Divine Courtroom Drama and the Politics of Power

Today I read Obadiah and Psalms 82 and 83. On the surface, they don’t have much in common—a short prophetic warning to Edom, followed by two intense psalms calling on God to act against unjust rulers and foreign enemies. But reading them together made one theme hard to ignore: the deep concern for justice, especially for those without power.

In Obadiah, the nation of Edom is condemned for betraying its "brother" Jacob. Edom didn’t just stand by when Jerusalem was invaded; they participated, taking advantage of the chaos. The prophet accuses them of gloating, looting, and handing over survivors. It’s a harsh indictment of opportunism in the face of someone else’s downfall. The text doesn’t dwell on nuance—it’s direct, almost blunt. What matters here is the act of failing to stand with the vulnerable, and then turning that failure into personal gain.

Divine Court is in Session: Psalm 82’s Judgment

Psalm 82 shifts the focus. Here, God is depicted as standing in a divine courtroom, not judging individuals but "the gods" or rulers themselves. The core accusation? They haven’t defended the weak, the needy, or the fatherless. They’ve upheld the wicked instead. It’s an image of frustration: power used irresponsibly, and a demand that something be done about it. The psalm doesn’t question whether justice is a priority—it assumes it is, and calls out the absence of it.

Then Psalm 83 turns to fear. The psalmist lists a coalition of nations forming against Israel and pleads for protection. The tone is urgent, even aggressive. It’s not a quiet lament but a loud cry for intervention. What connects it to the other two readings is again the imbalance of power. The people feel surrounded, vulnerable, overwhelmed. They want to believe that someone stronger is on their side.

Justice Isn’t Optional: A Shared Moral Thread

None of these texts are gentle. But what ties them together is a shared concern for those at a disadvantage—whether because they’ve been betrayed, ignored, or threatened. There’s a recurring demand that those in power act differently. That they defend rather than exploit. That they protect rather than prey.

It’s not always easy to read passages like these, especially with their strong language and clear sense of division between good and evil. But taken together, they seem to be asking a basic question: What happens when those with strength fail to use it for the sake of others?