There is a scene in Batman Begins where Batman scares the crap out of a thug and interrogates him as he's held upside down and the thug blurts out "I swear to God" and Batman replies in his chain smoker cookie monster voice "SWEAR TO ME". What does that have to do with anything, why is that the intro to the conversation about "gods"? well, I thought of it so ...keep reading. However, full disclosure, We obviously know that little wooden idols were fake gods, and that those are the type that Jacob and Rachel stole from Laban we're not talking about the little carved figurines.
I've been been pretty vocal about how I think that the "Divine Council" in scripture are the Prophets and that God doesn't do major stuff without telling the Prophets that its about to happen. What about those places that it mentions "gods" and that passage in Psalm 82
I said, “You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.
On its own, without surrounding context, that seems like a weird thing to say, Especially when you look at such passages where God says there are no other "gods", just Him alone.
Isaiah 44 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. 7 ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place.8 ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’”
[ Note that God says that He declares what is to come through people, Thats your Divine council ]
Isaiah 45 “I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God.I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other,
For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am the Lord, and there is none else.19 “I have not spoken in secret,In some dark land;I did not say to the offspring of Jacob,‘Seek Me in a waste place’;I, the Lord, speak righteousness, Declaring things that are upright.
“Declare and set forth your case;Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. 22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.
Jeremiah 2:11“Has a nation changed gods when they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.
No other "gods"? No other Rock or redeemer, no false Neo- Greek Mythological Mt. Olympus style lesser and greater "gods" that God sits and chats with about all the "God" work going on around the office? No I don't think so. So what about those "gods" passages? Didn't even the Savior mention "gods" in the Gospels?
If we're going to make a claim of no other "gods" then we have to reconcile passages like
Psalm 136 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
and
Psalm 138 I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods.
What does David mean by that? Does David seem to think that "gods" are real?
Lets look at Ex 12:12
For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord
Notice that God had already performed all the signs and wonders that mocked the fake pagan "gods" BEFORE He mentioned that He was going to strike down the firstborn of the "gods of Egypt" ?
These gods aren't deities, they're humans that are rulers and judges over the people. Pharaoh was believed to be a "god". YHVH is executing judgements over PEOPLE who were esteemed and elevated over other people. Look at how Psalm 82 renders "gods" in the first verse in the NASB 95
Psalm 82 God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.[gods] 2 How long will you judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. 3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I said, “You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High. 7 “Nevertheless you will die like men And fall like any one of the princes.” 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations.
Rulers = "gods" When we read the rest of that passage with the idea of the Passover event in mind, It is YHVH takes His stand in own congregation and judges in the midst of the [Leaders/Judges/Rulers/Mighty ones/ gods] - How long will they judge unjustly, They were put in positions of leadership to represent justice of God as Romans 13:1 points out
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
Thats what I believe is meant by "you are sons of the Most High" but you will fall like any one of the princes. God controls the nations. Lets take a closer look at these passages, do we find references to these pagan deities or do we find references to secular evil kings and rulers?
[for His loving kindness is everlasting is repeated over and over again, so i'm going to trim that for readability so just put it back in your mind after you read each line]
Psalm 136 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn,...11 And brought Israel out from their midst,...12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm,...13 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder,...14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it,...15 But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,...16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness,...17 To Him who smote great kings,...18 And slew mighty kings,...19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,...20 And Og, king of Bashan,...21 And gave their land as a heritage,..22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His lovingkindness is everlasting
That fits with the context of "gods" meaning wicked rulers and not Angelic Demon False Deities that were real but middle management in Diety Inc of Heaven. When we read that tie to Pharoah and the rulers, and not only made up fake gods we see that both are true and its not just "fake gods can't save you" but also "Your trust in wicked evil government won't save you when YHVH brings judgement"
Exodus 15 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.5 “The deeps cover them; They went down into the depths like a stone.6 “Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy. 7 “And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,The flowing waters stood up like a heap;The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.“The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be gratified against them; I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ 10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11 “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Do we see a reference to the kings of nations in Psalm 138 also? Yes !
