"You’re here to defend the defenseless, to make sure that underdogs get a fair break; Your job is to stand up for the powerless, and prosecute all those who exploit them." Psalm 82:3-4 (MSG)

It’s so easy for me to depersonalize God’s message to the point that it seems irrelavent. I read Psalm 82, which is clearly Asaph’s rant against the judges of Israel back in his day. It is a protest psalm. So what does a 3000 year old protest song about judges have to do with me? Big deal. There’s nothing here for me.

Then, I began to think about the judgements I make everyday.

I’m a judge in my family. I dispense justice. I weigh evidence. I make rulings according to our family’s code. I hear appeals. I decide cases involving labor, wages, division of property and punishment.

I’m a judge in my business. I weigh evidence. I hear grievances. I make judgments about ethical infractions. I hear appeals. I settle arguments. I decide cases involving labor and wages.

I am a judge. I make decisions that involve the lives of others, even if it’s a small set of scales in the grand scheme of things. Nevertheless, I have an obligation, in my role as family judge and business judge. I have the same obligation as the judges of Israel did to judge fairly, to defend the defenseless, to stand up for the powerless, and to make sure underdogs get a fair break.