Approaching the Bible on its terms
When Christians living in the twenty-first century open their Bible to Psalm 82, there is typically immediate shock upon reading the first verse of the psalm. As one makes their way down the page, more and more questions take hold of their mind as they ponder what “[God] judging in the midst of gods” could possibly mean.
Insufficient interpretation of Psalm 82
While many Bible commentators and scholars throughout history, like Peter Lange, have asserted that the “gods” being referred to in this text are human influential individuals who are tasked with representing God through their magisterial or judicial authority and, as such, are designated the title “Elohim.” When examining the historical context and biblical context of the psalm, a position such as this fails to grasp what the original audience would have understood and, even more importantly, profoundly misinterprets the original author's intention in His writing.
How the original audience would have understood Ps 82
Unlike a Christian in the twenty-first century, an ancient Israelite would not have been even slightly perplexed upon reading this text. Rather, they would have immediately identified the fact that Yahweh is the supreme God who created and rules all things, yet they would have recognized that in the same way an earthly king delegates his authority, the heavenly king delegates his authority to other spiritual beings in a like manner. Thus, the concept of a Divine/Heavenly Council would have been prevalent in the minds of the ancient Israeli people and the authors of scripture.
The Bible is written for us not to us
An essential component of unpacking the concept of a heavenly council is recognizing the fact that although the Bible is written for us, it was not written to us (John Walton). Insofar as we attempt to interact with the Bible from the standpoint of our ever-evolving, technologically enhanced, anti-supernatural world, we will come up with interpretations that suit our worldview. Yet inasmuch as we put on the lenses of an ancient Israelite and strap on their sandals, we will be able to shift our focus to the worldview and ideologies that were present at the time of the composition of this psalm and unpack the true authorial intent behind what was written.
What is the Divine Council?
So, what is the Divine/ Heavenly Council? Heiser writes, “The term divine council is used by Hebrew and Semitic scholars to refer to the heavenly [host/beings], the pantheon of divine beings who administer the affairs of the cosmos.” In other words, God sovereignly rules over the universe by delegating authority to other heavenly beings he created. A picture of God's sovereign delegation can be seen in the Garden of Eden as Yahweh commands Adam to “rule,” “subdue,” and have “dominion over” the earth. In the same way that God allows humanity to participate with him in His activity, such as the cultivation of Eden or, for the Christian, an active role in fulfilling the great commission (Matt 28), Yahweh partners with his heavenly family to rule and even make decisions. (1 Kings 22:19) In this article, we will explore where the divine council came from, what its function is, why God is judging it, and how Yahweh ultimately brings about that judgment.
Understanding terms that describe heavenly beings
Before diving into the appearances of the Heavenly Council in the biblical text, it's important to recognize key terms and phrases that are used to describe these heavenly beings. Although it is typical to engage with the spiritual realm in four categories: God, Angels, Demons, and Satan. The biblical authors identify heavenly beings with other titles and descriptions, which aid in understanding a true picture of the spiritual realm. Beginning with the word God, which in the Hebrew is Elohim. It is important to know that this word is a descriptive term that refers to a heavenly being. While there are many Elohim, Yahweh is the Elohim.
Additional phrases like “hosts of heaven” (ṣabaʾ); Sons of God, Holy ones (qedōšı̂ m), Watcher (ʿı̂ r), Angel (malʾāk), and Stars are used to describe members of Gods heavenly family.
The first appearance we have of heavenly beings is in Genesis 1, as the author of Job writes, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? ... Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7). This text clearly infers that the Sons of God were indeed present before the creation of the world. Furthermore, upon evaluating the terminology used in this passage, Heiser notes, “The label “sons” deserves attention. It’s a family term, and that’s neither coincidental nor inconsequential. God has an unseen family—in fact, it’s his original family.” This heavenly family is clearly an integral part of creation, as well as God's original design to rule the world with humanity as his vice regency over the earth and his heavenly family as a contributor to Yahweh's sovereign rule through the means of participation and delegation. An example of Yahweh interacting with this Heavenly council can be seen in Job 1:6 as the “sons of God came to stand before Yahweh.” Additionally, a picture of the heavenly council participating in Yahweh’s rule is seen in 1 Kings 22:19-22 as Yahweh addresses his council and a “spirit came forward and stood before Yahweh.” The spirit proposes a plan, and Yahweh responds by saying, “Go out and doso.” Although these passages shed light on the fact that God does indeed consult heavenly beings in his decision-making process, Psalm 82 highlights the Elohim as corrupt and in need of judgment, and as such, the corruption of God's council will be explored next.
