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1 God calls the judges into his courtroom, he puts all the judges in the dock. 2 "Enough! You've corrupted justice long enough, you've let the wicked get away with murder. 3 You're here to defend the defenseless, to make sure that underdogs get a fair break; 4 Your job is to stand up for the powerless, and prosecute all those who exploit them." 5 Ignorant judges! Head-in-the-sand judges! They haven't a clue to what's going on. And now everything's falling apart, the world's coming unglued. 6 "I commissioned you judges, each one of you, deputies of the High God, 7 But you've betrayed your commission and now you're stripped of your rank, busted." 8 O God, give them their just deserts! You've got the whole world in your hands! (Psalm 82 The Message Bible)
I tranferred from Memorial Junior High school in Kingsville, Texas to Lanier Junior High in Houston. The Houston school was not at all like the Kingsville school. Let's compare the differences. In Kingsville, in those days, was that for PE (Physcial Education) credit, being in the band was considered PE enough. In Houston, no such luck. Well, to be fair, Houston junior high bands do not march. And, Lanier JHS had a pool used for PE. I got there on a Thursday which was. a swim day. I walked downstairs into the basement where the locker room for PE was located and sat on a bench. I noticed all the guys showering. I thought, "Before PE these guys are getting clean?" A guy said, "Hey, you new here?" yes. "We're going swimming!" I said that's nice but I didn't bring any swim trunks. Everyone laughed. "Take your clothes and start showering." Gulp. So, I did. On the other side of the showers a huge metal door opened and there was the pool and here we all were without appropriate pool clothing. Dutifully, all us walked in, in a perfect line to sit on the edge of the pool with our legs in the water. The coach, full dressed, came in with a paddle. A paddle? thinks I? The coach then reminded us that we are not to push anyone into the water. And if one is pushed, that person gets a swat. Gulp. Wait. What? And sure enough the littlest guy there got pushed in, and the poor kid walked over to the coah, bend over and swat! The sound of the wooden paddle against a wet behind was not a nice sound. And neither was the red mark the coach left on that poor guy's backside. I couldn't laugh because I could easily be the next guy but I knew I would not go into the pool without a fight. I wanted to cry. Fridays were also swim days and poor kid of the paddle showed up and still had the red mark from the previous day. I thought all of thsi was so wrong and so many levels. The idea of the victim getting punished for a bully's acvtion was not just. And the severity of that swat was not justice, it was abuse.
The psalmist shares his paslm on justice that sounds very much like it was written this week in my opinion. God has assembled those persons whose careers and callings to mete out justice and puts them on trial. Justice was not on the menu for them; corruption was the soup of the day. Those who should have been punished were not; they got away with murder. Those who needed defending were not. The powerless had no one to stand up for them; they were exploited and received no justice against the oppressors. The judges who by training should exhibit wisdom are called ignorant by God. Instead of being in the know are known for having their heads in the sand. They are deemed clueless by God, helping to destroy that which should hold everything together. The glue of society has no power. These so-called judges have not lived up to their commission and so God has stripped them of their rank. The psalmist prays for God to give them what they deserve.
This is not gentle. It’s not theoretical. It’s God confronting those who hold power—anyone with influence, authority, or voice—and demanding to know why justice has been neglected. He charges them with turning a blind eye to the weak, the poor, the voiceless. It’s not just a call to notice suffering, but to do something about it. This is a cry for divine intervention—but also a call to action for every believer. We are God’s hands in the world. Justice isn’t someone else’s job—it’s ours. So many people around us depend on us and our commitment to God to love justice and love mercy and walk humbly with God.
PRAYER: God of justice and truth, wake me up where I’ve grown numb. Give me eyes to see the injustice around me and the courage to do something about it. I don’t want to be silent when You call me to speak, or passive when You ask me to act. Help me reflect Your heart for the powerless, and make me bold in love, deep in mercy, and strong in faith. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Look honestly at your sphere of influence—your home, work, community, or church. Where can you stand up for the powerless? Ask God to show you, then take one courageous step in His name.
I love you and I thank God for you!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