All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord, When they have heard the words of Your mouth.
DO the rest of the Psalms also have this connection?
Psalms 86 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours.9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name.
14O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, And a band of violent men have sought my life, And they have not set You before them.
Psalms 95:3 For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods,
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, 9 “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. 10 “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. 11 “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”
Psalm 96 Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”
Psalm 97:Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, Who boast themselves of idols; Worship Him, all you gods.
The connection of the heads of nations as "gods" who boast of themselves... David isn't telling the fake wooden or stone idols or the made up deities to worship YHVH, he is telling those "gods"/Judges/rulers/men/governors.
More evidence that seems to support the idea of "gods" being human ruler/judges
1 Samuel 4 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. 7 The Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9 Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight.”
The Philistines were worried that the Hebrews as "gods" were going to enslave them just as they have enslaved the Hebrews. To be clear, I am not saying that every mention of "gods" is referring to human men, because there is still "gods" referring to idols and made up deities.
If we consider an idea that the leaders/ rulers/ Judges/ gods/ governments were supposed to enact YHVH's governance and righteous judgements, and that they were supposed to be a picture of Yeshua as High Priest and Law-giver then these "gods" when they give laws and commands that are not righteous or God's Law- would they not be anti-christ and making the government of worshipping the false deity and fake gods in direct opposition to YHVH?
2 Thes 2 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
2 kings 17 They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. 33 They feared the Lord and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile 34 To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel
Psalm 58 Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? 2 No, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands. 3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent; Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear, 5 So that it does not hear the voice of charmers, Or a skillful caster of spells.
David is not talking to made up deities or speaking about wooden or stone figurines. He's speaking about people who are supposed to be Judging Righteously and being that figure of Christ- but instead are as snakes and they are wicked.
Isaiah 41 “Present your case,” the Lord says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” The King of Jacob says.22 Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were,That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; 23 Declare the things that are going to come afterward,That we may know that you are godsIndeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together.“But when I look, there is no one, And there is no counselor among them Who, if I ask, can give an answer. 29 “Behold, all of them are false; Their works are worthless,Their molten images are wind and emptiness.
Jeremiah 5 Why should I pardon you? Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. When I had fed them to the full, They committed adultery And trooped to the harlot’s house.
[ I'd remind you all of Eve's temptation on eating the fruit in the garden: Gen 3 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate]
Jeremiah 46 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I am going to punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I shall give them over to the power of those who are seeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his officers. Afterwards, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old,” declares the Lord.
Fake deities and wooden idols aren't real to be punished but people are. They're not alive to have someone seeking their lives- but people are. We have this BIG picture of LEADERS who are NOT LEADING the way that GOD has told them to. They are those who have become wise in their own eyes and substituted God's Law for the ways, righteousness and traditions of MEN.
Ezekiel 28: 2 “Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Because your heart is lifted up And you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods In the heart of the seas’;Yet you are a man and not God,Although you make your heart like the heart of God—‘Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God, 7 Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, The most ruthless of the nations. And they will draw their swords Against the beauty of your wisdom And defile your splendor. 8 ‘They will bring you down to the pit, And you will die the death of those who are slain In the heart of the seas. 9 ‘Will you still say, “I am a god,” In the presence of your slayer, Though you are a man and not God, In the hands of those who wound you?10 ‘You will die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of strangers, For I have spoken!’ declares the Lord God!”’”
John 10 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
The Pharisees who substituted God's Law for their own traditions as written in Mark 7 and Matthew 15, who were governing entities and judges over Israel, these Pharisees who were men, were seeking to stone the ONLY one who could with any LEGITIMACY say that they are GOD. They were being rebuked for the hypocrisy and their ignorance of the scriptures. He is stating HIS authority over them and over the scriptures, and over the nations.
37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
To be absolutely 100% clear, "gods" =
non-existent make believe fake deities
wooden or stone idols which represent fake imaginary deities
people who were supposed to be representative of YHVH to the people but instead weren't
"gods" does not =
actual lesser deities that sit around with YHVH and give input on how things should go.
Exodus 7:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
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