April 26 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The "gods" in this psalm are judges and rulers in the present world. Actually there is only one ruler in the present world—our sovereign God. All people are equal before their Maker. Nobody has anything to say over any­body else unless God has given him or her a little bit of God's authority.

So all parents, teachers, bosses, but especially judges, kings, queens, and lawmakers hold some authority that they received from God. And those who have the say-so over others are called little gods, because they are to a few what God is to all.

The little gods remain responsible to the one and only God. All the little gods will one day be called on the carpet. This happens in Psalm 82. God will say, "What did you do with the authority I entrusted to you? Did you give justice to the weak and fatherless? Did you rescue the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked?"

Power is abused by those who have totally forgotten where they got it from. Actually, power is a borrowed good; it is a possession that we have only for a little while, and for which we must render account. Power may be used only in the Spirit and according to the Word of him who has all power—God! Therefore the church should issue warnings to the tyrants in the East and the manipulators in the West. God is going to settle the accounts. All nations belong to him. That includes China, the United States, Canada, Iraq, Israel, and every other nation in the world. "Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance."

Christians have a double duty with respect to the authorities: we must respect and obey them for the sake of him who gave them this power. And without fear we must tell them to exercise their God-given rights according to God's own rules: they must give justice to the weak and maintain the rights of the afflicted.

REFLECTIONS

In what ways can we realistically encourage our national leaders to give justice to the weak and oppressed?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.