METAHISTORIE.COM
Psalm 82 Relation to Israel, The Metahistory of World History
1. Text Psalm 82
God is in the assembly of the gods. He judges in the midst of the gods
How long will you judge unjustly and show favor to the wicked?
Judge the lowly and the orphan, judge the poor and needy.
Deliver the lowly and the poor, deliver him from the hand of the wicked.
They know nothing and understand nothing, they walk in darkness,
Well did I say you are gods. Yes, all the sons of the Most High.
Yet as a man you will die, as one of the princes you will fall.
Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You possess all the nations.
2. Question: Who are the gods?
3. Two statements:
a. Gods are judges.
b. Gods are divine beings.
4. Gods are judges
According to some Bible students [1], the gods are earthly judges. Psalm 58: 1 [2], Psalm 86: 8 [3] Exodus 21: 6 [4], Exodus 15:11 [5], Exodus 22: 8-9 [6] and the texts of the Masoretes [7] proof of this. This text and explanation is preferred in both Catholic and Protestant Bibles.
5. The Gods are divine beings
Modern Bible students claim that the gods are not judges. They are gods created by the uncreated God of Israel. Some examples are presented.
According to the American expert on Psalm 82, Dr. Michael S. Heiser [8], the texts of the Septuagint and those of the Dead Sea Scrolls are superior to the explanation of the text of the Masoretes in relation to Psalm 82. Heiser mentions a number of criticisms. Psalm 86: 8, Among the gods there is none like you. This would mean that no one among the people would be like you, that goes without saying. In Psalm 89: 7 it says, who in Heaven can match you, who among the gods is like the Lord. So God in heaven cannot be compared to people in heaven and is superior to people in heaven.
God is above the created gods, who can be judged and fall.
Further, Michael S. Heiser points to Job 2, where the sons of God set themselves up before the Lord, and among them was Satan, who traverses the world. Yahweh is the unique God and the gods are the sons of God. There are more examples in the Psalms [9]. Furthermore, in Psalm 58: 1 the text stands out, judge ye gods. Judge the children of men righteously.
Brian T. Huie writes that there has been a misunderstanding of how God rules the world for almost 2,000 years. In Ephesians 6:12 it says: We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual beings in the heavenly places etc. He also criticizes the Masoretes and states that in the Jewish view of the OT God divided the earth into 70 nations among specific guardian angels, who can rebel against God (The heavenly divine council, 2002).
Theologian Dr. Richard Beck writes: In Psalm 82 we find that Yahweh presides over the rule of the gods over the nations. God judges and rebukes these gods for ruling unjustly (Expirmental Theology, The Angels of the Nations, 2009).
Prof. Dr. Siydney H.T. Page (New Testament scholar) writes that currently the prevailing view is that the gods in Psalm 82 are supernatural beings (Powers of Evil, 1995). He also refers to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint.
Dr. F. de Graaff [10] writes: There is another widely accepted explanation of Psalm 82, that they are human judges. Why do mortal judges, those people, have to die like people? If this were the case, then this statement is superfluous. The said statement goes back to an incorrect exegesis of Exodus 22: 8 and 9. The gods in this text are here the oracle. This if people cannot find out who committed the act, then a divine judgment follows. Traditionally, the Semitic peoples had house gods, from whom an oracular statement could be obtained.
According to Psalm 82 and the book of Daniel, the cultures of the nations are led by angelic beings. The rise, bloom, decline and decay of culture is related to the angelic being. Western culture was also ruled by an angelic being (When gods die, 1969 and Anno Domini-Anno Domini 2000, 1975).
The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber writes about Psalm 82. In this psalm we are presented with an extremely gruesome picture. God has entrusted the rulership over the human race to angels and has instructed them to realize the righteousness on earth, etc. However, they are speaking false judgments, etc. and pass judgment on them. They Will Become Mortal (On Judaism, 1982).
The famous Jewish rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi in (De Tanya {the Teaching} 1796) writes that outside the land of Israel, both spiritual and life energy (meaning the word of God) is imparted by the guardian angels of the seventy nations. From God energy radiates to these angels (intermediaries) and flows to the nations and radiates to flora and fauna. That is why these angels are called other gods. While they call Him the God of the gods and they can consider themselves as independent deities and have them worshiped. The nations can practice idolatry with various spiritual powers.
