

But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.

Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.

This psalm was challenging for me to fully understand. From what I was able to gather though, the writer Asaph is upset with the injustice being administered by the earthly rulers. An example of this is in verse two, “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?” As a result of this injustice, he calls upon God to administer His righteous justice in verses three and four: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

The message of this psalm to me, is that God is the only sovereign judge. This is shown in verse eight where it says that “all the nations are [His] inheritance.” On the other hand, the rulers that Asaph mentioned here are destined to “die like mere men” and “fall like every other ruler.” We must trust in God to administer justice and be wary to not contribute to the injustices that are present in our world today.

Father, we pray that you would rule over all nations in truth, righteousness, and peace. We need you to reign in all the earth, for our world is overrun with unjust leaders. Defend those who cannot stand up for themselves, and teach us how to be the arms of compassion to Your people. Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance. Amen.