Asaph asks, “How long,” again. Lament. Yes, again. Get used to it. Life is lived out in the context of brokenness; therefore, lament is necessary. However, lament is also beautiful. Here’s a heads up. Lament is necessary now for you or it will be one day soon.
“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: ‘How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?’” Psalm 82:1-2
Asaph has become my friend as I have lived in The Psalms. Look in this passage and see both his faith and his despair. He’s real, but he’s keeping his eyes focused. He acknowledges God is in a place of divine power. For sure. And yet, Asaph longs for God’s justice. We’re in the here and now. Living in the context of pain requires healthy lament.
Asaph beseeches God to give justice to the weak, fatherless, afflicted, and destitute. He seeks rescue for the weak and needy. He laments and requests deliverance from the grasp of the wicked.
“They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.” Psalm 82:5
Yes, Asaph is in a dire place, but he recognizes that the gods of the earth are no match for the God of the universe. The weak and fatherless, the afflicted and destitute are in danger of the powers of this world. However, in the presence of God they are in darkness, without knowledge or understanding. Those who seek our lives are shaken by the power of our God.
“I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.’” Psalm 82:6-7
Asaph has great clarity which is necessary when injustice and partiality rule. It’s also necessary when darkness, brokenness, or pain of any kind descends upon you and your family. Loss gives birth to confusion and fogginess. Keep your eyes clear and trained.
“Weep not, weary heart—how short the sorrow, and the love how long!” Frances Bevan, Hymns of Ter Steegan and Others
Asaph knows by faith—and we should learn—that even those who act as gods are simply sons like those they mistreat. Like them, the ramifications of their deeds are not long for this world either. He stands by faith knowing that these gods are subject to death just as he is subject to his own mortality. They will fall and, in fact, have already fallen.
And yet, Asaph calls on God to judge rightly. He calls on him to overturn injustice. He calls on him to correct partiality. Asaph reminds God, by lament, that he will inherit the nations. God is the owner of all nations, all peoples.
Joshua 23:4 affirms, “Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off…” All nations. All peoples.
A good reminder to each of us. Comfort is contagious. We who have received God’s goodness now desire it for the very ones who seek our harm. All peoples and all nations are his rightful inheritance.
“Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!” Psalm 82:8
Read the E-book Facing Loss: Lessons of Hope from My Unwanted Journey