Day 2731 – Theology Thursday – The Divine Council Worldview and the Nations: A Biblical Perspective

Welcome to Day 2731 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – The Divine Council Worldview and the Nations: A Biblical Perspective Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2731 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2731 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God’s Word. John’s lessons can be found on his website theologyinfive.com . Today’s lesson is titled The Divine Council Worldview and the Nations:<#0.25#> A Biblical Perspective. The Divine Council Worldview, championed by scholars like Dr. Michael Heiser, offers a fascinating lens through which to interpret the biblical narrative. This worldview posits that Yahweh, the God of Israel, presides over a council of lesser divine beings who were assigned to govern the nations. This podcast explores the key aspects of how this worldview explains the relationship between the divine council and the nations.

The Disinheritance of the Nations

A pivotal moment in the Divine Council Worldview is the incident of the Tower of Babel, described in Genesis Eleven verses one through nine. Humanity’s attempt to build a tower reaching the heavens was seen as an act of rebellion against Yahweh. In response, Yahweh confused their language, causing them to scatter across the earth. According to this worldview, this event led to the disinheritance of the nations, as articulated in Deuteronomy thirty-two verse eight and nine. The passage suggests that the Most High divided the nations and assigned them to be governed by lesser divine beings, while retaining Israel as His own portion. “When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court.[a] “For the people of Israel belong to the Lord; Jacob is his special possession. ” (Deuteronomy thirty-two, verses eight and nine)

Psalm 82: Judgment of the Gods

Psalm eighty-two is a critical text for understanding the Divine Council Worldview. In this Psalm, Yahweh stands in the divine assembly and judges the ‘gods’ for their failure to administer justice and righteousness among the nations. These divine beings are condemned for their negligence and are warned of their eventual demise. God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings: “How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? I say, ‘You are gods; you are all children of the Most High. But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler.’” (Psalm...