Through the Psalms

Old Testament

Rulers Have an Obligation Before God Not Themselves - (Psalm 82:3-5)

Daily Praise
Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are unstable.

Reading Notes
The first two verses of these passages serves as the verdict against these rulers. They did not do the things required by God for those in leadership, instead they brought about injustice and iniquity. All forms of leadership over others is not about the ruler, it's about the people being ruled over and following God's pattern, standards and duties of leadership. Moreover, all leaders are responsible for looking out for the best interest of the people as it relates to God's law and God's moral standard. Anything other than that, anything less than that is sin in God's eyes and that's the condemnation for the human rulers standing before the Lord in these passages. They were called to follow the Mosaic Law, they were responsible for learning and understanding God's word, His precepts and His laws.

Instead, they chose to walk in ignorance. The phrase, "they walk about in darkness" is a reference to the fact they ruled without intellectual or spiritual understanding. Therefore, they violated God's law and did their best to destroy the underlying moral order of society. The foundations of any godly society are the moral standards set forth by God in His word. These rulers violated that standard, brought about wickedness and chaos and thereby made the "foundations of the earth unstable." The last verse of these passages speaks of the ignorance of human rulers who do not rule over people in a godly manner. They instead live within the darkness of this world with ignorance and moral iniquity. Defying the divinely established moral order put in place by God for the good of the people and mankind as a whole. The result of which is instability both in society as a whole, as well as in the individual lives of the people.

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