Psalm 2--The Son Speaks

Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 
2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. 
3 "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." 
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 
6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." 
7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." 
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 
11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 1 specifies two groups of people: the righteous and the wicked. Here in Psalm 2 the writer discloses more about these two groups. He casts the wicked (not using that specific word) as the "nations" and the righteous come into the sharpest and clearest of all focuses as the person of the Son of God, who is ultimately the one and only Righteous One. What excites me about this Psalm is that the Son of God speaks; we hear His voice!

2:1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 
2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. 
3 "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters." 

Every day when I pick up the newspaper, or turn on the radio, or watch television, or see a movie, or engage in the entire election process in our state and nation, or have a conversation with a non-believer, or read a book or magazine, I hear these first three verses fulfilled. Our nation and the other historic nations of the Western world are indeed raging against what they call the "chains" of Christendom. The boundary lines of society are being changed at almost lightening speed.

Yes, my heart does become dismayed, possibly frightened, certainly discouraged. But then I read the following verses:

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 
6 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."

The One enthroned in heaven is of course God. He sees what the nations and rulers of this world order are doing and saying, and He laughs. Then He rebukes and terrifies. Finally, He speaks of His King on His holy hill. Who is this King? The very next verses tell us:

7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." 

Verse 7 begins in first person, the "I". This is new for this Psalm. Who is speaking? The one to whom the Lord spoke when He says, "You are my Son". In Old Testament times, the person of the Son was yet hidden, history not yet having unfolded His identity. But today, of course, we know that the Son is none other than Jesus Christ. The New Testament has revealed Him.

Verse 8 shows that the Father has given the Son all the nations as His inheritance, all the ends of the earth His possession. To the Son the Father gives the power and authority to rule them all, including the right of judgment--to judge and pass sentence on them. The wicked, according to the prophecy in this Psalm, will be destroyed.

Verse 7 is foundational to the entire Psalter. The Son, Jesus Christ, is introduced here, but seldom is He referred to so directly again throughout the remainder of the Psalms. But the reader has heard His voice. The reader knows that the person of the Son is present in these Psalms, and so much treasure and wheat can be gleaned by looking throughout the remainder of the Psalms for His voice. His voice dominates the entire Psalter from beginning to end, though not often as directly identified as here. 

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 
11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. 
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Verse 10 switches back to the narrator, or the chorus. Verses 10 through 12 give us God's divine advice on how we should respond to the situation described in the preceding verses. Here is this great drama: the nations and rulers of the world--which is where we live; this is our very own neighborhood and workplace--these rulers, that is, the people with the power, these have openly rebelled against God Almighty, baring their fists upward towards Him.

God, however, just laughs. He has His own King installed on His holy hill. How should we respond? Which side should we take? Verses 10-12 inform us. We are to be wise, to heed God's warning. We are to serve the Lord with respect and gladness. We are to kiss the Son, to bow our hearts in allegiance to Him. If we join His ranks and make our hiding place in Him, He will bless us. The others will be destroyed in the Son's wrath.

Comment: the Bible very simply makes us very uncomfortable in the stark nakedness and clarity of its words. There is no neutral ground. There is no middle place where we can stand and cry, "Safe!" while we observe the battle and seek to determine in advance who the winner will be. No, those who are not with Him are indeed against Him. Only those who take refuge in Him will be blessed.

Let me ask, in the day of your own personal trouble, your own personal disaster, who will there be to help you? Will the unrighteous throw out a net to save you? Will the unrighteous come knocking at your door to bring you comfort, peace, and hope? Never. The unrighteous, in my observation, only attack and destroy. The idols of the media are worshiped on day one, but on day two, when the idol stumbles, the media are the first to gloat in glee. Only Jesus Christ looks upon all our sin of having rejected Him for so long, and yet says, "Come to me, you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." God is always ready to forgive the humble heart, and He still has the power.

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Lord, only You can bring a broken, troubled life to repentance. This little blog is like casting bread upon the waters. Only you know if even one unsaved person will read this. But I pray, Lord, that someone might, and I pray that even today one heart might turn to you in repentance for having rejected you up until now. Forgive them, Lord, in your precious, holy name, and bring them new life in You, simply because they believe that You live, that You are love, that You paid their penalty of condemnation upon the cross. Thank-You, Lord! You are good! Your word reveals You as the One who blesses all who believe. Help us, Lord, in our non-belief to trust You more. In Jesus' name, amen.

[Note: For further reading on Psalm 2, please see:  http://www.spurgeon.org/treasury/ps002.htm]