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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 27 July 2025:
Psalm 82:1 – God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment….
The psalm opens with a divine courtroom scene: God stands to judge human rulers and authorities, called “gods” (ʾĕlōhîm), because they’ve been given divine responsibility but have failed. These are civil and spiritual leaders who, though charged with reflecting God’s justice, instead serve their own interests. This verse reminds us that no earthly authority is absolute — every leader is accountable to God.
Psalm 82:2-4 – How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah. Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
Here we see God’s heart for justice, particularly for the marginalized: the poor, the orphan, and the oppressed. True leadership reflects God’s justice and compassion. This rebuke applies not just to public rulers, but to anyone with influence—parents, teachers, pastors, or business leaders. Christians must not show favoritism or neglect the vulnerable (cf. James 1:27, James 2:1-9). God calls us to be rescuers and defenders of justice, to protect the defenseless without preference.
Psalm 82:5-7 – They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken… nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.
The Bible consistently associates a lack of knowledge and understanding with spiritual darkness, blindness, and the inability to walk rightly, groping and stumbling in shadows. Psalm 82:5 captures this condition with piercing clarity: “They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.” This verse portrays a world in moral and spiritual chaos because its people are blind to God’s truth. To lack knowledge of God is not a mere intellectual deficiency, it is to stumble through life without sight, without direction, and without hope. Proverbs 4:19 echoes this danger: “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” Isaiah also speaks of those who “walk in darkness and have no light” (Isaiah 50:10), highlighting the desperate state of those who live apart from God’s revelation.
This bleak condition finds its remedy in Jesus Christ, who declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). He is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2). Christ is not merely a bearer of light; He is Light itself, the pure and perfect self-disclosure of God to a darkened world. In Him, there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). He is the lamp of God’s Word in flesh, guiding the feet of those who follow Him (Psalm 119:105), and He is the embodiment of truth, the very Way to the Father, and the source of eternal life (John 14:6). To know Christ is to come into the light and to see everything as it truly is our — sin, God’s holiness, and the path of salvation.
Through Him, we are not only rescued from darkness but also commissioned to shine. Jesus told His disciples, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). As His followers, we reflect His light, bearing witness to the truth and proclaiming the Gospel so that others might be brought out of blindness into sight, out of death into life. Paul writes that God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13), and he urges believers to “walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8), no longer partaking in the unfruitful works of darkness. True knowledge—knowledge of Christ—is eternal life (John 17:3). In Him, the veil is lifted, the shadows flee, and we walk with clarity, purpose, and hope, as those who have seen the light and now bear it to the world.
“…all the foundations of the earth are shaken….” When a nation’s leaders turn from God and no longer have true knowledge or understanding, everything falls apart as if subject to a massive earthquake which comes suddenly and destroys at the foundations of the institutions.
Corrupt rulers cause societal instability. God warns them that though they hold power, they will die like any other man. No amount of status protects from divine judgment. Power without righteousness is fleeting. This reinforces Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees (Matthew 23) and Paul’s charge to elders to shepherd not for gain, but as examples (1 Peter 5:2-3).
“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3) Though the world may shake and floodwaters rise, the soul that is grounded in Him stands firm with unshakeable peace and joy.
Jesus described such a person in Luke 6:48: “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” The Rock is Christ Himself, the only sure and eternal foundation. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” When we build our lives on Him, His Word, His character, His cross, we are unshakable, no matter the storm. The one who builds on Christ with precious things, faith, obedience, truth, will find their work endures and is rewarded (1 Corinthians 3:12,14).
This confidence is not a product of human strength but divine grace. As Ephesians 1:4 reminds us, our security in Christ was established “before the foundation of the world,” when God chose us in love to be holy and blameless. That eternal purpose roots us in something deeper than time, broader than circumstance, and stronger than any trial. Job 38:4 captures God’s sovereign, timeless authority: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” He alone defines what is firm and lasting. Abraham understood this, as Hebrews 11:10 notes: “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” This is our hope also. When the foundations of the world are shaken, we remain steadfast, anchored in Christ, filled with a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), because our lives are hidden in the One who cannot be moved. God is at hand, and in Him we are grounded, upheld, and secure.
Psalm 82:8 – Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!
The psalm ends with an appeal for God’s righteous reign. All nations ultimately belong to Him. This messianic cry anticipates Christ, the just and everlasting Judge and Shepherd (Revelation 11:15). As we await His return, we must live and lead in justice, compassion, and humility.
God holds leaders accountable for justice and mercy, something that can only be administered by leaders that go to Him as the source of all justice and mercy. In final judgment, God will punish the ungodly and establish justice and mercy personally, once and for all. Jesus will reign on the new earth with His faithful servants.
Psalm 82:8 describes the impassioned longing of the righteous for justice to reign, for evil to be overthrown, and for God’s Kingdom to be fully revealed. This longing is echoed throughout Scripture, as the saints plead for the return of Christ and the restoration of all things. “Come, Lord Jesus!” is the cry of Revelation 22:20, expressing the deep desire for His coming judgment to bring righteousness, peace, and final redemption. Yet, there is a divine tension in this desire. For while we yearn for the Lord to return and set all things right, we also plead for Him to wait a little longer, that more might repent, believe, and be saved.
