Give Thanks To Yahweh Our God (Sons Of God, Week 2: Psalm 97) Series

Last week, we read Psalm 82. There, we read this:

A psalm of/for Asaph (Psalm 82).

God (Elohim) is taking his stand in the community/assembly of God (El),

In the midst of the gods (Elohim) He is exercising authority.

(2) How long will you exercise authority wrongly,

while the faces of the wicked you will lift up? -Selah

(3) Exercise authority for the helpless and the orphan,

To the suffering and the weak act faithfully.

(4) Rescue the helpless and the poor;

from the hand of the wicked deliver them.

(5) They haven't known,

and they haven't understood.

In the darkness they are going about/around.

The foundations of the earth are being shaken.

(6) I have said,

"Gods (Elohim) are you,

and sons of the Most High (Elyon) are all of you.

(7) However, like a man you will die,

and like one of the commanders you will fall.

(8) Rise up, God (Elohim),

Exercise authority over the earth,

because you possess/own all the nations/peoples.

In this psalm, God is called "Elohim," and the "sons of God" who rule over the nations (Deuteronomy 32:8-9) are also called "Elohim." This is hard for us, right? This is a stretch?

We read this, and we ask ourselves, what does "Elohim" mean? Does Psalm 82 teach that there are many "gods," and these "gods" are all equal to each other? Already in Psalm 82, we see that this can't be right. It has to be more complicated than this. God is Elyon-- God Most High. It is HE who owns all the nations; it is HE who is the final authority over the whole earth (vs. 8).

So what does "Elohim" mean? "Elohim" refers to any spiritual being. It's that simple.

(Put this in the handout:)

Heiser, M. S. (2015). The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (First Edition, p. 30). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press:

"The biblical writers refer to a half-dozen different entities with the word elohim. By any religious accounting, the attributes of those entities are not equal.

• Yahweh, the God of Israel (thousands of times—e.g., Gen 2:4–5; Deut 4:35)

• The members of Yahweh’s council (Psa 82:1, 6)

• Gods and goddesses of other nations (Judg 11:24; 1 Kgs 11:33)

• Demons (Hebrew: shedim—Deut 32:17)

• The deceased Samuel (1 Sam 28:13)

• Angels or the Angel of Yahweh (Gen 35:7)."

When we see the word "Elohim," what we want to do, immediately, is funnel our entire understanding of who and what God is into this word. We want to say, "Elohim refers to our all-powerful and all-knowing God." And then, if/when we read our OT, we get confused and frustrated and scared. Don't be scared of Psalm 82. Don't be scared of this "Elohim" language. What "Elohim" means is something more like, "a spiritual being who lives forever, or is supposed to live forever." Yahweh is an Elohim, but he is not like other Elohim. He isn't on the same level. Yahweh is the one who created heaven and earth; HE is Elyon, God Most High. He is the God of Armies.

Once we get used to reading Elohim this way, it fundamentally changes how we read the OT. I think within a month or two, the OT is going to make a lot more sense. And I think you'll be really happy with the way the OT is going to open up to you. But for this to happen, we are going to have to strip off our old way of thinking first.

What I'd like to do this week is work through Psalm 97, to help us become more comfortable with thinking about "Elohim" differently than we are used to. Partly, I just want you to learn to not be scared when you see this language. If you understand what "Elohim" means, and what it doesn't mean, there's no reason to let this shake your faith. This is biblical; it's safe. Let's start by just reading it straight through, and then I'll try to unpack it.

(1) Yahweh has reigned as king.

Let the earth be glad,

Let the many coastlands rejoice.

(2) Clouds and thick darkness [are] all around him.

Faithfulness and justice [are] the foundation of his throne.

(3) Fire walks/goes before him,

and it burns his foes on all sides.

(4) His lightnings lit up the world,

the earth saw and trembled.

(5) The mountains like wax melted before the presence of Yahweh,

all the earth . . . before the presence of the Lord.

(6) The heavens declared his faithfulness,

and all the peoples/nations saw his glory.

(7) May all the ones serving images be put to shame,

the ones boasting in worthless gods/idols.

Bow down to him-- all [you] Elohim/gods.

Zion heard and was glad,

and the daughters of Judah rejoiced