In the Jewish book the Zohar (Shine) it says that Israel is the nation of God (Yahweh) and that there are guardian angels etc. [11] assigned across the different nations of the world.
6. Psalm 82 the metahistorical view of the Jewish Dr. Michael Kara-Ivanov [12]
His view is that these angels of the nations play a role in the exiles of Israel.
He uses Jacob's ladder for this. According to Jewish midrash sources and the Zohar, this is the Ladder of World History, [13] seen from one historical perspective. This is the relationship of the Jewish people to the supernations of the world empires. These angels of the empires rise and fall. Empires rise and fall again. Israel underwent and undergoes several exiles in this [14]. On the ladder we see Babel and the angel. The Persian Empire with the Angel. The Greek Empire with the Angel. The Roman Empire, RC and the West and the Angel, Islam and the Angel. In Daniel 10 the angels of Persia and Greece are mentioned.
Psalm 82 testifies to the downfall of empires and nations. These angels are being reprimanded for moral corruption.
These angels and their nations determined the fate of Israel at different periods [15]. The rise and fall signifies the rise and fall of these empires. When they treat the Jews well during the exile, they rise and become a world power. If not, then the judgment of God will come upon them (Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah, 2011).
The Zohar shows an example of this in the judgment of the angel of Egypt and Egypt [16]
The faces of these angels can change constantly. In the Middle Ages, these creatures appeared as cruel demons, persecuting the nation of Israel. Nations can turn into demonic powers under the influence of poisonous spiritual monsters [17].
Through the prayers and actions of Israel, it is possible to weaken the military and political power of the supernations and then to elevate the angels and culture to the glory of God.
Summarizing
World history is therefore always about:
The relationship between the nation of Israel and the rest of the nations in the world.
The unique role of the people of Israel and Jesus.
The acceptance by the nations of the God of Israel.
The second coming of Jesus to judge the nations.
The period in this where we are.
[1] Some examples: F. J. Pop Biblical Words and their Secret, 1991, F, Delitzsch, Bible Commentary on the Psalms, 1889. The Jewish Masoretic text explanation of Psalm 82 in the 9th century AD.
[2] Do you speak to gods?
[3] There is none like you among the gods, etc.
[4] Then his lord will bring him to the gods, etc.
[5] Who is like you among the gods, etc.
[6] If the thief is not found, the master of the house will draw near to the gods, etc.,. In every case of being darkened, be it an ox… both their cause will come to the gods. He who declare the gods guilty, etc.
[7] The Masoretes were Jewish scholars of the Bible. The Masoretic text was transcribed into Hebrew from Aramaic in the 9th century. During the last centuries BC. the Jews spoke more and more Aramaic. Hebrew became less proficient. The Hebrew script consists of consonants. That is why there was discussion about the pronunciation and interpretation of the text. The need arose to correct the Hebrew text. The Masoretic text was given authority. The Septuagint was also used before the 9th century. This is a Greek translation from Hebrew by 70 rabbis in the 2nd century BC. in Alexandria.
[8] Michael S. Heiser, The Divine Council, The Elohim of Psalm 82 gods or men, 2010.
[9] Psalm 95: 3, Psalm 96: 4, Psalm 97: 9, Psalm 135: 5, Psalm 136: 2, Psalm 138: 1.
[10] According to Dr. F. de Graaff, the judges' position has been rejected. He also refers to the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls (oldest source), which were 1,000 years earlier than the Masoretic explanation.
[11] This points to the text in Deuteronomy 4: 18-19 and 32: 8, where it says: When the Most High divided among the nations their inheritance, when he separated the people from one another, he established the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the sons of Israel or sons of God. The worship of the sun, moon and stars, and all the host of heaven as gods, is allotted to all nations except the nation of Israel. In Daniel 10 the angelic princes of the Persians and Greeks are mentioned. Then the great angel prince Michael, the guardian angel of Israel in exile (Dr. F. de Graaff (Anno 1000-Anno 2000, 1975).
[12] Dr. Michael Kara-Ivanov emigrated from Russia to Israel. He taught