This tension is captured in 2 Peter 3:9, where we are reminded, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God’s delay is not negligence but mercy. Each day He withholds final judgment is another opportunity for sinners to come to know the Savior. And yet, that delay prolongs our exposure to a broken world. It means we continue to witness injustice, endure affliction, and bear the weight of sin’s effects. But in this waiting, we are not passive. Like Christ, we are called to bear the cross daily, not only dying to sin but also standing in intercession, love, and witness for a world that often rejects and persecutes us. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
This self-giving love, this choice to suffer for the sake of others, is not without joy. Hebrews 12:2 reveals that Jesus, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” His joy was not in the nails or the mockery but in what would be accomplished through it — the salvation of many. Likewise, Paul says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4). Our suffering becomes purposeful when it is joined to Christ’s mission. We are “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Colossians 1:24), not in atonement, but in witness and labor for the sake of His Body, the Church. We endure hardship, persecution, and sorrow not for their own sake, but for the joy of seeing lost sinners come to know eternal life.
This is the joy that stabilizes us in tribulation — the knowledge that our temporary pain may be the means through which eternal joy is birthed in others. So, we cry out, “Arise, O God!” — but we also bow low, saying, “How long, O Lord?” and “Have mercy.” We plead both for justice and for mercy, both for His return and for His patience. And we do so with open hands and willing hearts, carrying the cross of love and endurance, until the day when He does arise, and every nation is His inheritance.
1 Samuel 13:1-4 – Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel…. Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”
Saul’s reign is now well underway, and he summons Israel to battle the Philistines. Yet even early in his kingship, pride begins to cloud his judgment. His public declarations signal a shift: instead of pointing people to God’s deliverance, Saul emphasizes his own leadership.
1 Samuel 13:5-7 – When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble… they hid themselves in caves and holes…. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
Israel is outnumbered and terrified. The fear of man, both Saul’s and the people’s, is dominant. Instead of trusting the Lord, they panic. It’s a mirror of what happens when leaders trust in optics, power, or politics rather than in the sovereignty of God.
1 Samuel 13:8-10 – He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel…. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
Here is Saul’s critical failure. He presumptuously steps into the priestly role, violating God’s order. Though the ritual was right, his authority was wrong. Saul feared the people’s desertion more than he feared disobeying God. His impatience exposed a deeper issue: his lack of trust and submission to the Lord. This reflects Psalm 82’s condemnation of those who lead unjustly.
1 Samuel 13:11-12 – I saw that the people were scattering… so I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.
Saul rationalizes his sin, blaming circumstance and fear. This is classic human nature — Adam blamed Eve, and Saul blames the people. But God doesn’t accept excuses. Leadership without obedience is rebellion, no matter how justified it appears.
1 Samuel 13:13-14 – And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue….”
What do you do when you are at a decision point or a crisis point, and God doesn’t seem to be giving you clear answers or an obvious solution? When God doesn’t seem to be giving you a specific word, the first step to decision-making is to prayerfully obey what God has already told you through His word. However, when Saul faced an apparent crisis, he did not find it expedient to obey God’s command to Him given to Him through Samuel – Saul trusted his own judgment over God’s word. He simply couldn’t wait for the Lord in faithful, trusting obedience to Him – ‘If God is not going to take action at this critical time, I must do it myself.’ What appeared to him to be a small compromise on his part cost him everything.
- Psalm 27:14 — Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
- Psalm 37:7, 9 — Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!… For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
“The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart….” This solemn moment seals Saul’s fate. His kingdom will not last because he ruled without full submission to God. The Lord desires not just ability but heart—a heart like David’s, a man who would trust, repent, and walk closely with God. The principle is clear: God rejects self-appointed, self-justifying rulers—even if they succeed outwardly—and honors those who follow Him wholeheartedly.
1 Samuel 13:15-23 – There was no blacksmith to be found… so on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear in the hand of any of the people….
Israel was technologically outmatched. Humanly, they had no hope. But God doesn’t need swords to win battles — He needs surrendered hearts. What appeared to be weakness set the stage for divine deliverance in the next chapter. God’s power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 27 July 2025: In both Psalm 82 and 1 Samuel 13, God exposes the bankruptcy of leadership that lacks humility, integrity, and submission to Him. Whether corrupt judges or fearful kings, those who wield authority without righteousness ultimately fall. But those who trust God and walk in obedience, even when they lack resources or worldly support, become vessels of His justice and mercy. Seek out one area where you hold influence — a family decision, a work conversation, or a leadership role — and humbly ask: Am I using this authority to serve others or to protect myself? Am I making decisions out of fear or out of obedience to God’s Word? Then, in prayer and reflection, choose one Christlike action of justice, compassion, or courage, even if it’s hard, and do it today. Don’t delay, justify, or panic. Trust the Good Shepherd’s voice, follow it, and reflect His character.
Pray: “Lord, You are the righteous Judge and the Good Shepherd. We confess that we often walk in fear or pride when we should walk in trust and humility. Teach us to lead like You, with justice, mercy, and truth. Cleanse us from self-serving motives, and grant us hearts that follow after Yours. Help us to care for the weak, resist injustice, and wait upon You in faith, even when the pressure rises. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 