“God takes His stand in the divine council; He judges in the midst of the gods…. I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.’ … Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations” (Ps 82:1, 6, 8).
Psalm 82 gives us a glimpse into the “unseen realm” (the title of Michael Heiser’s book on Psalm 82), that is, God’s authority over heavenly beings who must eventually submit to Him and His will. That God has a divine council of heavenly beings is clearly the testimony of Scripture. One passage from Kings especially jumps off the page, since it not only affirms the reality of God’s council but also sheds light on the rampant delusion that has taken hold of the world.
“Micaiah said, ‘Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. The LORD said, “Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?” And one said this while another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, “I will entice him.” The LORD said to him, “How?” And he said, “I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” Then He said, “You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so’” (1 Kings 22:19–22).
In the modern world, it also means that, to take up the sword of the Spirit, we must first put down our phones!
With the advent of a single device, deceptive spirits have not only deceived the world but have even taken captive the thinking of many evangelicals. I have no other way to explain the blind and uncritical belief in a narrative that turns the Jewish people into public enemy number one.
Psalm 82 teaches a biblical worldview that many of God’s people have lost, but one that desperately needs to be reclaimed. Hostile spiritual beings are at work in the world, and God’s people are not immune to their campaign of lies. Taking up the full armor of God today does not simply mean receiving divine protection. In the modern world, it also means that, to take up the sword of the Spirit, we must first put down our phones!
