Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 3 · Psalm 82
PSAL. LXXXII. foreign.
THAT the Prophet might admoniſh and check the Judges of the earth about their duty, he ſets God in the midſt of them, commanding that they do juſtice, and …hreatning revenge for their injuſtice, aſſuring them, that he will riſe one day, and judge them.
Three parts of the Pſalm.
1. The Prophets Proclamation, verſ. 1
2. Gods conteſtation with the Judges of the earth, from verſ. 2. to 8.
3. The Prophets prayer, that God would riſe to judge, v. 8.
1. The firſt part. Gods pre…ence proclaimed in the Court.The Prophet, as a Cryer in a Court, proclaims firſt a very profitable Doctrine, and layes a ſolid foundation for all juſtice: viz. That all Judges remember, that as at an Aſſize the Judge ſits in the midſt of the Juſtices, ſo God is preſent and Preſident, Vers. 1 and ſits in the midſt of the Judges, hears, ſees, and will reward or revenge what they do. God ſtandeth in the Congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods.
2. And this being laid for a foundation, he falls, in the perſon of God, to conteſt with the Judges: The ſecond part. His conteſtation with inferiour Judges. 1. He reproves them,Firſt reproving them, verſ. 2. Then exhorting them to their duty, verſ. 3, 4. Laſtly, propoſeth the event upon the neglect of juſtice, both to the Common Wealth, verſ. 5. and to themſelves, verſ. 6, 7.
1. He reproves them in the ſecond verſe, and that very ſharply, as they deſerved.
1. For their judgement, that it was unjuſt. Ye judge unjuſtly.
2. Vers. 2 For their obſtinacy. Not once done, but often, they continued in it. Ʋſ que quo. 1For injuſtice.How long?
3. 2Obſtinacy in it.Their partiality. foreign. Ye accept the perſont of the wicked.
2. 3Partiality.He exhorts them to do their duty, which is double.
1. 2He exhorts to do their duty.Defend the poor and fatherleſs, do juſtice to the afflicted and needy. Do right to every man.
2. Deliver the poor and needy. Rid them out of the hand of the wicked. Be a ſhield to them, Vers. 3 a Saviour.
3. Where this is not done, all is out of order. The Judges the cauſe of it, either,He acquaints us with the events which will follow where juſtice is not done. In that Common Wealth, All the foundations of the earth are out of courſe. And the Judges are the cauſes of it. In whom there are three foul defects.
1. The firſt is, Ignorantia juris. They know not.
2. Vers. 5 Their wilfulneſs, negligence, or oſcitancy in ſifting the cauſe. Neither will they underſtand.1Through ignorance. 2. Wilfulneſs. 3 Perverſeneſs.
3. Their perverſe reſolution to go on their own way, without any reſpect had to the Laws of God or man: They walk on ſtill in darkneſs, and then it was no wonder, that all the foundations of the earth ſhould be out of courſe.
2. Their puniſhment, Death, yea though gods.The other event was death and judgement, which was to fall upon their perſons, verſ. 7. Which that they might take down the better, he brings it in with an honourable Preface, that they might know he had an high eſteem of their place and perſons, Vers. 6 yea, though unjuſt Judges.
I have ſaid, Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the moſt high. Your Ordination is from Heaven, your Power from God, your Office is his Creature.
But withal he would have them know, that they were but mortal gods, Vers. 7 they themſelves muſt come to judgement, which was the other event.But mortal gods.
1. Ye ſhall dye like men, ye ſhall dye as thoſe that are no gods, that are de plebe.
2. Ye ſhall fall as one of the Princes, as thoſe whoſe death is inglorious, their memories infamous and hateful, and after death you ſhall not be happy, ye ſhall fall as Lucifer did. Mortal you are become, as Adam by your ſin, and you ſhall be deprived of immortality.
3. The laſt part is a prayer, The third part. He prayes that God would be Judge.that ſince by injuſtice all the foundations of the earth be out of courſe, he deſires that God would take the matter to his own cognizance.
1. Ariſe, O Lord; He ſaith not, You that are oppreſſed, Vers. 8 riſe againſt your Judges, but that they leave it to God.
2. That he would ſit upon the Bench, and judge the earth.
3. He would amplifie and enlarge his Kingdom. For thou ſhalt inherit all Nations.
The Prayer collected out of the eighty ſecond Pſalm.
O Almighty Lord, who art the fountain of all honour and power, Vers. 1 by whom Princes raign, and Magiſtrates decrée juſt things, Vers. 3 vouchſafe thy preſence in the midſt of our Congregations; and preſide, and be thou the Judge among our gods, that they judge thy people with equity, and thy inheritance with righteouſneſs. So the poor and fatherleſs ſhall be delended, the afflicted and néedy have juſtice done them. By the juſt execution of thy power committed to thy Vicegerents, the poor and needy ſhall be delivered, and rid out of the violent hand of the wicked man.
But, O God, ſuch hath béen our ingratitude, that that power which was ordained for our good and peace, is now become our greateſt miſchief, for thou haſt ſubjected us to wicked powers, and ſet over us hard Task-maſters, our ſuperiours, or who, at leaſt, take upon them to be ſo, are companions of Thieves, they judge unjuſtly, they accept the perſons of the wicked, they pronounce an unjuſt ſentence, and out of the ſcale of juſtice they weight unto us gall and wormwood. All the foundations of our Land are out of courſe. For thoſe who are ſtept into the Tribunals of juſtice, either are ſo ignorant, they do not know, or ſo perverſe, that they will not know and underſtand what is right. So blinded they are either by honour, money, or malice, that they will not grow wiſer by thy admonitions, but walk on ſtill in the darkneſs of their own heart.
Leave not, O Lord, thy people in the power of them who are blind and cannot, or malicious, and will not underſtand their duty, but go about, for their own ends, to overthrow the two Pillars of the Land, Piety and Iuſtice. And ſince thou haſt permitted them to come to that eminency, that they are called gods, and ſons of the moſt High, but have forgotten and diſhonoured thée, that raiſed them, and diſcredited thoſe places to which they are raiſed, bring them down, O Lord, and make them know they are but men, that they ſhall dye as the meaneſt man, and be brought to judgement. And that it they continue in their unjuſt and violent wayes, their end ſhall be that of ſome inglorious Prince, whoſe name ſhall rot, whoſe memory ſhall be infamous, whoſe ſoul ſhall be caſt from his height and dignity, into the depths and torments of the infernal pit.
Since then, O Lord, thou haſt ſet over us ſuch tyrannical Lords, from whom we can expect no juſtice, Ariſe thou in thy power, and judge the earth. Thou art not now a God of the Jews only, but the Gentiles alſo; even we, that were not a people, are become thy people, and thine inheritance, and therefore it belongs to thée to exalt the Kingdom of thy Son. Come, O ſweet Jeſus, come quickly: And as at thy firſt coming, thou didſt redeem thy people from that unjuſt Oppreſſor, the Devil; and didſt eſtabliſh thy Church to be governed by juſt Laws, the execution of which thou haſt put into the hand of the Magiſtrate; ſo, O Lord, come again, and by thy ſecond coming, deliver us from the injuſtice and violence of our Oppreſſors. And thou, who doſt render to every man according to his works, call theſe tyrants to an account for the male-adminiſtration of thy Laws. Render them, O Lord, ſeven-fold into their boſomes: So we thy people, and ſheep of thy paſture, ſhall give thee thanks for ever.