God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”: “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.” Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.
—Psalms 82:1-8

~~~~~

The Court of False Gods
By Jennifer Kane

They gathered at the summons—
not in temples,
but in judgment.
The gods of men,
old and new,
cloaked in centuries of incense and algorithm,
took their seats beneath the burning gaze
of the One they mocked in silence.

Zeus thundered with pride,
his robe stitched from conquest,
yet his hands were red
from wars waged for sport.

Mammon jingled with chains of gold,
his breath smelled of hunger,
his feet built empires—
on the backs of children.

Aphrodite tossed her hair,
her mirror cracked,
as hearts she shattered
lined the halls like withered petals.

Molech said nothing.
The cries in his courts still echoed,
unwanted, unheld, unnamed.

Fame stood flickering.
Self sat tall,
until Truth entered
and they turned to dust.

Then the Judge rose—
not from a bench,
but from everlasting.

His voice shook the heavens:
“How long will you favor the wicked?
Did I not say, ‘You are gods’?
Yet you rule with blindness,
crush the innocent,
twist the scales of justice
as if I do not see?”

He spoke not to beings alone—
but to thrones, screens, and slogans,
to every idol carved
in the image of human desire.

“You were given authority,
but you used it for yourselves.
You bore no mercy.
You offered no truth.
Now fall—like the princes of pride.
Die like mortals,
for that is all you ever were.”

And they fell.

Every last one.

And the earth stood still
as He sat again
upon His rightful throne.

Then the poor lifted their heads.
The fatherless were held.
The needy were remembered.

And justice
finally
had a name.

~~~~~

Scripture: Psalms 82:1-8

Imagine the scene.

A great courtroom swells with tension—not one of marble walls and wooden benches, but of eternity. Seated before the throne of the Most High are the gods of human invention—those worshipped in temples of stone, and those enthroned in hearts today.

Here stands Zeus, the god of thunder and domination, protector of kings and warriors.
Beside him is Mammon, god of wealth, greed, and gain, clothed in the currency of every nation.
There waits Aphrodite, exalted in beauty, desire, and obsession.
Molech shudders in the shadows, fed by the cries of the innocent.
Fame. Power. Science deified. Identity without anchor. Self as god.
All rise at the voice of El Elyon—The Most High.

“How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked?”

They had ruled nations, influenced laws, drawn the devotion of billions. Yet their reigns produced inequality, oppression, exploitation, and confusion. Under their watch, the poor remained unheard, the vulnerable crushed, and righteousness mocked. Their gavel pounded for the rich, their favor swayed by lust and pride.

And God speaks—not as one among many, but as Judge over all. He thunders not only at pagan deities of old but at the idols we serve now: image, popularity, productivity, sexual freedom, nationalism, and moral relativism.

He charges them:
“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.”

But they could not.
They did not.
They ruled without righteousness.
They offered no salvation.

These so-called gods are shown for what they are: constructs, tyrants, ideas elevated but empty. They fall, one by one, from their high places.

And God remains.

He does not share His throne.
He does not turn a blind eye to injustice.
He will not tolerate idols forever.

What “gods” sit as judges over our decisions today?
The god of success who tells you that worth is earned.
The god of pleasure who whispers that boundaries are chains.
The god of self who crowns you ruler of your own truth.

But only Yahweh is just. Only Jesus defends the weak, lifts the humble, and judges rightly. Only He laid down His life to offer true mercy.

~~~~~

Father and Righteous Judge of all the earth, I stand before You not as one without power, but as one entrusted with influence—however small. Help me not to use it for myself, but to reflect Your justice, mercy, and truth. Teach me to defend the weak, to walk humbly, and to remember that You weigh the heart even when others applaud the hand. Come, Lord, and reign in every court— including the one in my soul. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

July 20 2015