The origin of Corruption in the universe
When understanding all corruption in heaven and on earth it is always traced back to one sole actor, Satan. Ezekiel writes, “You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. “You were in Eden, the garden of God...You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.” (Ezk 28:12–15) Isaiah writes, “But you [Lucifer] said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isa 14:13–14) Heiser notes that the rebellion described here “reads like an attempted coup in the divine council.” For it is through the rebellion of Satan that one- third of heaven rebelled (Rev 12:4). Subsequently, it was through the temptation of the snake that Eve was deceived, Adam sinned, and mankind was subject to the consequences of their rebellion, namely the curse of death. Even though one-third of God's heavenly family was corrupted, they still had a place in the heavenly council. (Rev 12:10, Job 1:6)
Furthermore, when assessing Psalm 82, it is important to recognize why these Elohim are being judged for acting corruptly and unjustly ruling.
When did God give Corrupt spiritual beings the right to rule on the earth? Dt 32:8 Dt 4:19
The question which arises next is: where did these heavenly beings gain the right to exercise rule? Moses sheds light on this in Deuteronomy 32:8 when he writes, “When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of God.” This reality of corrupt “Sons of God” receiving a nation is demonstrated through Daniel’s experience with an angel when the angel reveals that he was delayed in responding to Daniel’s prayer because the “Prince of Persia” opposed him for twenty- one days until “Michael one of the chief princes came to help [him]” (Dan 10:13). Textually we see through Deuteronomy and Daniel that the nations have been divided and given to corrupt spiritual beings at the time of Babel (Gen 11). Heiser notes, “As odd as it sounds, the rest of the nations were placed under the authority of members of Yahweh’s divine council. The other nations were assigned to lesser Elohim as a judgment from the Most High, Yahweh.” Yet its
important to see that this judgment was a response to all of humanity unilaterally rejecting God at Babel, and as such, God gave them over to their depravity (Rom 1:28) and delegated his worldwide authority over all people (with the exception of Israel) to corrupt Elohim.
Yahweh's judgment of Corrupt beings
Nevertheless, Psalm 82 outlines not only that God would rise up and judge those he put in charge and hold them accountable but also that Yahweh would “inherit the nations.” This is a complete reversal of Yahweh’s divine allotment in Dt 32:8, as he is seen disinheriting the nations from those he put in charge. This comes to an ultimate fulfillment during the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus' Judgment of Cosmic powers
From the early stages of Jesus’ ministry, Satan came and tempted Jesus with dominion over the whole earth and all its kingdoms. As the devil states, “I will give You all this domain and its glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.” (Lk 4:6). Yet before the crucifixion event, Jesus states, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” (Jn 12:31) Furthermore after the cross and the resurrection Jesus declares, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Revelation 12 reveals that through Christ's authority, Satan was thrown down to the earth, and there “was no longer a place found for them in heaven.” And the “accuser of our brothers has been thrown down” (Rev 12:10, Job 1:6), Demonstrating that the authority of Christ has completely disinherited the nations from the control of Satan and his Angels, and it is upon this foundational spiritual reality that Jesus says, “go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” Why? Because Christ alleviated the nations from the absolute domain that was delegated to the Sons of God in Dt 32:8.(1 Peter 3:22) Thus the angels in heaven rejoice, singing, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Revelation 5:9–10)
The Believers future Destiny
Lastly, in a total reversal of the original divine council’s composition and authority, Christ promises inheritance and authority over the nations for all who believe. (Rev 2:28; Eph 2:26; Rom 8:14-17)
In conclusion
In conclusion, the divine council was established before the creation of the world (Job 38:4-7), underwent an attempted divine coup in Eden through Satan's rebellion (Is 14:13-14), participated in Yahweh’s decision-making process (1 Kings 22:19; Dan 4:17) a portion of the heavenly council were allotted the nations at Babel (Gen 11; Dt 32:8; Ps 82), corruptly reigned over the nations (Ps 82), and were cast out and stripped of their authority/dominion over the nations through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Rev 5:9-10; Rev 12:10; 1 Peter 3:22) Jesus Christ received all power and authority (Matt 28:18; Rev 2:27; 5:9-10; 1 Cor 15:24-28). God has commissioned his church to partner with him in reconciling the world to himself through the great commission (Mtt 28:18-19), promises spiritual “sonship,” “inheritance of the nations” (Rom 8:14-17; Gal 4:4-7), dominion over the earth to all who believe (Eph 2:6; Rev 2:28) and completes the judgment of the divine and human rebellion at his second coming (Rev 20:9-10).
For more on the topic of the Divine council I recommend watching Peter Goeman's podcast "What the Bible Says about Angels and a Divine Council" at
Additional resources
*When reading unseen Realm be cautious as some of the conclusions Michael Heiser comes to are inaccurate; My advice is chew the meat spit out the bones.
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